I gotta be honest. When I read the album title I was afraid. I mean, "Krieg Thrash"? I really can’t get past that "krieg vnd kvlt" terminology. Worse if it’s applied to Thrash Metal. But past the aforementioned detail, I set myself to listen to German ELIMINATOR’s debut album. Before this release, they put out two demos in 2007 and 2008 respectively, which I haven’t heard by the way. So, upon first listen, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the opener, ‘Raging Shrapnel Hail’ is an instrumental. I always liked this, since the first song usually sets the pace for the whole album. And well, hearing all that edgy riffing first was just what I needed. These guys mix Bay Area riffs with the sharp German Thrash in terms of speed and overall brutality. Let’s get down to the production first. I love the drums, both, the sound and the performance. It’s nice to hear natural sounding drums in 2012. Same goes to the other instruments. Everything is heard perfectly in the mix but nothing is overproduced or over compressed, since that seems to be the trend for the last 6 or 7 years. And the vocals! Full of reverb and delay FX, the continuous shouting and the chain-gang choruses are perfect! "Krieg Thrash" reminded me of some classics such as DARK ANGEL’s "Leave Scars", SODOM’s "In The Sign Of Evil" and SLAYER’s "Show No Mercy". Yeah, this is THAT good! Composition wise, these guys know how to come up with some excellent songs, mostly mid-paced Speed / Thrash Metal with non-stop riffs, leads and attitude! Even the bass guitar has its own solos and stand alone parts. They also mix in melodic parts à la "Coma Of Souls"; I mean, how was I missing this? And so you all Thrashers know, this is no retro Thrash bullshit. This is the real deal, even if the band member’s pictures kinda tell the opposite. "Krieg Thrash" sounds like it was written, recorded and released in 1987. Get this album now. Just ignore the title, cause this is some real Thrash Metal to bang your heads to! Info here: www.facebook.com/pages/eliminator-germany/383646365006147, www.dying-victims.de