While many of us are enamored by the finale from Megadeath, the state of thrash metal still remains something that ought to be discussed as we find ourselves witnessing the end of one of the all-time greats. The style has long been in need of fresh talent that can actually step up to the plate. They don’t need to fill the shoes of the veteran acts that are slowly going away from us, but to keep the flame and power alive with potency is something that is paramount should the style itself hope to survive. It’s not terribly often that we get bands that are up to that task. With their first full-length album, Kartel makes itself known as more than competent.

The first steps are always difficult to take for a multitude of different reasons. For some, it can be quite difficult to know precisely how to go bringing about your sound while for others it’s a matter of how to temper their ambition to not fall into the age-old trap of biting off more than one can chew. Thrash is the sort of thing that may not seem all that difficult to bring about from a surface level investigation, but, much like many of the other styles that are to be found in the vast underground, there’s a certain level of finesse that’s needed in order to bring about the style for what it can be. Moving hand-in-hand with topical social aggression and loads of heaviness, Kartel does more than enough to tap into what has long made thrash such a ferocious beast while enabling “Ordo Karnivora” to become so much more. Infusing a healthy dosage of punk into the mix to make a particularly potent brand of crossover thrash that wouldn’t stop even for the ending of civilization, these nine tracks are as eviscerating as they are uncompromising. For everything that it brings to the table, “Ordo Karnivora” is as effective as it is straightforward. Kartel makes no attempt to make an effort that’s emblematic of what the style can still be nor does it seek lofty heights to get your attention. Rather, this performance is one meant to disrupt and instigate. A body of work that is directed specifically towards this hyper-politicized world of ourselves and all the ugliness that it does a poor job at cloaking. Angry and driven.

You don’t need to make some big statement nor do you need to really dig deep and try to offer the listener something that’s undeniably unique in order to get your message across or deliver an offensive that you sought to achieve. Kartel does all that in magnificent fashion with everything that’s been offered throughout this unyielding performance. Hardly any frills to call its own and never once wasting its time in its quest for social disintegration, “Ordo Karnivora” offers no peace and demands you to act lest you be bulldozed by those with all the influence, power, and money.

LISTEN to “Ordo Karnivora” on Bandcamp here.

FOLLOW Kartel on Instagram here.