The vast majority of the time whenever I’m hearing something with a heavy stoner presence in the ultimate mix, it’s doom metal and fuzz-filled rock that are what comes across to me ripe for listening. To be completely honest, I’ve never really thought of what stoner thrash would sound like but I could see it being a thing as it definitely sounds like something that could work brilliantly! And as if to prove me right, Shadow of Death’s latest album is a damned good time that’s a perfect example of such a case.

If it’s not apparent just by the album’s title alone, there’s a very specific attitude that permeates the entirety of what Shadow of Death is going for here and it’s something that fans of thrash metal have become incredibly familiar with over the years: a continuous and ever-present layer of “fuck you”. It literally drenches the entirety of “Stoner Fucking Thrash” from the slightly unassuming beginning to that final defiant note that closes out the album with one last party and one last beer downed before the riot begins. To make it so much better, the already top-tier quantities of thrash that we see here are only further enhanced by sprinkles of death metal that are perfectly placed to bring that pristine amount of heaviness and unique intensity on top of the already crushing experience that “Stoner Fucking Thrash” carries in spades at all times. The constant, unwavering levels of energy really carry these five tracks to become a half hour of pure mayhem corralled masterfully by Shadow of Death who clearly have a deep understanding of their fairly unique approach that they have going on with this EP, and I can only imagine it’s reflected real nice in their previous work as well and that only makes the prospect of them learning in later releases all the better.

The idea of a band coming up with something even slightly new or refreshing is what I’m always up for, but I’m always ready in the event of the idea either not working at all or simply not resonating with me. Fortunately, Shadow of Death managed to hit all of my cylinders with this EP in a way I was truly not expecting as I went into it. “Stoner Fucking Thrash” is an extremely flavorful record that’s great for any stoner and thrash fan, and absolutely essential for anyone who claims to be in love with both.

LISTEN to “Stoner Fucking Thrash” via YouTube here or below.

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