Melting your ears - A review of Thrash or Die's Melting Your Skull

Four years after the negatively received debut record Poser Holocaust, Floridian thrash metal quintet Thrash or Die released its sophomore output Melting Your Skull. Few things have changed in those four years which means that those who already despised the first album should not even bother about the second release. If you however enjoyed the first strike for its comedic value like I did, you might as well give this one a spin.

For those who are unaware of this band, Thrash or Die plays brutal, predictable and stereotypical old school thrash metal in the key of Exodus and Slayer. The guitar riffs heavily borrow from these bands and sound exchangeable, one-dimensional and repetitive without adding any new elements. The bass guitar is barely audible and fails to provide some energy, rhythm and structure. The drum play is certainly energetic but once again by the numbers. The constantly aggressive vocals recall an angry Donald Duck imitation. 

The songwriting is all over the place. Most songs are simple fast-paced thrash metal tunes that go straight in your face such as opener ''Metal Massacre (The Ultimate Revenge)''. 

Some songs have slightly entertaining radio play passages such as ''The Post Mortem Star'' that tries but fails to convey a sinister atmosphere or the chaotic and forgettable ''What Do You Mean We're Out of Beer?'' that intends but fails to be a tongue-in-cheek party anthem. 

The record features two massive oddballs with the aggressive ''Internet Metalhead'' that must have taken two minutes to write, play and record as well as the awful a cappella interlude ''Un Canto a Cabaiguán'' that sticks out like a sore thumb for all the wrong reasons.

Only two minor elements have changed in comparison to the predecessor. The most obvious one is that the cover artwork this time around isn't as horrid as the sketchy drawings of the debut. The second and most important change is that the production sounds a little bit more dynamic and up-to-date. The debut album sounded painfully cacophonic at times which isn't the case this time around. The production still isn't perfect since the bass guitar isn't audible and the vocals are too loud in the mixture but it's average which means it's a significant step forward in relation to the first strike.

This means that Thrash or Die's Melting Your Skull is a slight improvement over the predecessor with an improved production and a decent cover artwork. Still, this album isn't good enough to be called decent or even average. It's a mediocre thrash metal album filled with boring stereotypes but at least it isn't a joke or an abomination this time around. If Thrash or Die continued to improve like this, they might actually release a thrash metal milestone in twenty years. Only time will tell.

Final rating: 43%