Infestation is one of the new voices of Thrash Metal. Hailing from Germany, they bring a Teutonic fury to a genre that sometimes gets stuck in 1980s Bay Area sounds. Infestation smashes that trend with indomitable guitar work, frenetic rhythms, and harsh vocals. You will hear Classic Era Thrash influences throughout their music, but there is a modern twist added that gives this debut album a new sound. So get up and get ready to enter the pit. This is not your grandparent’s Thrash Metal.

https://infestation666.bandcamp.com/

Band Members:

  • Maurice Surkus – Vocals
  • Pascal Surkus – Lead Guitars
  • Leonard Lege – Rhythm Guitars
  • Timo Funke – Bass
  • Sidney Klußmeier – Drums

October 13, 2023

Tracklist:

  1. Infernal Anthem
  2. Infestation
  3. Executioner
  4. I.N.F.E.S.T.A.T.O.R.
  5. Kill The Traitor
  6. 1 2 Fuck You
  7. The Vermin Within
  8. Ravage Unleashed!
  9. Use Hate
  10. Death Road
  11. Mind Of A Killer
  12. Warzone
  13. Bierpartei

Welcome to 13 tracks of Thrash Metal! There are two instrumentals; “Infernal Anthem” acts as the album intro, setting the tone for what is to come, and “1 2 Fuck You” carries the attitude from the first to the second half of this brutal onslaught. Using both clean and harsh vocals, Infestation creates a dual vocal attack to mirror the dual guitar battle you hear throughout the record. These accompany the frantic rhythms that will punish your neck and leave you with a lingering whiplash. It’s a good thing you like pain.

There is enough anger to go around on this record. With tracks like “Kill The Traitor” and “Use Hate” fueling the anger, venting all those pent-up emotions will be easy. Just remember air drumming at home, and hitting the pit at the show. Getting those mixed up could lead to you needing costly home repairs (moshing and drywall do NOT go together). There is a beautiful aggression to both the music and the lyrics, giving this a classic Thrash Metal feel.

Infestation is both the band name and a song title, so there is a distinct meaning to the name. This is reinforced with the title of the album and title track. There seems to be a bit of a theme without it making this a concept album. The music is straightforward Thrash and consistent across the whole album. There are no power ballads or shifts to Hardcore, though there are some Hardcore and Punk influences heard in some tracks.

The key takeaway of this record for me is the hard-driving Thrash Metal. The rhythms are fast and accurate, and the guitar work is straightforward, not using a lot of frills or fills, though they definitely have their own flair when solo time comes around. The vocals are almost exclusively harsh, though some backing and layered voices are cleaner. This is a new school Thrash and Infestation is one of the bands to listen for as they move the genre forward.

MZ Ratings:

Musicianship:

  •             Guitars – 9
  •             Rhythms – 9
  •             Vocals – 8
  • Songwriting – 8
  • Production – 8

Overall – 8.40