Label: Time to Kill Records
Date: May 20th, 2022
Violentor revisited, reinvented, redesigned but still repulsive, repugnant, retro… This could be the shortest review ever written. Seriously though, the Italians changed their logo, almost entire lineup, label, added a short palette of colors to the artwork, but the music remains the same.
Well, almost the same. The lyrics are in Italian language for the first time in the bands career. Also, this, their fifth album, strives a bit more towards the darker side of thrash metal. Not that Violentor was ever on the lighter side, but the depths reached this time are much more obvious.
Blackened thrash was what these guys always went for. Venom styled, old school, primitive, raw, aggressive, uncompromising black / thrash metal. With a bit of that Motörhead attitude to their tunes. No big deal, one would say, there has ever been a large number of similar acts looking to follow in the footsteps of the pioneering Brits.
This time, however, Violentor broadened the sphere of influence a bit. Not that their music went for a more prolific approach, it didn’t, nor will it ever. If anything, it kept to the era it originally looked to, but nowadays the Italians look into other parts of the world for inspiration. South America, for example, and that trademarked wrathful pounding of the early Cogumelo thrashers. Not as obvious, but still there, Czech monsters such as Debustrol and Törr. Even our own Yugoslav Gods, Bombarder seem to be of significance to Violentor’s sound.
It also sounds to me like the Italian trio incorporated a bit more black metal this time. Particularly in the opening, title track, or “Tieni d’occhio la tua strada”. Something that has roots in the early works of Mayhem. And speaking of the titans of early extreme metal, one can also notice the impact Possessed has on “Manifesto di odio”.
In total, Violentor is still an old school thrash metal band, but a band that knows their history and know it well. They’ve studied it, respect and worship it honestly. Hence, “Manifesto di odio”, an honest thrash record for all the thrash fans out there. But fear not. If you’re an old metalhead who remembers the times when metal was just metal, without adjectives; if you care about any of the names mentioned above, even just one of them – this is the band for you.
It’s like you’re listening to a record you’ve heard a million times, but it still gets your blood pumping hard every time.
Oh, and if you’re into none of the above, there’s also a “power ballad” on “Manifesto di odio”. I swear, it’s really a ballad. It’s called “Ballad of the free spirits”. I can almost imagine a floating corpse in the channels of Venice being serenaded by Dog. A corpse of a hooker, of course. And the serenade… Well, dare to listen.
