Audiopain — The Traumatizer

Audiopain from Norway once called one of their demo’s 1986. That was the year that Destruction, Slayer and a couple of other greats of the time dropped their classic albums. On this album one track is called Thrash Mental so I guess you get the picture: this is a thrash metal band.

With bands like Aura Noir and Nocturnal Breed they keep the thrashflame alive by injecting it with a black metal bite. Opening track Believer kicks off in style with a great polka-beat and irate riffing remiscent of the days of German thrash, indeed this is the old school feeling. The second song Fraud Machine, with its use of blastbeats and dissonant riffs, sounds a bit more modern although strongly rooted in the tradition, particularly when the Destruction-type riffs and polkabeat return. Some dissonant chords, like those in Living Among Humans, are closer to Ved Buens Ende. As you can see, the material is quite varied.

The 6 songs on this EP (or is 34 minutes an album by thrash standards?) may not change the world but the variation and aggressive energy make this CD worthwhile. Another interesting thing is the booklet which is rather nifty, there’s even a movie available on the Vendlus website to show how it works.