Lastwar

Skazani Na Zaglade

Thrashing Madness 2010

This CD is a compilation of sorts featuring Polish thrash legends Lastwar's 90 demo, promo 91, and live 1991 all rolled into one tasty package.  And so how do the individual pieces of this CD break down?  The demo 90 for which this CD is titled after comprises the first 6 tracks on the CD and is a festering slab of barbaric thrash, in some ways reminding me of the vicious onslaught of the Brazilian scene.  This is perfectly illustrated by the savage riffing on Krolestwo Zbrodni which is only broken for a momentary guitar solo.  Michal straddles the line between death and gruff thrash vocals as he attacks the lyrics.  A surprisingly catchy main riff thrusts to the surface on Kara Smierci which is continually overtaken by quickly sawing rhythms.  A bit of bouncy Bay Area riffing creeps out of the darkness within the song's innards.  Droga Szczurow rumbles with a Sodom-esque harshness with its midtempo rhythms.  With a solid bass line and some Slayer-inspired riffs Pozorny Zgon pummels the listener with a meaty thrash melee.  The demo ends with a rather primitive and slightly clumsy cover of Death's Evil Dead.  The underground, rehearsal quality of the promo 91 leaves a little to be desired as far as sound but it is more than made up for with execution and zeal.  Po Egzystencj is a relentless assault of speedy riffs and fiery guitar solos.  Michal's vocals are dry and deathly in their tone.  Feverish fretwork slices into the heart on Eksterminacja before shifting gears into a Slayer-ish stomp and a razor-sharp guitar solo.  A surprisingly energetic but still raw version of Slayer's Die By The Sword closes out the Promo 91 portion of the disk.  The 7 live tracks that close out the compilation are the exact same tracks as the 90 demo and also include a cover of Slayer's Black Magic.  As I am not a huge fan of live material and this music is pretty raw I am somewhat ambivalent about its inclusion. But when viewed as a whole, Skazani Na Zaglade is a massacre of bestial thrash, devastating all whose ears are privileged to hear it.  This band was certainly deserving of wider attention so do yourself a favor and delve into this album head first!!!!