Remnants

Remnants is a compilation of earlier EPs, demos and splits by this California band which has yet to release a full-length album after some 13 years. Unusual. On to the album... This is some really good old school death/thrash that really takes its influences in the mid-80s when it comes to the thrash parts, reminding me of both Kill 'em All and Ride the Lightning-era Metallica for the technical part and German outfits like Kreator for the sheer savagery that wraps it all up. There's a nice balance of fast shredders, slow and heavy as well as catchy songs on this, all tied together by an often subtle dark, cold atmosphere. A good example of how to take old ingredients to cook something new. Can they pull off an actual full-length studio album of this stuff? Only time will tell.