Review by Felix on January 31, 2026.

Sensitivity isn't exactly Teutonic Slaughter's strong suit. Anyone who releases an album with this band name on the anniversary of Hitler's rise to power isn't going to worry about their intro as well. It deals with an incredibly antisocial story. But more on that later. Right now, it is time to have a look at the promo sheet. “The quartet's musical identity is unmistakably based on Ruhrpott thrash metal legends such as Violent Force, Kreator, Sodom and Darkness, without losing any of their own authenticity.” This not only sounds promising – even better, it is exceptionally true. Moreover, I am sure the promo author knew what he did when he mentioned Violent Force first. Their one and only immortal classic could have been the biggest inspiration for the four dudes from Gladbeck. The energy, the velocity, and the natural flow of the songs create a sound which is not as rumbling as early Kreator, not as black as Sodom’s “Obsessed By Cruelty”, and less amateurish than the first works of Darkness. Especially “Witches Rock ‘n Roll” lies in close proximity to the approach of Violent Force’s masterpiece. A very casual riffing kicks off a neckbreaker, which gets more and more intense, last but not least because of some excellent high-speed parts and an explosive chorus. Here comes the f**kin´ fanatic old school – simply perfect and second to none. Given this background, it is surely not necessary to mention that this number is among the highlights of “Cheap Food”.

Speaking of the best tracks of the album, we move directly to 'Eviscerating Surgery'. An outburst of rapidly hammering drums, mercilessly advancing guitars, and insanely nagging vocals. Okay, its slow-paced intermezzo is nothing but a tribute to some diversity fetishists. So what, there can be no doubt that the high-speed sections rule and give the song its wild and fascinating character. In general, it is the center of the album where Teutonic Slaughter present themselves in their best form. The title track and 'Redistribution' are almost on an equal footing with the aforementioned larger-than-life songs. Once Accept thought they were “Restless & Wild” and, doubtlessly, they recorded a quite thrilling album of the same name. But just like nearly anybody else, back in 1982, they just could not imagine how restless and wild things could get, especially this thing called thrash metal.

The vocals are absolutely superb because they meet the demands of the musical style brilliantly. The lead vocalist sounds like a rather small, not overly powerful yappy dog, but one that barks all the more vicious curses. Needless to mention that he seems to be at risk of going insane throughout the entire playtime. Some well-integrated background shouts support him from time to time, and so everything works on this album with its sharp, muscular, modern yet never soulless production. No song falls through the net, although tracks like 'Hostage' do not channel the energy of the horde as well as the highlights do. Anyway, only deaf fools will deny that the album is the next infusion with fresh blood for the German thrash metal scene. Which, by the way, is still an extremely rich scene. Not because of a new Kreator album that betrays the roots of the band, but in view of still young hordes such as Skeleton Pit and vital veterans like Protector. Too bad that other hopefuls like Mortal Infinity called it a day much too soon.

Finally, back to the intro. It mercilessly describes a real kidnapping case in Germany that began in the band's hometown. The whole thing was hyped up like an event in Germany's degenerated press; the police failed completely as usual, and a young girl paid with her life. By the way, the intro omits the death of another boy who was killed while trying to protect his little sister on the bus. Hopefully, 'Hostage' deals with this drama more sensitively than the emotionless intro, which also makes factually incorrect statements. Anyway, the two criminals were named Rösner and Degowski. Anyone who meets these despicable assholes should please punch them in the face as hard as possible.

Rating: 8 out of 10