Hailing from the country music capital of Nashville, Tennessee, Burning Death showcases there is just as much room in that city for scorching thrash and other variants of metal that take listeners back a few decades. With members of death metal band Act of Impalement in their ranks, Burning Death turns their attention to the type of furious and high intensity material that defined early thrash in Germany and the US, while also channeling some of the rabid nature of the South American scene on their self-titled effort. It’s a familiar sound, but the group does it in such a convincing fashion that fans of the style will get plenty of mileage out of this album.
One of the first things that stuck out to me upon pressing play was how much Burning Death feels like the American equivalent of Deathhammer. Deathhammer’s been known for their ridiculous speed, falsettos, and adherence to that very early thrash and blackened thrash sound, and Burning Death pulls from a very similar set of influences. “Genocidal Litany” is a great intro to what the band has to offer on their debut, as it starts off with a mid-tempo riff before whipping things up into a fast and frantic maelstrom of guitar, bass, and drums. Sometimes the riffs have a bit more of a blackened edge to them while other moments feel like pure thrash circa the early 80s. When the group hits their fastest speeds they have a similar rabid and scorching sound that does the early Teutonic and South American scenes justice, though unlike other new artists of this type Burning Death has a precision to their attack that isn’t as easy to come by. Songs like “Vengeance of the Inferno” also have a touch of speed metal, with the riffs sometimes reminding me of a cross between Baphomets Blood and early Slayer, which is an appealing combo. Admittedly the material does fall into some patterns and some of the songs run together a bit upon repeat listens and there is room for Burning Death to shake things up a bit more in the future, but there’s no denying they’ve distilled things down to the essence of early thrash.
The instrumentals nail that classic thrash sound, but it’s the vocals that really round out the entire package. Ethan Rock has a raspy scream that definitely brings in a bit more of the black/thrash tone and keeps things distorted and in your face, but there are plenty of higher shrieks that sound like a cross between Tom Araya in his prime and Deathhammer. Tracks like “Cold Bite of Steel” have some of the best highs, as they almost sound like they’re on the verge of collapse. It does feel like the vocals could have just a bit more separation from the instrumentals in the mix, as while the shrieks jump out at you some of the lower ranges blend together with the rest of the band. This isn’t a huge deal, but some minor tweaks could sharpen Burning Death’s impact further.
Some moments do blur together, but Burning Death’s debut is still one of those albums that feels like it was tailor made for my tastes. These guys channel that same intensity as the classic thrash and speed metal bands from the early 80s and they have some killer riffs and vocals to back it up. It’s not quite my favorite thrash/speed metal effort from 2025, but it’s one that I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of and lays a strong foundation for Burning Death to build from in the coming years. Burning Death is available from Caligari Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg