The Scourge have a Warrant for Execution and they’re serving it in the form of their first full-length album. The Texas thrash trio wear their influences—Rigor Mortis, Flotsam and Jetsam, Wrathchild America—on their sleeve, sticking to hyperactive, bouncy thrash with the goal of inducing whiplash.
Warrant for Execution begins with “Progressive Forms,” a track that gives the listener a neat picture of what to expect throughout the album: technical riffs, bass-heavy grooves, half-barked half-sung vocals and blazing solos. The musicianship is precise and the production is aggressive but full, courtesy of Horrendous guitarist Damian Herring.
Songs like “Killed” incorporate a dash of Southern rock flair and “Mayhem Tonight” sees the band enter speed metal territory. The Scourge pull the various sounds of Warrant for Execution together once again for the nearly eleven-minute closer “The Cross on the Wall.” If thrash is dead, it’s clear that no one told the Texan heshers.
Redefining Darkness and The Scourge will release Warrant for Execution on October 25, but you can listen to it now.
