VIO-LENCE — Let the World Burn (review)

VIO-LENCE — Let the World Burn album cover

EP · 2022 · Thrash Metal

3.5/5 · 2022-03-04
siLLy puPPy

VIO-LENCE of course is recognized as one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s premiere thrash metal bands of the 1980s having been one of the one of the first bands to follow in the footsteps of Metallica and Exodus. The band under its original lineup released a mere three albums in its existence from 1985-93 with its debut “Eternal Nightmare” reaching classic status over the ensuing decades but i don’t think that that anybody really expected this band to ever reemerge from the past considering Robert Flynn found commercial success in his next project Machine Head however whoever owns the rights to the name can carry on the trademark band name in any desired way and that’s exactly what has happened some 29 years after the last VIO-LENCE album was released.

This is a classic band that was never expected to be heard from again but with the continued popularity of thrash metal and the profitable comeback albums of bands from Possessed and the continued success of bands like Exodus, VIO-LENCE’s classic status would surely be wasted if not followed up by some modern visitation of all that came before and lo and behold here we are in the calendar date of 2022 with a new product from one of the Bay Area’s most celebrated “underground” thrash metal acts! Not confident enough to release a full-length follow-up to the 1993 release “Nothing To Gain,” the new lineup of VIO-LENCE opted for the EP option. The new noisemakers include the original members of vocalist Sean Killian, guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Perry Strickland but welcomes newbies Bobby Gustafson (guitars) and Christian Olde Wolbers (bass) into the family.

OK, so what we have here is a tribute to the thrash metal archives, that which pays perfect tribute to the music from the band’s classic era without moving on in any way shape or form. Is that bad? Well, of course, that resides in the classic adage of “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” OK, just a factual check here. We ARE in the year 2022 and the thrash metal that VIO-LENCE launched in its classic 80s heyday is roughly four decades old at this point. Yeah, sad but true. Speed is not shocking any longer and tones and timbres are the wave of the future. LET THE WORLD BEGIN offers nothing new under the sun but DOES offer a competent modern take on classic 80s thrash metal music. How are we supposed to take a modern interpretation of classic thrash metal in the modern age? I dunno. That’s for you to decide.

Overall i like this. Not in an OMG this is fucking cool beyond comprehension level of mentality but rather that “WOW, i’m so glad that a classic band is so capable of keeping their shit together after all this time” sorta way. Yeah, this is a band that saw its heyday in the 80s and 90s but for a seemingly impromptu release that comes from nowhere i can’t deny that this is a thoroughly enjoyable EP from start to finish. Yeah, not evolving the thrash metal sound in any conceivable form but as far as enjoyable is concerned, i gotta admit that this is an excellent retro comeback that i really wasn’t expecting! Is it bad for band of decades ago to pretend that decades haven’t elapsed? I dunno, but i can say that these core band members haven’t lost their vision in any way.