Origin

Awesome

Origin is a ridiculously strong and competent debut album from Australian thrashers Harlott, instantly announcing their arrival as a real contender in the current new wave of thrash. Touches of modern Slayer, Exodus and Kreator (the latter especially noticeable on the magnificent Export Life) pepper the band's sound, but this is no mere nostalgia fest. Harlott do an excellent job of standing on the shoulders of the giants of the genre to raid the thrash cookie jar for all the sweetest jumping off points, and it all comes together to make a sound that is refreshing yet familiar. You would be forgiven for thinking that something stuffed with so much that's similar to other bands would lead to it feeling insipid or uninspired, but Harlott combine all their influences so seamlessly that this isn't the case at all. Listening to this album, you could say "They sound a bit like Slayer," or "They sound a bit like Kreator," but before too long you'll be saying about some other band, "Cool, they sound a bit like Harlott."Much of the identity of the band's sound comes from Andrew Hudson's vocal machine gun attack, a snarling, rapid-fire assault on the eardrums that calls to mind Rob Dukes on speed. The lightning fast riffage marries up with the vocals to craft that almost-out-of-control tempo typical of the best pit starting thrash songs, as Hudson spits and sneers his way across the all too short forty minute running time. "Ballad" would seem to be a dirty word for Harlott, the pace only letting up for groove laden breakdowns and bridges, one particularly noteworthy example occurring in Effortless Struggle. Hudson's Hetfield-esque "Ooooooh" leads into a riff so chunky it's practically assault with a blunt instrument, and it's pure thrash gold. Harlott know exactly what they are doing, and they do it extremely well. Here's hoping they can live up to the high standards they've set themselves with this release.

Great debut album clocking in at 40 minutes does not outstay its welcome. Much more aggressive and better than the disappointing second album.