Faded Visions I, the first in a two-part series, ticks all the usual thrash boxes: crunching, distorted riffs, blast beats, and so much screaming it’s impossible not to develop a sympathetic sore throat.
However Truth Decayed’s second EP sets itself apart from its peers with a brutality that’s more sophisticated and refined. While the band follows the thrash formula almost to a tee they do so without raising concerns about bleeding ear drums and, believe it or not, vocals that are mostly decipherable on first listen.
As with so much of the music being released these days Faded Visions I pulls no punches in its examination and protestation of the current zeitgeist. The title track, “Absolute War”, and “The World I Know” rally against war, psychopathic politicians, and the soul-sucking nature of our world – but it’s in the second half of the EP where things get interesting.
When I first saw “PTSD” on the track list I assumed it would veer towards the melancholic side of things but how wrong I was. Perhaps the most typically thrash song on offer its sheer brutality gives a whole new spin on an issue normally approached with softness and sympathy.
Bringing the curtain down is “The Witches’ Watch”, a sweeping instrumental piece that belies the intensity that came before with an introspective calmness and shows Truth Decayed to be so much more than a thrash metal band.
On the surface Faded Visions I appears to be another thrash album but it doesn’t take long for the EP to rise above that. Moments of nuance refined by a sophisticated approach to production makes Truth Decayed’s latest EP more palatable than most of its peers.
Feature pic supplied by artist
