Review by Greg on December 2, 2023.

Terminalist is a Danish emerging, self-proclaimed 'hyperthrash' act, and I won't hide the fact that they caught my eye by virtue of that label alone. The band's choice genre is black/thrash, however, this is not much about aping Aura Noir or Deströyer 666 for the umpteenth time. For starters, I hear more Vektor in the ambitious songwriting, with all the obvious differences like the less prolific leadwork and the more pronounced black influences. Being a bit less intellectual and a bit more direct in their delivery, the thrashiest moments (as well as the harsh vocals) sometimes reminded me of Impalers, but it might be just me proceeding by means of simple country associations. Either way, The Great Acceleration looks like a remarkable work, and the alluring, Ryan Burke-like artwork which adorns it was the (admittedly not needed) ulterior reason to hit the 'play' button.

The fact that The Great Acceleration isn't your typical blackened thrash album should be evident from a quick look at the tracklist, where only five tracks appear, two of which even occupying 20 out of the total 34 minutes. Again, Black Future levels of confidence for a debut album. 'Invention of the Shipwreck' and 'Dromocracy' showcase everything Terminalist have to offer, from the space-like atmosphere created without any use of synths to the venomous thrash metal segments, with frequent, satisfying outbursts of black metal so lethal to make me suspect that the album's title was secretly dedicated to one of them. The former manages to be the longest and best episode, not least thanks to the adequate lead guitars (somewhat neglected elsewhere), melancholic ending with a bass solo, and its intriguing message ('The invention of the ship/is the invention of the shipwreck'). Both are demanding tracks, that's for sure, and I can't say that the latter constantly hits the mark (the long outro has one single riff played in, like, four variations), but the confidence is admirable.

Talking about the rest of the album would seem almost pointless, but the surprises don't end here. 'Estranged Reflection''s main part is built upon a simpler riff with clean chords on top so simple – yet effective – that you'll be wondering how the Hell nobody ever came up with such an idea. 'Relentless Alteration' acts as little more than the short blast of energy, true to the album title, to lure unsuspecting listeners. Only 'Terminal Dispatch' apparently stands out as the less effective song, but you better watch out for the sudden accelerations (sorry). I might remark that Emil Hansen's average growls lack a bit of character in the long run, but there are enough ideas to turn a blind eye to the issue.

The Great Acceleration's rather bold structure was meant to attract a bit of curiosity, at the very least, but I'm more than happy to announce that the longer compositions were actually the most successful ones. Recently, Terminalist have announced their sophomore The Crisis as Condition, due for release next September. Count me in, of course.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10