Thrash metal is really the sort of thing that if you’re going to do it, you really have to go all in because otherwise the material isn’t going to have the right power behind it and there just won’t be that much intrigue in it all. Many people also find it boring how many thrash bands nowadays don’t do anything new to the style and, thus, the style has become boring. I disagree. While my relationship with thrash hasn’t always been the greatest, it’s far from a style that is lacking quality on any front, and it’s young acts like Black Mass that keep that torch going incredibly strong.

It’d be easy to think that many, if not all, thrash acts nowadays derive all of their influence from the really obvious choices from old school Metallica to Slayer to Razor, but that’s not always the case. What happens when you get a band that is clearly rooted in that classy old school thrash style, has riffs pulled right out of the golden age of black metal where the riff reigned over the genre as supreme overlord, and lyrical content that’s absolutely drenched in everything that death metal has ever used for lyrical inspiration? Well, Black Mass. And even though it’s not the perfect concoction of all of those elements (it’s a real fool’s guess if such a thing can or ever will exist), in every form “Warlust” fucking slays! And it’s simply because everything we could ask for is right here in these ten tracks! One sample after another, we’re treated to a fierce and blistering listen that gives us a real tour de force of modern thrash as we see masterful riffage and real tenacity that doesn’t give until the very end of the song, and even then it’s the following track that picks the pace right back up. “Warlust” is a constant thrill ride that brings us everything that’s great about underground thrash and is the exact sort of thing that really gives you a renewed sense of appreciation for the style as there’s not a single thing that Black Mass didn’t pull off gloriously to make this album a listen that’s a must for many thrash fans out there looking for their next jolt of adrenaline.

There are few times that I listen to a thrash record and can’t find anything to really pick apart, but it’s with Black Mass that we get a slab of pure, raw thrash the likes of which we can never get enough of in all of its grandeur from its speed to its quality. Many bands seek to create albums as fantastic as this, but “Warlust” is all of its awesomeness is a rare underground gem that is seldom achieved no matter the band in question.

“Warlust” releases on February 15th!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Warlust” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Black Mass on Facebook here.