Rapture – Paroxysm of Hatred

Spanish extreme metal label Memento Mori appears to be lining up a killer start to 2018. In addition to the crushing death metal of Ectoplasma, the label has unearthed the second record from Greece’s Rapture. This band plays vicious death/thrash metal in the vein of Sadus, Overthrow, Merciless, and most notably Chile’s Ripper. Yes, the hype thrash metal band of 2016 has a very comparable counterpart in Rapture, with the primary difference being that this group doesn’t have as much of an emphasis on wandering bass lines. What the bands share in common, however, is the mutual goal of destroying everything in their path via high velocity riffs and savage vocals.

Though Rapture is always delivering crushing riffs, they have a tendency to mix things up a little bit. The opening track, “Thriving On Atrocity”, has a bouncy breakdown section that is reminiscent of Sodom’s “Tired and Red”. A number of tracks utilize blast beats to amp up the intensity of the music, while others show some slight melodic elements. Of course, Rapture’s melody choices tend to be twisted and chaotic, but suit the equally tumultuous nature of the music (and cover art!). As you might imagine, the production mirrors that classic early 1990s death/thrash sound, with an extremely punchy bass drum that constantly stands out. This makes the more relentless moments a pummelling experience!

The picture for this record is fairly clear at this point. Rapture does nothing the thrash community hasn’t heard before, but they do it far better than most. This is one of those records that continually convinces me that thrash metal can be more aggressive and brutal than death metal. Rapture is never complacent, always striving to go faster and harder than the previous song. Truthfully, the band has little room for improvement. They could write some more memorable hooks, but that might defeat the very point of what they’re doing. All in all, Rapture's "Paroxysm of Hatred" appears to be the first truly violent experience of 2018, and that alone makes it an essential purchase!

Be sure to check out and like Rapture on Facebook!

Highlights

"Thriving On Atrocity"

"Vanishing Innocence"

"Taken By Apathy"

Final Rating

4.6/5 or 92%.