If you like your old school Thrash Metal the German way, this one is for you. Despite hailing from Wisconsin, MORBID SAINT’s influences (or perhaps rather contemporaries – the band has been around since 1984, despite a long hiatus in between) come from all over the Thrash-speaking world, not just from the States. The so-called ‘Big Teutonic Four’ (SODOM, KREATOR, DESTRUCTION, TANKARD), however, have certainly made an impression on the band: vocalist Pat Lind sounds a bit like a young Tom Angelripper, and guitarists Jay Visser and Jim Fergades produce sound of a quality and speed that does remind me of KREATOR. This similarity becomes particularly apparent in ‘Rise From The Ashes’ and ‘Bleed Them Dry’, with SODOM being the most obvious candidate of comparison. But “Swallowed By Hell” is more than just this: a clean production, the music is played in a very tight manner and at breakneck speed most of the time, with melodic guitar runs that are way more ambitious than much of the sound delivered by the old titans mentioned above in their heyday. MORBID SAINT are looking towards their own countrymen, too: ANTHRAX do spring to mind in ‘Bloody Floors’, whereas the guitar shredding in ‘Fear Incarnate’ reminds me of OVERKILL. Clearly, nothing of the old rebellious attitude is lost, as can be heard in the song ‘Fuck Them All’. This one sounds a bit like NUCLEAR ASSAULT with Tom Angelripper singing, and despite the fact that MORBID SAINT are probably twice as old, young German Thrash hopefuls TRAITOR are maybe worth a listen, too, if you dig this. Regarding the pun and motif in the title, ‘Pine Tuxedo’ might be pointing towards OBITUARY but is actually another fast Speed / Thrash song, this time with a strong DEATH ANGEL touch. With the last two tracks being played along the same lines, you can say that without completely losing the raw-sounding charm of the genre’s earlier releases (and certainly without a strange German accent in the singing), MORBID SAINT have created a great piece of “modern” old school Thrash. In case you are too old school you might prefer the original recordings of either MORBID SAINT or their old companions. This new album, however, has much to be said for it! www.facebook.com/morbidsaintofficial, www.facebook.com/hrrecords