Extrema – The Old School EP

[nyrating]

20th May 2016 Markus Falkenberg Album Reviews 0

Most fans probably already know that Thrash Metal is a fusion of Punk Rock and Heavy Metal. Heavy Metal is still the dominant ingredient, but sometimes the Punk Rock aspect is a bit stronger than usual like in this case here. Extrema’s “The Old School EP” is definitely a Thrash Metal album, but the Thrash Metal’s Punk Rock roots shine through quite a bit. Already with the first song you get a super fast Thrash Metal treatment with that certain Punk Rock touch that you can also hear on many Tankard albums. In fact I strongly suspect that Extrema is quite aware of Tankard. Their music is similar, the first song is titled “Life” and contains lines like “What’s the meaning of life?” which is almost identical to the title of the old Tankard classic: “Meaning of Life”. Coincidence? No, I don’t think so. But then, so what? Extrema’s (and Tankard’s) Thrash Metal is still a nice blend. The second song goes in the same vein. Thrash Metal with a certain Punk Rock vibe and screaming guitars. Yes, the guitar is a bit repetitive at times, but it still suits the song just fine. The third song slows it down just a little bit and is slightly more melodic, but still a Thrash Metal song. After that harsh Thrash Metal again. This time the Metal aspect is a bit stronger, but the song is still intense, though again a bit repetitive. After that the vocalist takes a break during the fifth song while you get an instrumental Thrash Metal Metal song again. An instrumental song with a good deal of Punk Rock thrown in, of course.

The sixth song is a live recording of the first song. It is a bit rougher, but then, that is to be expected from a life recording. After that the band plays the old Motörhead classic “Ace of Spades”. I still prefer the original, but maybe it is just me.

All in all I must say that this is a nice EP. Maybe not great, but nice. Old School Tankard style Thrash Metal just as it should be. So no, Extrema does obviously not reinvent the genre, but then, what can you expect from an EP with this particular title? This IS old School Thrash Metal. 7 devils!

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