Swallowed by Hell

This band first got together way back in 1984 and released a bunch of demos and a full-length before putting their activities on hold in 1994. Reforming after the turn of the millennium, they've released two more albums, with 2024's Swallowed by Hell their third. Their music is based around some absolutely razor-sharp riffing, full of speed and a technical vibe that avoids what I would call "tech thrash." The songwriting is warmer and less concerned with flashy playing or challenging time changes. The vocals are a weak area, not because they are bad but because the harsh shouting varies little throughout Swallowed by Hell. They suit the music well enough, but after the first few songs, it sounds like the singer is repeating the same lines. Of course, when you are busy throttling your air guitar and banging your head, that might not be a huge issue. I don't hear anything on this album that I haven't heard before, but everything is done well enough that I would say fans of '80s thrash like Forbidden, Heathen, Apocrypha, etc. should give it a listen.