Bonded by Blood - Feed the Beast (2008)

I know what your thinking and the purists have been saying it for a couple of years now too. Your thinking to yourself, "Why should I listen to a thrash metal album from 2008 when I can listen to one from 1988?" The answer is simple, friends:

BECAUSE ITS GODDAMN THRASH METAL AND IT FUCKING RULES!

These young Hispanic thrashers from Pomona, California formed back in 2005 and much like Gama Bomb I'd previously never heard them before, in fact the first time I heard Bonded by Blood was at the same gig as Gama Bomb and their performance was so convincing I ran over to the merch table soon as their set was finished.

After a demo in 2006 titled, 'Four Pints Of Blood' and an EP under the name, 'Extinguish the Weak,' the following year, 'Feed the Beast' was issued by Earache Records in mid-2008.

As soon as 'Immortal Life' blasts out of my speakers in a breakneck bolting pace its clear from the start that these exhilarated thrashers our out for blood and determined to take thrash metal's glorious roots and influences and define their own style, even if this debut album is fairly by the numbers, there's no telling where they'll be ten years down the road. Alex Lee leads the rhythm attack with a onslaught of technically impressive and jaw droppingly crazy solos and catchy riffs with Juan Juarez following closely behind in a pursuit of thrashy headbanging fury that never relents. Ruben Dominguez picks away at the bass hastely and craftly while drummer Carlos Regalado absolutely shines and blasts away behind the drum stool perfectly. Vocalist Jose "Aladdin" Barrales has a nasally angry voice that reminds me of old thrash vocalists like Rich Gonzales (Recipients of Death) and John Connelly (Nuclear Assault) while Alex, Ruben and Juan back him up with those always fun and killer thrash gang vocals.

Despite the band being named after one of the genre's classics these guys bare little similarity to Exodus as they are simply faster, catchier, more technical and generally just a lot better than anything those guys ever delivered, but then again I say that based off only hearing one Exodus album in my entire life, so it could be that I missed something, somewhere. Never the less consider the current state of Exodus with Rob Dukes as vocalist and I think you'll understand why I like Bonded by Blood much more.

Since this album both Ruben and Jose have departed from the band, but it didn't slow the band up as they quickly found replacements and released, 'Exiled to Earth' last year, which I really need to get my hands on.

It should be interesting to see what the future holds for these guys as they prove on this debut to be one of most proficient and exciting thrash bands currently writing music.