Review Summary: Feel the Thrash
NOTE: I am reviewing the original version of the album, not the 2007 remastered one, which is unfortunately ruined by an increase of the speed of the record.
Аспид (let's call it Aspid) were a not-so-known Russian Thrash metal band which only released this single album. They played a branch of very fast and technical Thrash Metal. God knows why, they never were too famous and they quickly split ways after releasing Кровоизлияние (Extravasation). Luckily, this band was gentle enough to leave us one gem of an album, an absolute overlooked masterpiece of the genre, which should be regarded as one from every aspect.
The first thing you notice of a Thrash album and the first thing you'll look for are the riffs. Oh my god these riffs. To put it simply, they are awesome. Most of them are fast, and all of them are very technical and varied. The slower ones are powerful as well and every single one is intrincate, complicated and perfectly executed by the guitarist whose name is Aleksander Sidorchik (I spent half an hour to find their names). But this description may sound of any good Thrash record out there, but these riffs are different. You can understand them, more than listening to them, you can realize they mean something, and that something really rules. If you want to check this, listen to
Extravasation or
Towards One Goal, songs which display what I am trying to express much better than my words. Sidorchik also delivers inventive and excellent solos which improve the already cool atmosphere set by the rhythm part of the band. You do not need to be a genius to realize this guy knows what he is doing with his guitar. Also, being the only guitarist makes his performance even more remarkable.
Even if the guitar work is the most important or transcendent part of a metal album and especially this type of technical Thrash, the rest of the band is really skilled too, and their part on this album is perfectly executed. The drummer is actually a defining element on this album's sound. He plays fast and aggressively, and in perfect harmony with the guitars, but he never loses the sense of rhythm and is inventive at the time of improvising and drum-filling. He shines the most probably on
Comatose State, a song which is downright thrashy as Thrash can get. The bass lines follow the guitars in terms of technicality, and are audible throughout the whole album, which is a remarkable advantage since this is not very frequent within the genre. Take for instance
Where The Night or
Towards One Goal, where the bass plays a predominant role, especially on the former one. Finally, the fourth member of Aspid, the vocalist, is another important aspect of the album. His vocals are unique and avoid the generic type of Thrash singer, it sounds harsh and raw, yet awesome. You can't get a single word (unless you are an avid Russian speaker) but he manages to sound extremely cool, for lack of a better word. Perhaps the fact that he sings in another language, which I don't have a clue of, makes it even rule harder, but the thing is that vocals are unique and they rule.
You can't go wrong with Aspid's Extravasation. From the weird yet captivating
Intro, to the last riffs of the monumental instrumental title track, you are in for a pure technical Thrash ride. Passing through eight well-written and perfectly structured songs where you will find beauty mixed with aggression and technicality, Extravasation proves to be one of the best Thrash albums ever recorded (if not the single one, but I will not risk to state such a thing). No filler, no dull moment, just pure awesome Thrash Metal. You don't just listen to this album, you
feel it
