When it comes to thrash and the UK, there are always the same names that are mentioned first. Onslaught and Sabbat. Both of these bands are great and more than worthy of the praise, but there is another band from the UK who should be mentioned in the same breath as these two bands. That band is Energetic Krusher. While Onslaught was writing their brand of awesome thrash and Sabbat was taking a more progressive route, Energetic Krusher was brewing up some intense, brutal and extremely catchy music. "Path to Oblivion" is another album of many to go unheard of, which is too bad because this record could easily compete with much more known thrash albums out there.
So what can you expect from "Path to Oblivion?" You can expect to be destroyed by the vicious and crushing riffs that are accompanied by some Slayer-esque solos, stellar bass work, fast and precise drumming, and vocals that sound like a harsher Max Cavalera. The riffs on this record are phenomenal in every way. The faster ones will smack the listener across the jaw with the force of a sledgehammer. Both tracks, "Battle Cry" and "Yukk" clock in at under two minutes, but both songs hit with a serious impact. One second you've got your headbanging to a nice mid-paced riff, but then in an instant, the drums fire off like a machine gun and that riff increases it's speed tenfold. Another reason why the riffs on "Path to Oblivion" are amazing is because even the mid-paced riffs are unbelievably catchy. It will be impossible to not headbang when listening to tracks like "War Path" and "The Blades." The combination of the lethal vocals and mosh-inducing riffs is too much for any metalhead to resist.
Despite Energetic Krusher's focus on undeniable brutality, they manage to accomplish one of the most essential things needed in their music. And that is having the ability to structure their songs in a way that each track stands out and grabs the listener's attention and keeps it throughout. "Lord of Darkness" starts off with a slow, heavy intro but then it turns into a steady gallop, and then a raging thrash riff enters the fray, sending the listener into a frenzy flying fists and merciless headbanging. "War Path" is another track that does this perfectly. The intro kicks the track off with a sinister clean intro accompanied by some nice bass lines but the the track becomes an instant mosher and never looks back from there.
So if you're in the mood to check out something that is guaranteed to get your headbanging and satisfy your needs for brutality, then check out "Path to Oblivion."
Highlights
"Lord of Darkness"
"The Blast"
"War Path"
Final Rating
Masterpiece [9.1/10]
