You know what we haven’t done this year? Review some fresh Tmehrash! I don’t know when the genre died again, but not so long ago, it was booming with ideas. At least last year, we got this beast. However, Sacrifice – Volume Six seems to aim for the more traditional side of the genre, where relentless pummeling and intense energy are the name of the game. You could even say they don’t make them like this anymore, so how about we dive into this modern relic?
Alright, so Volume Six isn’t exactly retro-Metal—maybe because thrash is retro by default. Despite its long trajectory, Sacrifice has a fresh vibe that almost reminds me of a more musically conservative Warbringer. There’s an immense respect for the riff as a tool to tell a story. No talking, no weird experimenting, no cute synths. It’s just the galloping and unstoppable march of tight riffs to show you these guys aren’t dead yet.
This could’ve sounded more ‘80s than Anthrax, but thankfully, it decided to stick to more modern approaches. It’s hard to make pure Thrash without becoming derivative, after all. Volume Six’s strength lies in how tight everything feels together (keep your dirty mind quiet, please!). It might stick to ideas that have been explored before, but it still manages to deliver a fun pack of tracks that rarely go beyond the four-minute mark, making this album a safe investment from a time perspective.
And yet, there are still things that make me skeptical. You know me—I’m all for innovation in the scene and tend to feel less excited by works that revisit familiar places (take me to Jupiter, people, not Mars! Everyone wants to go to Mars these days). Then there’s a consistency issue. To me, the first few tracks are the album’s highlights, and as it moves forward, things become flatter in a way—with the exception of “Black Hashish”, a track that I’m sure will divide listeners. Some will see it as a needed change, and some will get bored.
That’s just life. You can’t make everyone happy. In fact, you probably can’t even make yourself happy. Sacrifice offers safe Thrash Metal that will make both old and young fans feel a bit warmer inside. However, don’t expect anything revolutionary or complex. This is standard fun within the realm of extreme metal. It’s a bit too safe for me, but maybe wild enough for you. But there’s only one way to find out, my dear corpse-painted children.
Label: High Roller Records
Release date: February 21, 2025
Website: https://www.facebook.com/sacrificecanada
Country: Canada
Score: Good Thrash, that’s it!
Metal Eclipse Reviews 