Review by JD on June 26, 2013.

Thrash!  Even the name of it is synonymous with metal – conjuring up the image of a writhing pit full of sweaty metal maniacs churning and flying into one another set to the blitzkrieg lightning riffing soundtrack that has come to be Thrash.  How can you tell I am into it?  If you can’t…I AM!!

Out of Long Island, this motley group of thrashers have been around for years, bringing NY styled thrash to the masses.  Might riffs and pounding drumbeats drive things… the vocals spit out its fury with the bass simply breaking your balls with its low-end fury.  Old school still teaches all of us something, but it also has its downsides as well.

This EP has some good chunk to it, and brings me nostalgically to the heyday of Thrash- but Coldsteel seems rather generic despite the longevity of the band.  Don’t get me wrong, this is a strong album but it holds now advancement of their music… it is a strong album equal to during the glut of thrash before the scene imploded because of just that. I did enjoy the EP, but never was truly impressed by what they offered me.

I love old school metal, especially Thrash – but I look for growth in my Thrash.  The new style of thrash is growing and changing into a new beast, and still keeps the old school feel that makes it what it is – but this album seems to be stagnate on their progression.  Average Thrash is better than none, that is true – but I want to be engaged by it, not just underwhelmed.  I am truly underwhelmed by ColdSteel’s album.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 6
Atmosphere: 5
Originality: 5
Production: 5
Overall: 55

Rating: 5.2 out of 10

Review by Michael on December 20, 2025.

Extinction is the rule, survival is the exception. We are Frantic Aggressor, fuck you!!! These first words on "Extinction" aren't too warm-hearted and so isn't the music. The trio from Berlin plays quite harsh black thrash which isn't wrong at all.

Of course they don't re-invent the black thrash wheel and this also isn't necessary by any means. What is quite noticeable is the rough mix of the record which gives the music a very old-school, super underground flair. The guitars are quite in the foreground while the bass is sometimes snarling around. Vocals by Discrimination are sounding quite guttural and don't have that typical high-pitched style that you usually have in the sort of music. The drumming is sometimes highly inspired by punk and so the songs get a certain fuck-off and die attitude.

If I should describe the music, it is really hard to find the right words though. Sometimes it is some catchy black thrash, sometimes some more dissonant stuff (like in "Religion - Insurrection Of The Lesser") that reminds of Coroner or Voivod. I've read in some other reviews comparisons about Marduk to the "Panzerdivision" era or to Satyricon when Satyr got fully dressed by Diesel (no joke!). What you can say for sure is that the guys are keeping up speed most of the time and don't give a fuck about any conventions.

Also the lyrics are interesting. As an example, "Technology - Harvest" is a hateful reckoning about the great advances mankind has made during the last couple of years:

"Good intentions go hand in hand
With disaster and abominations are born […]
Where once was life
The grey god reigns"

For sure you can say that they are deeply rooted in the black metal scene but here and there some punk influences lurk out of that ugly piece of music ("Metaphysics - Beyond" with some really dramatic riffing) and for example in the opener "Morals - Across" there are also some nice melodies to find.

"Extinction" truly isn't an album that you can listen to alongside, no this album challenges you and doesn't make it too easy to like. The first spins you may find it quite chaotic and confusing but if you got into the beauty of this ugliness, the noise and the harsh sound, you will for sure like it.

Let's hope that the guys will perform the album on stage in the near future, I would like to see how the songs come over live. I guess they have a great potential to kick ass pretty much.

Rating: 8 out of 10