Called into existence by utterance of secreted namesake and enriched by primordial waters Huskvarna, Sweden-based thrash metal trio VENTHIAX reintroduce themselves with a tightly writ second EP. Reconfigured and now resolidified in their take on the extremes available to mid-80’s speed/thrash metal mania the band’s work on ‘Rites of Ra‘ touts an advanced version of themselves featuring increasingly imposing presence and sharpened songwriting. Though they’ve no intention of escaping the thriving mass of tropes offered by underground canon here there’ll be no denying the authentic feeling offered by these well-studied fellowes and their thus far steadily polished hand.

Venthiax formed back in early 2021 between bassist Wendy Juneström (Black Pages zine) and guitarist/co-vocalist Leo Buchalle (now Sarcator‘s second guitarist) as they’d made it official beyond sourcing drummer/vocalist in Emil Borg at that time. Their goal has been steadfast off the jump with a mid-80’s thrash metal sound inspired by modern Swedish new-old schoolers like Antichrist and Insane as well as ye olde classics from Sodom and even Nifelheim. This’d manifested as something generally circa ’84 coded in its raw and frantic style of black metal infused thrashing speed, a ‘Show No Mercy‘ type of bloodiness you’ll find on their first demo tape (‘Demon Attack‘, 2022) and the far advanced howl of their debut EP (‘Venthiax‘, 2023) where those stated influences all congeal into form. By 2024 Buchalle had left and guitarist Viggo Heinonen from black metal band Pyrrha then joined and this new EP will be the first non-live recordings released by this new line-up.

I’ll typically take notes on a band in this style, appreciate the wind-up, and ultimately find their work is basically yet another Deathhammer clone… but in this case these folks have brought their own tastes and sensibilities to pure 80’s evil thrash (and speed) metal inspired craft, improving with each step taken. ‘Rites of Ra‘ offers a different edge, harsher vocals and a more aggressive stance in general. The radiation crisped scrape of their main rhythm guitar tone, an ‘Infernal Overkill‘-esque sound suitable for the post-‘Hell Awaits‘ landscape of extreme thrash, reinforces that aggression and lends Venthiax some of their own character amidst the blackened heavy/thrash metal legions today. Intro/opener “Warfare” is probably the most clear feature of this guitar tone and sensibility on display offering the first sign of a highly stylized but pure ‘old school’ style release.

Rather than rifle out all of their ammo at once Venthiax‘ve taken a foreboding, growling stance on the title track (“Rites of Ra“) to follow as their mid-pace leaves plenty enough room for the rhythm section to breath as gruff vocals echo down-center in confrontation. In the space of it’s first three tracks ‘Rites of Ra‘ doesn’t intent to escape referential landmass yet each song strikes as markedly different from the last, still landing beneath the broad umbrella of 80’s Slayer-isms and the multi-gen extremes factored beyond. Rasping, punkish (early 90’s Poison Idea?) speed metal thrall “Infernal Demise” is probably my favorite piece along the way for the militant oscillation of its main riffs and a sort of early Kreator-touched jive cut through its middle third. Otherwise “Dawn of Terror” is the peak of the EP’s action for my taste, an “anthemic” hardcore punk inflected burner that’d stuck in mind from the first listen.

Despite having faced the existential threat of swapping out a limb from their tripod configuration Venthiax haven’t necessarily faceplanted on this latest EP, instead they appear to be thriving within the refinement of their intense stylistic focus. The range they’ve shown in the span of this ~21 minute stretch doesn’t reconfigure the Venom-informed school of speed/thrash metal unto true mutant status but rather wields a hyper idealized, ~varietal slice of it which is sure to ring as authentic among longtime fans of the sub-genre. The only thing that separates ‘Rites of Ra‘ from the upper echelon in this style is lack of variance in vocal expression and a modest riff count. At this point I trust their trajectory as stated and see some decent potential in the retro cult induced songcraft found herein. A moderately high recommendation.

---