Distempered by the high-competitive low success reality of the overcrowded, unaffordable and disease-drenched environment surrounding today’s average human husk existence quickly becomes a race for survival amongst the dregs that work the lower-levels of our doomsday machine. Milled by malicious asocial engineering and milked by ruling class corporations to the point of insanity the only scraps of control which remain to be juiced come from the paling flesh of the deepest impoverished, even still their blood loses its potency in the gargling mouths of old vampires. Positing the normalization of a fundamentally failing system of survival as the only practical future reality worth considering, the fantastical sci-fi optimism of Danish-American thrash metal quartet Terminalist fades into scenes of terrifying cataclysm, brutal inequality and extinction on this harder and faster-thrashing second full-length album. ‘The Crisis As Condition‘ may very well shake an imposing fist at a world embroiled in its own self-defeating nature as a point of it’s purpose yet the listening experience it offers showcases a band deepest-yet in the wiles of their craft as they reach closer to the halls of mastery, beginning to take hold of their most tuneful strengths while remaining a dire force in the unforgiving realm of thrash metal.

Terminalist formed in Copenhagen circa 2018 quickly executing a modern tech-thrash EP (‘Abandon All Liberties‘, 2019) as a trio, thanks to a rasping vocal style and progressive touch many would naturally associate their approach with the general sphere of influence bands like Vektor brought to thrash in the early 2010’s. Their take on this sound was thoroughly considered from the start, intelligent and came with complex themes baked into their apparatus which were rooted in French contemporary aesthetic philosopher Paul Virilio‘s concept of dromology, showcasing the destructive side of technology and how innovation can set a damaging pace for human beings. This was a big part of their well-received debut LP and of course upon review I was a big fan of their sound. ‘The Great Acceleration‘ was not only one of the best albums of 2021 (#47 on my Top 75 of the Year) but broadly notable for its steady-handed compositions, intricate oft longform pieces which used shades of black metallic aesthetic rhythms and progressive metal charged turns for an ‘epic’ sci-fi thrash metal experience that wasn’t too hifalutin to enjoy.

‘The Crisis As Condition‘ presents itself as a consistent second major step in their discography from a different point of view, an angle meant to align with the dissociative yet protest-heavy fire of its inspiration. Much of this record speaks to a world coming apart, civilization at a crucial point of collective recognition that societies ruled by the ruthless are just as unsustainable as overcrowded utopia imagined in the far-flung future, that there is no real future to muse over when taking stock of the current state of affairs. This isn’t he whole of it, of course but it is one way to enter the greater dialogue of the album wherein the band emphasize late 80’s tech-thrash metal futurist classicism in their aesthetic and construction but also built venomous socio-economic critique and call for reforms whenever vaguely possible. Bleak as the picture is set amidst the cataclysm of Ryan T. Hancock‘s exceptional cover artwork and the thematic introduction Terminalist have managed their heaviest, most blistering fast and tuneful work to date within these ~4-5 minute on average thrash metal pieces, each foaming at the riff with a thoughtful yet ripping approach that is equal parts classicist in form and modern in righteously detailed function.

Whereas many of the best points on ‘The Great Acceleration‘ took a breather, got weirdly “prog” in their harried movement and spaced-out for the sake of creating interesting tangential moments, those longer-form pieces (some hitting the ~9-10 minute barrier) no longer steal the spotlight from shorter pieces as ‘The Crisis As Condition‘ sticks to about half that length per song with only the final piece/closer (“Move in Strife”) serving an ‘epic’ outlier for a grand finale piece. As we strike into opener “Life Won’t Last” it becomes apparent that Terminalist‘s guitarists’ve written its introduction to impress, not only with their speeding ‘Persecution Mania‘-jetted energy and hardened phrasing but for their focus on displays of prowess, specifically the cleanly whipped lines of riffcraft which dominate most all of the opener. This pace continues throughout most of Side A as the focus is always on songcraft which is readable in basic structure but contains elaborate strings of aggressive rhythmic attack that’ll speak to late 80’s/early 90’s thrash metal fans as we cut into the gears of the machine on the title track (“The Crisis as Confusion“). While that may very well be the introduction of their thesis in plain English it is essentially the momentum for the first half struck and upheld as “A Future to Weave” compounds the sensation that this is a riff album and already has that serious level of focus the rhythm obsessed thrasher brain will immediately pull towards.

As one of the more sprawling, sky-parting pieces on the album “Last Remains” is likewise the first song on ‘The Crisis as Condition‘ to make the argument that blackened thrash metal is available to Terminalist‘s rhythmic vernacular to any real extent on this album, though “Move in Strife” is probably the song to create an unmistakable motif of it. Though the roughened yet entirely readable vocals of frontman/guitarist Emil Hansen err on the side of extreme metal adjacency rhythm guitar work once again approaches flourishes, tangents and aesthetic use of progressions to hybridized the moment for effect rather than completely merge into a different substance separate from thrash. A long-winded way to suggest this is a pure thrash metal record in its full listen there are some extant shades of Teutonic thrash machinery, mid-era Coroner shapeliness, and blackened thrash elegance on Side B as it rolls on. Another percussive standout and an ear-catching groove nearby the end of the record “Mutating Fractures” leans into its acrobatic and ranting freneticism as it heats up into one of the more chaotic but affirming points on the full listen.

While I wouldn’t say Terminalist‘ve traded tactful retreats and spaced-brains for the sake of building an all-out rager of an album ‘The Crisis as Condition‘ does take a bit more patience on its way toward the circuitous routes away from riff-and-ruin that it ultimately finds. In fact one of the more satisfyingly ‘fresh’ and unexpected pieces on the album in this vein comes at the very end with the aforementioned “Move in Strife” earning its spot as both the closer and a dramatic final quarter of the full listen. Even still you’ll not find these folks breaking out of the tunnel vision they’ve created even as the expanse at the end does take its biggest, deepest breaths. I’d been a bit conflicted on this overall since I greatly appreciate an aggressive, thoughtful yet riff-cutting thrash record above most things but the longer form dramatic pieces these folks write then do reveal the bass guitar best, show their knack for other ideas, and again feature as their most memorable acts.

Ultimately the balance of ambition and classicism hits a critical point of fusion and ‘The Crisis as Condition‘ reads well as a bigger, heavier sophomore full-length from a band who’ve done well to display consistency of vision and a reasonable maturation of their sound herein. Terminalist continue to impress both looking forward to a bleak future they’ve painted black on this record and when looking back to their past works which now feel more complete with this new companion in hand. There are somehow a dozen choices of thrash metal releases this month for the avid fan to dig through and I’d say this is one of the more worthy in terms of enthusiasm, a professional result and a spirited theme to match the dogged attack of their work. A high recommendation.

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