(Advance Copy) Electrocutioner - Harbinger

Here is another one for all the thrash lovers out there. After their album "False Idols" in October '23, the lads from Long Island, New York are back with another helping of barb-wire covered thrash metal with their latest album "Harbinger".  For those who haven't heard of Electrocutioner, the thrash trio from NY define their music as "Aggressive and ripping thrash metal," and boy does that description fit. Its fast, it definitely is aggressive with classic thrash riffs and rippling solos, lyrics about death and destruction but also about the banality of modern society, the band's sound encapsulates the essence of thrash metal. Electrocutioner bring a raw, unfiltered thrash/speed metal vibe with nods to Whiplash, early Megadeth, Slayer, Exorcist, and John Carpenter–style dystopian soundtracks.

Boasting of 12 songs with 36 mins of run time, there is no messing  about, no lollygagging, no. You can sense the band is on a mission with each song and delivers it with panache. As with their previous album, False Idols, majority of the tracks are under the 4 min mark with 3 songs (Harbinger, Final Prophet and Seven Seals of Koresh) being longer, rich with riffs, double bass and thundering solos.

The album kicks things off with the song "Doomsday device", a song about how a post-apocalyptic dictator keeps the populace in check and sets the tone for the songs that follow. The songs that follow cover a wide array of themes but generally follow a theme of degeneracy of society and/or biblical prophecies and demons.

Doomsday device is a perfect opening track, showing off the band's skills with the instruments, composition and ability to tell a story through their music. The song opens with a blistering solo and blast beats and hooks into you and doesn’t let up till its had its say. Lightening strike and Heaven's gate are both solid tracks to headbang to with the prior continuing the pace and rhythm of the opening track whereas Heaven's gate is one of those tracks where you take a breather but still keep the good old neck moving before the solo hits you smack in the face with the finesse of a frozen tuna.

Frozen file and Harbinger have to be the best tracks from the album for me. Chock full of riffs, heavier guttural vocals and dealing with the hard hitting subject of abductions (Frozen File) it is a track that will draw on your heart's strings with its 'in-your face' lyrics but at the same time you will be pushed hard not to headbang or chant with the chorus. Next up is the title track Harbinger, a sonically charged track that takes time to build up the atmosphere and delivers a solid thrash metal track with a chorus the audience will find hard not to sing along. It definitely channels the 80s thrash metal scene. While listening to this song I was half expecting to see a mosh pit as I looked out the window.

Final Prophet, strangely enough, reminds you of 'Societas Satanas' by Rotting Christ, at least the main riff. Think of it what you will but this is another good song on the album though I must say that the first 40 odd seconds feel like they could have done without it as it feels disjointed, like a

Short but sharp, End of days showcases the band's ability to compose a track that in a short duration manages to incorporate slick riffs and intense rhythm guitar work.  Again delving into the pages of the bible for content, the band brings forth 'The Chariot'. It definitely is a track you do not want to miss. A song about an archangel battling evil, and you can feel the triumph, wrath and (interestingly) the glee the archangel must feel in slaughtering the denizens of the underworld.

The final two tracks of the album (Azazel and Seven Seals of Koresh) are equally punchy, riff and doom laden and very much what the band's music is all about, i.e. Fast paced thrash laced with religious overtones and singing of doom, death and folly of the evil.

The album also includes 2 very short (less than 40 seconds) instrumental tracks, Vision 1 and Vision 2, which left me scratching my head as they are so short they barely leave a mark on you. Now I am not against instrumental tracks but the first one sits squat in the middle of the album and takes away from the intensity of the songs on both side.

Having said that, it is a very well made album with a balanced sounds and deserves to be listened to, whether or not you’re a die hard thrash fan.

The album is scheduled to be released on September 3, 2025.

---

For more, visit the following links: Instagram | Spotify | Bandcamp | Facebook | YouTube