Even though it’s never really been my forte, I’ve always had a strange attraction to classic Japanese monster movies. They have a charm about them and a cinematic significance to them that I just feel attracted to. I never once even dared to think a band would take the topics of those movies and toss them into a metal album, much less thrash metal. But, I’ve seen crazier shit so why the fuck not? Oxygen Destroyer finally rolls around with their debut record, and it’s packed to the brim with tasty radiation.

I knew that this band knew their old movies given the reference of the band’s name itself (it’s the weapon that killed Godzilla in the original film), so I knew that if nothing else these guys knew their stuff with old Japanese kaiju. But luckily, they know their way around some zesty thrash metal as well to top it all off. The ten tracks that are thrown down for “Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death” are by no means pushovers as Oxygen Destroyer sticks true to a very classic feel of thrash as no one is left alive, and everything in their path is decimated with nuclear devastation in the blink of an eye. With each track being a reference to one classic kaiju after another, Oxygen Destroyer does their theme proud as they do very little wrong here with this debut effort. The only thing I wish I saw with “Bestial Manifestations” was with Oxygen Destroyer to make their sound just a bit more different instead of just their theme when it especially when you compare it to the greater scene of thrash as a whole. Granted, it’s all pulled off well as Oxygen Destroyer has a terrific sense of pacing, fantastic face melting speed, and the musicianship to bring it all together so I can’t complain too much simply because there’s no denying this band knows exactly what they’re fucking doing.

Some people might see the theme that Oxygen Destroyer presents us with as “some dumb gimmick” or “showing a lack of originality in metal”, but I couldn’t give a flying fuck about those people because Oxygen Destroyer has created a true rager of a debut LP that will leave your neck in pieces by the time you’re done with it. In no small way, “Bestial Manifestations” is an astonishingly vicious record that just keeps on giving, one track after another in quick succession.

LISTEN to “Bestial Manifestation of Malevolence and Death” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Oxygen Destroyer on Facebook here.