Excimer - Thrash From Fire

Tracklist:-

1. Hell On Earth

2. Victims Of Plague

3. Provoke The Slaughter

4. War Terror

5. The Curse Of Seth

6. Apocalypse

7. Thrash From Fire

8. Cry War

9. Red Planet

10. Rapid Fire (Judas Priest Cover)

Thrash metal from Egypt? It makes complete sense for a band to play extreme music about war, terrorism and hatred in a country that itself has been ravaged by extremes over the years. Excimer began playing thrash metal in 2013 and they wasted little time in self-releasing their debut EP "Serial Killer". A Single followed a year later before their first full-length "Thrash From Fire" was given a wider release in 2015 via Witches Brew Records. It's cool to see a band like Excimer, who have been heavily influenced by European bands like Sodom, Destruction as well as the NWOBHM getting the support from a great underground European label like Witches Brew Records. It just goes to show how far reaching and supportive the underground metal scene is nowadays.

Thrash metal is pure party music and Excimer are the MC’s this evening. Thrash From Fire is frenetic. Hell On Earth is every bit the high octane, high impact opener you hoped it would be. Everything is maximised for full attack. The drumming takes no break for breath, the guitar and bass are razor sharp and the low vocal rasps are authoritative. Excimer is the perfect remedy for those who think that modern day Anthrax is a bit weak. The riffs mid-way through Victims Of Plague are so good, you’d think that they were written by one of the big-four and that’s not a throwaway compliment either. Excimer can definitely write! They fill Provoke The Slaughter with a lot more instrumentation, especially with the lengthy intro. They fit an awful lot the five-and-a-half minute song. It’s also got a more than solid solo. I sincerely hope that Excimer isn’t just a one-off  and that Egypt (and Africa as a whole) produces more kick-ass thrash like this! War Terror sounds like the sort of song that Metallica would have written had they not chosen the “clean” vocal path. I guess it takes more from Exodus in that respect. What I mean to say is…it rips! Excimer pull no punches with their approach and speed straight into The Curse Of Seth, which not only marks the midway point in Thrash From Fire but also points to the sheer gung-ho attitude of the band. Many bands from many genres have taken influence from the Apocalypse, but Excimer’s take on it is really infectious. The title-track contains razor-sharp riffs and in fact, it’s those riffs that provide the bulk of Excimer’s melody throughout the record. The rasping growls don’t let that melody get carried away though, providing a cheese-grater like feeling in your ears (in the best possible way). They scream NWOBHM with Cry War, embracing it’s blueprint to help create a really catchy number. You feel exactly what it’s like to be marooned on Mars during Red Planet. It’s chock full of molten metal! It’s instrumental for the most part and it just goes to highlight how good Excimer’s song-writing and playing actually is. They end with a cover of Judas Priest’s Rapid Fire. It’s as if somebody mated Priest with Venom and let their offspring pick up instruments as soon as they could walk! 

Stream Thrash From Fire here:-

You can pick up digital and physical versions from Witches Brew Records above.

Excimer Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Excimerband
Witches Brew Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/witchesbrewthrashes