Review by Vladimir on April 22, 2024.

Two years ago, when I went to see the band Terrorhammer play in my local town of Novi Sad, one of the supporting acts on their European tour was the veteran Colombian black/thrash metal band Witchtrap. Both bands successfully delivered that night with all the powers of hell, and from that moment on, it managed to pique my interest in Witchtrap's discography. As of recently, Witchtrap have announced the release of their sixth full-length album Hungry As The Beast, which although scheduled for release on 8 May 2024, the digital version of the album was released on all streaming platforms on 8 April 2024 due to an error by the digital distributor CDBaby. Despite this small error, it didn't stop the crazed fanbase from jumping at the opportunity to check it out, especially myself who was very excited about the album. If anything, it's a good excuse for us writers and journalists to take a look at the album, and see just how much is Witchtrap really "Hungry As The Beast".

With relentless and blood-pulsing energy, Witchtrap commences its black thrash attack from the very get-go, with the title of the first track loudly stating that this hungry beast is 'Built For The Kill'. The chorus of the second track that says "I am Hungry as The Beast, so pay the price" is a perfect tagline of this album that tells you exactly what you're about to face from here on out. It's all a matter of devilish rock and roll that flows through the fast riffing and drumming, with unholy rage coming out of the harsh vocals by Burning Axe Ripper, altogether creating a very effective killing machine full of speed, testosterone and 'Ruthless Aggression', just as the title of the third track suggests. The only example on this album that is a stylistic departure is the seventh track 'Invocation' for its primary use of mid-tempo rhythm in a somewhat traditional heavy metal fashion, as opposed to the established thrash metal direction that is the strongest factor of Witchtrap's music. There will be more instances of mid-tempo rhythm in the following track 'Cauldron Of Abominations', but for the most part the song maintains the primary style of black/thrash metal.

The overall songwriting that Witchtrap incorporated for this album is quite simple and straightforward with its standard oldschool black/thrash metal, but nevertheless it's very on point and effective throughout the entire album, where you don't feel the balls drop as the album progresses. Despite the riffs mostly sounding all too familiar and typical for this kind of subgenre, it's undeniable that they are incredibly headbanging catchy and tight all the way through, keeping that strong punch in the guts and relentless force all the way to the very last track 'Lightning Attack'. Those who are not very familiar with Witchtrap will notice that their music draws a lot of influence from 80's thrash metal acts, primarily the teutonic thrash metal examples such as Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, Violent Force and Exumer, who have also been key to the development of significant black/thrash metal bands like Aura Noir, Cruel Force and Deathhammer. The general drive of the album is consistent and it will definitely make sure to keep you engaged from start to finish without losing any interest, but that all depends on the matter whether you are here to search for a needle in a haystack, or just looking for some good old fashioned ultra-violence. Apart from the awesome output of Witchtrap, the bestial and demonic cover art by Juan Felipe Mora Ibanez fits perfectly with their music, with every detail conveying the essence of the album.

Even though Hungry As The Beast was mistakenly released on digital streaming just one month shy of its initial release date, it certainly didn't spoil the fun and the awesomeness that this album provides. Witchtrap's music has always been "in your face" and "no bullshit", and what we have here is another example that maintains that significant aspect of their music, while also quenching the thirst of every oldschool metal maniac. Witchtrap means business, and business is good. If you are into oldschool black/thrash metal, you should not waste any time further, and instead you should go to check out Hungry As The Beast as soon as possible.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on July 16, 2023.

Schweinfurt is no nice town. Before evil Adolf’s war, it was the centre of the German ball-bearing industry and so, among other things, it had to suffer a lot from the allied air attacks. After the deadly inferno was over, Schweinfurt was in ruins and if you visit it today, you will see that nobody had a good idea how to rebuild the city. Surprisingly or maybe just logically, we find the same lack of ideas in the music of Schweinfurt’s most “famous” thrash export, Vendetta.

But let me start with another aspect. Vendetta released two albums during the Teutonic thrash metal explosion. I don’t like them very much, but let the truth be told, other people do so. Either way, the configuration of Vendetta today has only one connection to the original band. The bass player is still the one of the eighties. The other guys have occupied the name and I guess it would be more honest to call yourself “Vendetta II”, “Blood Revenge” or maybe “STM” for Schweinfurt’s Thrash Musicians or whatever. On the other hand, I admit that it makes sense that they still operate under the old banner. The material still lacks coherence – exactly like it did in the eighties (in my humble opinion).

Just have a look at the mid-paced title track in the centre of the album. It starts with a good, bone-dry riff and strong percussive elements. The voice also appears powerful, even the slightly melodic bridge has its charm. But the awkward melody in the chorus and the weak polyphonic singing, in particular at the end of the song, destroy the good approaches to a certain extent. This dilemma is no isolated case. Vendetta know the stylistic devices, the genre aesthetics (rasping guitars are omnipresent) and the general building blocks of thrash and they offer some robust parts. But they fail to successfully put the pieces together. Not always, but in a remarkable number of cases. Their own song’s name 'No Hands But A Gun' is emblematic for their own situation.

Strong tracks? The solos of 'Death Means Relief' are too long and the funky bass at the beginning tastes acidic, but it is still a cool number. 'Shoot To Kill' houses some straight sequences that create a certain intensity (by the way, the song and the vocals remain me of the faster tracks of Risk). Its characteristic chorus also hits the mark. Unfortunately there are also songs like 'AK-47' that give me absolutely nothing in view of their expressionless riffs and their non-exciting configuration. 'Stranglehold Of Terror' is better due to its fantastic, dense “Run from terror / Stop the fighting…” part, but already the following bridge sounds terrible and uninspired. By the way, its socio-critical lyrics are a little bit one-sided. But of course it makes things easier to think exclusively in black or white.

Vendetta remains a mystery to me. I appreciate their stamina, but bands that return after 20 years with an album that fails to reach the 30 minute mark or bands that call their fifth album “The 5th” are suspicious to me. However, let’s be fair: Black As Coal can rely on a powerful, straight-in-your-face production (with an audible bass!) and it reflects the ambitions of the band. Yet it also mirrors the deficiencies in terms of songwriting. Almost every song would have benefited from a shorter playtime and better interconnected individual parts. And so Vendetta are like their home town. Both cannot conceal their shortcomings.

Rating: 5.6 out of 10