Crossover thrash is one of those genres that’s super fun when done right, but so many bands nail the basics and then stop there. Puerto Rico’s Fullminator manage to nail the sound and offer plenty of catchy riffs for listeners to take in on their latest EP Omniplasm, which offers fast and furious riffing alongside the continued tales of these robot saviors sent from the future. Although you know exactly what you’re in for when you press play, the tongue in cheek approach to the lyrics and energy that draws equally from the hardcore and thrash side of crossover leaves a big impression.
There’s something about crossover thrash when it’s played with precision and the production values are just right that makes you want to immediately launch yourself into the nearest person, and this is the exact response that Omniplasm generated after pressing play. The first song “Artificial Immolator (AI)” ticks all the boxes you’d expect from the genre with sheer speed, some mid-tempo breaks, and a raging solo towards the end, all wrapped up in that crunchier tonality that hits hard and gets your blood pumping. Fullminator pulls fairly equally from classic thrash and hardcore, bringing to mind classics like Agnostic Front as often as Overkill, and while there are plenty of other groups that have gone for this same combo in recent years these guys do it with such polish that it stands out. Admittedly you’ll likely find some patterns in the way these songs are constructed and a few moments do start to blur together when the band goes full-speed, but the shorter nature of an EP makes it easier to take everything in without the material starting to feel redundant or repetitive. Aside from that scorching opener, other highlights include “Perihelion” where Fullminator shakes things up a bit and goes full punk rock for a little bit, and the killer thrash cover of Beastie Boys “Fight For Your Right”.
As you may have noticed if you glanced at their Facebook or Bandcamp, despite their location being listed as Puerto Rico this is a band whose members are all dressed as robots (with the exception of the singer) and claim to be sent from the future to save the world from the evil Colonel Roach. Based on that, you can probably figure out that Fullminator doesn’t take themselves overly seriously and amps up the fun when it comes to the lyrics and vocal performances. The well-named Reptilian Deluxe delivers rougher edged screaming and shouting that’s backed up by gang vocals, with lyrics that are all easy to decipher and some of which will likely be stuck in your head for some time to come. There’s a balance between politically charged and real-life themes woven in with the sci-fi concept that the band has in their imagery, and it helps to differentiate their music from many of the others out there.
While Fullminator is hardly breaking the mold when it comes to crossover thrash, sometimes you just want a reminder of how the new-school can do justice to the speed and sheer fun factor that the classics had to offer and Omniplasm is able to achieve just that. With its sci-fi leanings and high-flying energy, there’s a lot to like about this compact EP and it’ll be exciting to watch how this band evolves in the years to come, especially if they double down on the GWAR type storytelling.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
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