siLLy puPPy South America has been no stranger to extreme metal having conquered the world with Sepultura all the way back in the 1980s but the majority of the most famous bands seem to have emerged from the continent’s largest nation state Brazil. While hardcore metalheads may have heard of Sarcófago, Ratos de Porão or even Violator, most would be hard pressed to name a single band from the least known South American landlocked nation of Paraguay.

THE FORCE emerged from the capital city of Asunción in 2007 in the ashes of Overlord formed by lead guitarist /vocalist Mike Martinez and bassist Sebass Román. Overlord managed to only release a sole EP but as THE FORCE, this band has so far released two EPs, a split and three full-lengths. POSSESSED BY METAL was the band’s debut album and showcased a retro sound that mixed 80s speed metal with the early sounds of thrash in the vein of classic Exodus, Forbidden and other high octane rampaging thrash metal bands.

The album features nine retro thrash metal attacks that really could’ve been released in the wild early years of thrash metal. With the speed of early Sadus and the riffing style of Exodus, these Paraguayans mastered the art without flinching. Considering English is not their native tongue, THE FORCE delivered not only dynamic galloping thrash metal mixed with the NWOBHM style most clearly heard in the thundering guitar solos, but also craft a convincing delivery of the lyrics in the English language. Lead vocalist Mike Martinez is a dead ringer for Exodus’ first singer Paul Baloff with a bit of that goofy clown style but i actually like him better because he offers a bit of thrashy grit.

While POSSESSED BY METAL is retro thrash by the numbers, this is exactly the kind of thrash metal i find the most exciting. No nonsense thundering lightning speeds of steel with crunchy guitar riffs chugging at a gazillion kilos per second with all the expected melodic touches that are complimented with dueling guitar wizardry, bantering bass thumping and percussive mania. The band also accomplished all the expected tempo changes and breakdowns that made some of the best acts of the 80s and 90s stand out.

True that THE FORCE may have come to the party about 15 years too late but Paraguay has never been at the center of cutting edge world class music so smaller nations like this had to play catch up and in the case of THE FORCE it was well worth the wait for hardcore thrash fans who couldn’t have hoped for a better local band to worship. There isn’t a bad track on this one. This is the kind of thrash metal that makes the genre so magical without any bells and whistles. Just pure classic unadulterated thrash metal attacks for the entire 40 minute ride including the amazing instrumental “Long Live The Metal Gods.”

While most of the classic big names have moved on and engaged in various experiments, bands like THE FORCE have provided that retro sound that nations like Paraguay may have missed first time around. While there is absolutely new under the sun with this band, POSSESSED BY METAL is an excellent display of classic thrash metal at its absolute best even with the rather wonky vocals. While Paraguay may be one of the smallest nations in South America, they have a lot to celebrate with competent musicians like this rocking their nation. Clearly THE FORCE has awakened and is with them!