Metal Underground.com

Listening to Annihilationmancer's "The Involution Philosophy," I found myself remembering the early days of thrash. Those were the days when Metallica's Kirk Hammett and Dave Mustaine were blowing our minds with speedy solos, while Anthrax's Scott Ian and Danny Spitz and Slayer's Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King were setting riff speed records. Every song seemed to be a gauntlet thrown down with a challenge to other bands to match both the technicality and sheer ferocity of what was just played.

I'm happy to say Annihilationmancer is continuing that tradition, with songs that not only rock your socks off, but leave you asking the immortal metal question, "How the hell did they do that?" This trio may have been spawned in Italy, but they'd have been right at home in the thrash scene of the early 1980s.

Particularly impressive is bassist Luca Coppola, whose fleet-fingered fat-string fretwork is given plenty of room to rock, starting with "Antimateria" and "Etereo." Audible bass guitar in thrash is rare enough, but for it to be elevated to a level of near-parity with Bruno Masulli's guitar is almost a revelation.

That's not to say that Masulli, who also sings, is any slacker on the six-string. His solo on "Apolide" especially stands out when it comes to flashy lead guitar work. His dedication to rhythm also stands out, with the many speed shifts in tracks like "Corner Of The Answers" handled deftly.

Andrea Cannata's drumming is especially strong in the slower portions of tracks like "The Involution Philosophy," adding a nice groove to the thrash elements. When the band makes the jump to light speed, he handles the shift well, without clouding things with unnecessary flourishes.

There's not much negative to say about the album, other than the fact that the sound sometimes feels a touch on the tinny side. Then again, that seems in keeping with the old-school thrash feel of the album, so it isn't exactly the worst problem. Also, a little bit of editing on the longer tracks like "Corner Of The Answers" and "Apolide" would've probably done a bit of good — but, again, excess was a hallmark of the early thrash sound as well.

In short, this is an album that blends savage riffs with technical flourishes, and does it far better than most. If you're looking for thrash with the sound and attitude of the early 1980s, look no further than Annihilationmancer's "The Involution Philosophy."