SHATTER BRAIN

Pitchfork Justice WORMHOLE DEATH

Aussie thrash debutants weaponise the kitchen sink

While this debut album from Adelaide’s Shatter Brain can mix it with any number of thrash’s current crop, there’s a real zeal to Pitchfork Justice and fiendish ingenuity that helps the quintet stand apart. Featuring nods to classic thrash motifs and crossover groove in abundance on the opening one-two of

Talk In Fear and Lorem Ipsum,

even legendary death metallers Necrophagia’s taste for the sonic macabre comes to the fore. The title track and Choosing Beggars

see stoner riffs, sludgy menace and Tom Santamaria’s schizophrenic vocals covering nefarious screams and a Southern drawl with aplomb, while Silent Screams’ sinister mood and eerie, hypnotic break takes the album into even stranger realms. Yet it’s all held together with a talented rhythm section expertly driving every exciting turn, holding firm on the reins of these newcomers’ mad manifestations. ■■■■■■■■■■

FOR FANS OF: Power Trip, Black Breath, Ultra-violence ADAM REES