Review by Carl on October 27, 2024.

"And through all this blood and gore comes ... THE INCINERATOR!!!". That is the way legendary Canadian thrashers Slaughter put it in their classic track "Incinerator", thus handing the subjects of this review their moniker, and you better be sure that they are not hesitant to admit it. Not only has Incinerator's debut full-length track called "Slaughter" on it, it rips off/borrows parts of Slaughter's "Incinerator", in no subtle way. You don't have to be Columbo to figure that one out.

So what does the Dutch Incinerator have on offer for us mere mortals? The answer is old-school as fuck death metal, low on the originality scale, but high on the effectiveness one. The band combines elements of fine folks such as Obituary and Pestilence/Asphyx (vocals) and Slayer (ear-piercing lead guitars), while Dismember, Massacre, and Bolt Thrower have left quite some bloody traces in the riffing and compositions. The majority of the album plows on at a sturdy uptempo pace, making for some excellent headbanging fodder, but the band also cements in some sturdy slower parts, nodding at their fellow countrymen Mourning, Swazafix, and of course Asphyx. The ravenous roaring vocals add an extra vicious layer to the manic metallizations on offer, while the divebomb soloing is for me one of the main attractions here. The chainsaw riffs do not miss their aim, and as a whole, this album is as energetic as a toddler who fell into a tub of Coca-Cola. It's a high-energy sound beating that does not let up until the doomed-out album closer "Swiersettiche Riten" drops the curtain on this chunk of volatile musical violation, finally granting the listener some time to breathe.

This is an awesome slice of death metal old-school style, one with a good helping of thrash metal poured in for an extra punch. Everything clicks here: the production is on point, the band absolutely nails what they are doing, and you just can't beat that familiar feeling hanging over "Stench of Distress". It brings nothing unexpected to the buffet but with a dose of death metal this solid, who cares anyway?

What Incinerator offers up here is basically a run-through of the best episodes from death metal history. From Possessed, Death, and Slaughter to the heroes of the late 80's and early 90's, you'll encounter them all within this excellent slab of old school-isms. Add to this a powerful sound and serious songwriting skills, and you just know that this is the stuff you need to tickle that death metal bone(r) just right.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Felix on September 8, 2022.

Every scene has its leaders and followers. Probably you already know what’s coming next… I’m sorry, Lesson In Violence belong to the latter. They play generic old school thrash metal and that’s always a good idea. Unfortunately, good ideas do not always lead to good results. So what is the shortcoming of The Thrashfall Of Mankind (actually a casual title)? From my point of view, the vocals are a big disadvantage. Lead singer Florian lacks charisma and expressiveness. He performs like a drunken punk, monotonous and pretty annoying. Nevertheless, he was surely the best choice within the given line-up, because the background vocals are even worse. They sound absolutely amateurish and uninspired.

When you try to blend out the singing, an album with a solid degree of energy remains. Generally speaking, the instrumental section avoids serious mistakes. The riffing delivers absolutely nothing new, but that’s okay. Old school, new sounds? This would not work. Sometimes the guitars create a pretty thrilling atmosphere (the instrumental beginning of 'Liar' is really good due to its flickering tones), sometimes the riffs are very or even too close to those of Exodus, the rodel models, the über-fathers. 'Dissembling Wings' is one of these songs where I miss at least a small quantum of personality. But okay, I speak about a first full-length and debutants have the right to show their inspiration. What I rather criticize is the tendency of some songs or at least choruses to be hardcore-compatible ('Social Madness'). Instead of delivering a catchy, not commercial, chorus, the band confronts us with slogans shouted in many voices. I really regret it, but they are as useless as the stereotyped artwork.

Finally, I want to put the focus on some enjoyable aspects. This debut is produced by someone who knows how thrash metal must sound. The guitars set the tone and some of the longer instrumental parts are truly well done, for example in 'Scum Of Society'. Doubtlessly, the guitar work does not lack edges and corners. I guess there is a robust potential, but the Teutonic newcomers were yet not able to transform it into a really convincing album. Or they just decided to put their “Force Of Habit” at the beginning of their discography - not in terms of style, but with respect to the quality. If that’s the case, they can be proud of this work: it’s better than the nadir of Exodus.

Rating: 6 out of 10