Doom spreads over the world beyond the mania of societal collapse, a psychotic blanket of pestilence followed by the rising tide of death-cult credo and apocalyptic obsession… a scene of increasing mayhemic carnage glinting across the wild-eyed gaze of Białystok, Poland-based classic thrash metal-minded quartet LUCILLE on this charged debut full-length album. Setting their sights squarely upon the peaking pre-’89 action of the underground these folks present ‘Dawn of Destruction‘ as a mean n’ shrieking thrash metal album uninterested in anything but an authentic result, a full avoidance of any corny-ass rethinking of the sub-genre. A cold, mad and dark tribute to the old ways which any fan of the raw guts of European thrash will appreciate.

Lucille were founded in late 2017 between main songwriters Daniel Ramone (guitars/vocals) and Jugen (bass) alongside original drummer Skrzat. Heavily inspired by circa ’83-’85 thrash/speed metal and traditional heavy metal the band’s debut EP (‘Too Proud to Beg for Mercy‘, 2021) bore an aesthetic that’d suggested something like Annihilator or Exciter though the style was closer to the first Kreator record, Iron Angel and/or the whole witching metal vibe in general. It was a somewhat inconsistent introduction but had the right idea and some general skill in hand before the band reconfigured to a more stable lineup beyond 2022 where Jugen took up the drums and a second guitarist and bassist were added. The with this new LP they’ve pushed their sound more squarely into the second half of the 80’s in terms of instrumentation and render so that it might make better work of the more ambitious style of songs found on parts of their EP, such as “Blinded Dogs.”

To put it blunt as possible ‘Dawn of Destruction‘ basically and perhaps intentionally sounds like an underground thrash metal band from Germany/Poland of the era suggested earlier not only in terms of its production values and aesthetic but the music itself is a very close, largely un-fucked with study of the more feral edge found in the late 80’s. ‘Endless Pain‘ and ‘Obsessed with Cruelty‘ are benchmarks but we could dig into more obscure references such as Turbo‘s ‘Epidemie‘ when it comes to the vocalist’s accent and some of the more ambitiously cut pieces here, typically the stuff that breaches the five minute mark in length. Their work is authentic in its sound, sometimes veering into very familiar riffcraft or transitions but generally escapes a polished-up “retro” gawk and instead this album aims to hit like a dark, old and heavy thrash metal record.

Opener “Brand New World” is fittingly one of the more ambitiously struck pieces on the record, doing a fine job of warming the ear to its drum sound and presence with an “Into the Lungs of Hell” meets ‘Terrible Certainty‘ ride in before Ramone‘s rasping vocals take charge. I enjoy this level of thrash metal theatre upon introduction, making a show of their sound and skill in a classic way, though I think the rawness of the vocals will be an uncertain variable depending on your interest in thrash (re: early Sodom) as they soon become the main point of interest as the song drags on a bit. The hard drop into “Genetic Curse” and the rush of the riffs beyond is one of my favorite points on the album as it carries over that late 80’s almost death-thrashing hardness in its cut but still finds an early Exodus-esque groove here and there as the two main rhythm guitar voices shred through the momentum of the song. For the seasoned classic thrash metal crate-digger said riffs will be familiar tropes in most cases but I’d felt everything lined up well here in terms of intensifying the band’s sound, darkening the skies even more and presenting a mean, serious result. Side A generally nails this song after song with the familiar but memorable stretch of “Prophets of Disease” being a clear standout.

So, it should be clear enough that Lucille have nailed this sound, and no doubt folks will identify this level of authenticity right away, but the real challenge for this type of act is either inserting their own vision into that old, rotted mold or breaking into something new and different. Neither are necessarily required from my perspective as long as the music hits and that is where we end up with ‘Dawn of Destruction‘ as Side B lines up a set of pieces which phase between fast-ripping riffcraft and mid-paced stamping grooves but generally leave the vocals to carry their personae through. It all goes off without a hitch or any real surprises, really, and the major appeal of it all is really the contained and consistent ride through that these folks offer; “Machine of Death” is admittedly somewhat mundane as a closer considering how big the opener hit, “Thrash Resurrection” is kind of a nothing-ass burner, but the mid-album heave between “Nightstalker” and Side B opener/title track “Dawn of Destruction” keeps the riffs hitting at a decent clip.

If you can hang with a ~40 minute classic thrash record hell-bent on recreating the dark underground sound of the late 80’s this record should appeal as a solid iteration on well-proven sounds. Lucille‘ve brought enough of their own sensibilities into ‘Dawn of Destruction‘ that it feels raw and spontaneous as a debut LP in the spirit of classic thrash but I’m not sure it’ll be the most standout record you’ve ever heard… certainly not the worst by any stretch. I particularly enjoy auld German and eastern European thrash obscurity and find that the traits which do stand out here (raw vocal performance, charred production values, and a solid sense of arrangement) all go a long way toward a genuine feeling article. A moderately high recommendation.

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