Sympathy for the Ignorant

Hailing from the concrete jungle of Chicago, Misfire have been knocking around since 2018 and have made quite a name for themselves in the area. Judging from their debut album, Sympathy for the Ignorant, there's a damn good reason for that, along with a strong indication they're going to start making waves well beyond their neighborhood.

The band works in a groove-laden vein of Thrash similar to mixing Pantera and Slayer with Exhorder and early Machine Head. That description might concern some, but I can guarantee this is a Thrash album through and through, oozing with the kind of aggression you'd find before a bloody street fight starts. This is evident from the first notes of the punishing album opener "Fractured", which contains as much aggression and violence as a 3-piece can reasonably pull off. For a young band, these guys are tight as hell and damn fine performers, from Jay Johnson's crunchy, skull-piercing riffs to Jim Nicademus' pounding, bestial drum work to the angsty, Robb Flynn-esque rasps and merciless bass lines of vocalist/bassist Sean Coogan, all of which comes together to make an album of blistering Thrash that hits you like a ton of bricks. These fellows are ready for the big leagues and may well hit them next time out, mark my words.