Review by Greg on December 25, 2023.

You know, when the bands you follow don't offer anything new for a while, it's only logical that you end up looking backwards. British thrashers Shrapnel delivered an outstanding LP with Palace for the Insane in 2020, but unfortunately struggled to follow it up (not least because of yet another frontman change), the last sign of life still being the divisive groove detour of 'Dark Age'. In the meantime, let's take advantage of the stillness to dust off the band's sophomore Raised on Decay.

Well, the lineup here was once again different. One-off drummer Jonathan Grimley brings an evident change of pace, and coupled with Jae Hadley's rather aggressive timbre – think of somebody echoing Tom Angelripper's snarl, but also giving Darren Travis a run for his money in the frequent, piercing shrieks – paints a different picture to what the band's latest had accustomed us to. Nowhere this is more evident than in the deflagrating volleys of 'Pariah', or the rabid '1.0.1', which clearly aim for the jugular in a totally unexpected way. Nevertheless, Shrapnel's core still made up of the duo Chris Martin/Nathan Sadd means that the formula will not be radically different overall. Songs vary in pace, with a handful of midtempo episodes once again finding their way through the tracklist, and delivering a couple memorable cuts with 'The Boundaries Set' and the impossibly catchy 'Choir of Wolves'. When all those different facets come together, and taking into account the usual, tasteful leadwork that really sets the band apart from most of their peers, the result is arguably the kind of tracks Shrapnel excel at, as further highlights like the opener 'Hollow Earth' and 'Carved from Above' prove – displaying once more how the guys can take the best of both worlds with no effort, blending exquisitely Teutonic martial aggression with Bay Area-styled elaborate and melodic guitarwork. Russ Russell's massive production makes sure nothing gets lost in the shuffle, either.

Once again I find myself thinking that a Shrapnel album could be usefully trimmed of a couple songs for maximum enjoyment (I really could do without the tedious 'Echoes of Emptiness', above all), and I'll concede that we're not exactly subverting the genre's principles here (the solid Slayer cover at the end proves that classics are classics for a reason), but Raised on Decay marks another successful step in the career of a band that always manages to be more than just 'not blatantly derivative', and competent enough (especially the axemen) to be rightfully recognizable as one of the numerous examples of modern thrash metal done right. Start out with Palace for the Insane, but this one is well worth a try too.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10