Review by Felix on November 3, 2019.

Among all the various variations of metallic music, black thrash plays the role of the naughty child. Totally ill-mannered behavior that is fed by dirty F.O.A.D.-attitude is almost the most important prerequisite in order to pen a strong work of this genre. But even if it sounds nearly unduly academic, competent song-writing is of high relevance as well. Many bands, regardless of their style, rely on only one composer and that’s always somehow sad. It mostly feels that we do not get the entire creativity of these formations. Thus, it is great that Nocturnal Breed return with an album that presents songs of each and every band member. Naturally, this is no end in itself, but the tracks of the both casually and aptly titled We Only Came for the Violence illustrate that this approach can result in a lively, dynamic and varied full-length. Good teamwork, no doubt at all.

Nocturnal Breed know the importance of high velocity and so they throw a couple of rapid outbursts into the crowd, but they also like mid-tempo tracks with insidious riffing and vocals that convey not only a hinge of insanity. “Sharks of the Wehrmacht” (written by S.A. Destroyer) is a jewel that showcases the aforementioned features in a very good way. On the other hand, relentless high-speed eruptions like the ingenious “Limbs of Gehenna” or the equally frenetic and unbeatable “Nekrohagel” (both written by T. Terror) are aligned with the dogma of the debut of a once great formation; they show no mercy. Between these poles one finds many bastards, for example “War-Metal Engine” (S.A. Destroyer). It combines impulsive, fast-paced verses with a stomping, very catchy chorus which seems to originate from the archives of a traditional Teutonic formation. “Bless the Whore” (I.Maztor) is a representative of the art of wicked, fast riffing and V. Fineideath contributes the rolling guitar sounds of “Frozen to the Cross”, a song that picks up the formula and the drive of the highlights of Darkthrone’s “Ravishing Grimness”.

The greatest surprise of this work is “Can’t Hold Back the Night”, another track written by S.A. Destroyer. Its name could be stolen from some hair metal posers, but don’t jump to conclusions. This is a meticulously designed piece that houses both pretty melodic sections and a bittersweet, pummeling chorus whose urine marks its territory impressively. Indeed, Nocturnal Breed show the world that even the stubborn and narrow-minded subgenre leaves much room for different approaches and by the way, they also prove their good taste. The guys cover “Desecrator” of Storm and the swirling guitars of this nasty piece of metal lead to a perfect match with their own material. In view of so many direct hits and a playtime of almost 50 minutes, an exorbitant length in this genre, we can neglect the fact that two or three tracks cannot fully keep up the momentum. Yet this does not mean that they fall through the net. For example, the stoic lines of “A Million Miles of Trench” (T. Terror) have their charm and constitute a good closer (but not an outstanding one). Even the title track which suffers from a rather stale riffing at the beginning turns out to a solid mid-paced number.

In view of the varied song-writing one might have doubts whether this is still a homogeneous work. Rest assured, Nocturnal Breed’s songs have a common denominator. The album exudes vileness from the beginning to the end and the freaky, yet malicious vocals of S.A. Destroyer are a second reliable element. The production, to lose some words about it as well, delivers the necessary amount of pressure and puts the focus rather on clarity than on a somewhat rancid, genre-typical appearance. Either way, the songs shine in full bloom and so even an old German grouch like me has nothing to grumble. Shit! However, what’s bad for me might be good for you. Show your friends that your musical taste is better than theirs and get We Only Came for the Violence – the sooner the better. Guess you will enjoy it. Otherwise the Nekrohagel will come over you.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Greg on June 21, 2023.

If there's one country which never was in dire need for killer thrash bands, Canada would surely compete for that position. Luckily for all of us, five guys from British Columbia didn't care and took the entire world by storm in 2017, coming more or less out of nowhere. The album in question was Terrifier's Weapons of Thrash Destruction, which unfortunately never got a sequel so far. What might be less known is, the lads had already a full-length under their belt, dating back to their early days as the unimaginatively named Skull Hammer. The fact that they even cared about re-issuing it under their new moniker might imply that this Destroyers of the Faith will offer a good dose of serious business as well...

Unsurprisingly, if one is accustomed to what the band sounded like on their sophomore, here we basically get Terrifier-lite. Kyle "holy shit I haven't played a blast beat in one full minute" Sheppard wasn't among the ranks yet, and vocalist Chase Thibodeau isn't as hysterical in his delivery. Axemen extraordinaire Brent Gallant and Rene Wilkinson are already in top form though, so guitar solos are, once again, the eye-catching (and grin-inducing) feature. Now, Weapons of Thrash Destruction's constant quest for extremity somehow made up for the not exceptionally innovative songwriting, even if reducing it to 'the mediocre thrash album with out of this world solos' is admittedly an injustice. Destroyers of the Faith is definitely cut from the same cloth, even if the band appears an iota more restrained in their performances, offering the compositions a decent amount of room to breathe. Already the opener isn't just a predictable spiritual predecessor to 'Re-Animator', 'The Valkyrie' being a more measured gallop (please applaud this ingenious pun) for a good while before the minute-long solo in the middle steps up the game.

When the call for high-octane thrash metal arrives, indeed, Jerome Brewer is no slouch either behind the skins. 'Hammer Fist' and especially the friendly 'Scum Ridden Filth' are more conventional Terrifier material, the latter even surprising with a great melodic(!) intro, though the real gem of Destroyers of the Faith comes at its very end, with the killer title-track which would give any song of the sophomore a run for its money. As you may have grasped now, though, the album is unexpectedly varied, with 'The Age of Steel' exemplifying all its facets in 7 glorious minutes (the extended central lead section may as well be their finest ever), and there's even a very Exmortus-esque proper instrumental in 'Of Victory and Valour'. From a compositional point of view, it almost seems that this was the actual second album.

So, even if, at first glance, it may look like Destroyers of the Faith was rendered virtually obsolete by the time Weapons of Thrash Destruction came out, and that's partly true, there are actually several aspects of this debut I prefer, like the more frequent excursions into slower territories, the occasional melodic playing, or even its sound, not nearly as compressed and overproduced as its successor. In any case, the more digestible vocal delivery and less extreme drumming, as well as the always stellar leadwork, make it an effort worth listening for every fellow thrasher out there.

In a way, it will moderately quench the thirst for more Terrifier for a while. Now what about a new album?

Rating: 8.1 out of 10