Year: 2023
Label: Svart Records
Rating: 8,5 / 10
The peculiar Finnish label Svart Records most often releases all kinds of pretentious gibberish, but still does not forget about healthy human metal. Here is another interesting compilation from them. It is dedicated, as you guessed, to the golden age of Finnish underground thrash and speed metal. This respectable scene did not last long, as it was quickly washed away by the wave of early Finnish Death Metal, but managed to leave a lot of interesting artifacts. You can read more about this in the book “Rotting Ways To Misery”, which I hope we will release one day through Metal Star.
This compilation has an interesting trait: it includes tracks not from albums, but from 7"EPs and demos of selected bands - sometimes very, very rare. Moreover, most of the bands did not release albums at all. Because of this, the whole release has a very strong taste of the lively old underground. I will not do a track-by-track analysis this time, since the release is perfectly perceived as a solid work. Each group is clearly different from the others, and at the same time they are united by a powerful, timeless youthful energy. Someone sounds better, someone worse. Some bands are blasting at their top, standing on tiptoes, putting everything into speed and onslaught (better), , others are trying to cling to the American medium tempo or dug deeply into hardcore punk (worse). One way or another, the difference creates excellent dynamics.
I especially liked the stellar A.R.G., angry LYCANTROPHY, as well as VENDETTA, BRAINWASH, THE HIRVI. This is the type of release where everyone will find something for themselves, if, of course, you are interested in the chosen genre at all. The only exception is our favorite goatfucking branch of thrash/speed metal, since at that time in Finland probably the only band interested in it were BEHERIT.
English (UK) 
Крыўская