Drawn, quartered and hung out to desiccate in chunks all enemies and persecutors of Brasília, Brazil-based thrash metal quartet VIOLATOR become leathered signet for their retaliatory force as harshened times call for darker militance on their third full-length album. Setting their cut along the lines of late 80’s unrest and diabolic evil ‘Unholy Retribution‘ finds the band revitalized through embattled, bitter extremes bent on confrontation… a menacing attack which yet speaks to this storied riff-obsessed crew’s long-standing reputation. Beyond their cranked aggressive tendencies here we find purposed messaging, an appreciable sense of conviction beside their expectedly fine handle upon their own classicist thrash metal taste.

When Violator formed as a quartet back in 2002 it was in clear enough response to the explosion of neothrash occurring worldwide at the time though close inspection of their first demo (‘Killer Instinct‘, 2002) suggests the folks involved were aiming for an early Bay Area-approximated sound with some metalpunk built rhythms, mid-paced average stuff. I’d not been all that impressed by their debut EP (‘Violent Mosh‘, 2004) back in the day if only for how common their sound was at the time, returning to it today at least recalls the “fun” of thrash metal of a certain era where everyone sounded like Exodus, Nuclear Assault, etc. and carried a party bro ‘tude. While I know that EP was a credible point of interest at the time for many it was their debut LP (‘Chemical Assault‘, 2006) debut LP that’d pulled me in via guitarist Capaça‘s higher speed riffcraft, rhythms which were clearly more inspired by the old guard of Brazilian thrash as well as stuff like pre-’88 Slayer.

I’d consider that first record the most timely statement from the group but when they’d sparked back up for ‘Scenarios of Brutality‘ in 2013 with a more serious vision, more socio-policito inspired lyrics, and riffs across the board they’d compounded their identity a bit more clearly via amped-up iteration. My expectations for ‘Unholy Retribution‘ were set by that previous album and its style, a certain density of riff and wheeling between South and North American sounds with Violator‘s own adept hand. While they still sound like themselves the tone and general modus found herein is less “street thrash” and closer to the aggressive shift in the sub-genre beyond 1986 as they take inspiration from Kreator and Dark Angel‘s classics while indulging some (light) death/thrash metal adjacent developments common to Slayer inspired troupes throughout history. I’m not saying a song like “Persecution Personality” sounds like an old Vader or Pestilence demo but rather that we find a less compacted, far more ranting scope to their riffcraft where albums like ‘Terrible Certainty‘ and ‘Beneath the Remains‘ loom over the roll into Side A here.

You’ll get more than a whiff of what I’m suggesting via opener “Hang the Merchants of Illusion” (see: ~2:12 minutes into the song) and I’ll spare you the frequent comparisons to ‘ready suggested influences (maybe throw in ‘The Laws of Scourge‘, too) via the minutiae of each song here and instead say up front, sure, you’ll hear slight variations on familiar riffs throughout. Otherwise the overall the tone of this album isn’t so out of character for Violator but it is something different enough to catch the ear of longtime fans. Sound design plays into this as well via a more spacious, gristly yet clear enough render with a razor sharp but kinda frayed pair of rhythm guitar tones and a pristine bass guitar representation for this brand of thrash. It could all be uglier, more raw and still get its point across but at this point ‘Unholy Retribution‘ doesn’t sound like a downgrade beyond 2013 so much as a meaner, deadlier beast. Certain riffs on “Cult of Death” take us to a hairier more violent place and “Destroy the Altar” has this ‘Leprosy‘ meets circa ’89 Sepultura jog-and-dash to its riffcraft which, along with several other pieces on the walk-up, helps to bring a familiar ferality to the full listen.

Side A might not reek of wild originality outright but it offers something different for Violator, a level of aggression which they’ve always been pretty damned good at… it is also my kind of thrash metal, the exact sort of gig I’ve been after since the early 90’s as a fan and a reasonable companion to newer stuff from Beseiged, Farscape or even Mayhemic. If you’re not buying it after those first four songs’ve hit Side B is far more distinct and deliberate in its infernal thrashing trod as the two songs that kick things off “The Evil Order” and “Chapel of the Sick” offer an elite-level breakthrough, or, just a fine psychotic rip through thier version of evil thrash metal sounds while also conveying consciousness of cruel genocide, war games and societal ills… the impossible to sustain state of the world. The former is probably the more substantive action overall while the latter is a showing of brutal finesse, a quick-burning showing of contempt. While I’d been drawn into the album where it’d started the action is equally if not more bruising as the second half of the LP fires up. You won’t find a shit song among these eight and this might be the most dialed-in Violator have ever been, cutting it all back to only their best riffs and ultra-violent acts.

With this third full-length album Violator have once again solidified their enduring name with another well above-average tribute to the old ways bolstered by their own long-carried convictions, reprising the angered and defiant purpose of ‘Scenarios of Brutality‘ under a darker flag which perfectly suits increasingly bleak times. As a listening experience it isn’t as brutal, rotten or slaughterous as some of the bands I’ve compared ’em to throughout this review but the devil is to be found within these details as the momentum of the full listen lends itself to repeated listening, revealing well-plotted and sinister statements in every case. This one definitely counts for my own taste, a shredder of a thrash record from true maniac hands and a menacing return for a name that’d helped legitimize underground neothrash back in the day. A high recommendation.

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