Warfect had better be careful: their penchant for really bad album covers may overshadow the fact they’re actually a pretty good thrash band. Their 2013 platter, Exoneration Denied, had a rather comedic cover, pulled (obviously) from the ’80s, where terrible thrash cover art ruled the day. Scavengers isn’t as dubious, but we could make the argument the title itself is a poor display of words. Or, maybe that’s what the band is going for – having such noticeable album artwork could give them that extra little bit of attention. Can’t fault ’em for trying…
At any rate, Scavengers proves to be a formidable, punchy listen. Prone to those immediate, mosh-a-long parts that Anthrax and Exodus executed so wonderfully during their time, Warfect keep their songs catchy and compact. Of course, there’s a rash of zippy, wrist-burning thrash (see: “Purveyors of Cadavers” and “Suffocate the Chosen”), but the album really comes down to the crunch and/or groove embedded in “Reptile,” “Watchtowers” (too bad the song isn’t a direct reference to the actual Watchtower) and “Savaged by Wolves.” While we’re unfamiliar with the thrash landscape of the band’s Swedish locale, one would have to think the jean jacket, high-top, patch-happy crowd would be moshing it on up, right?
Let’s be short-sighted with something like this for once: Warfect, in the here and now, have managed to pull together a whipping, wholly throttling display of thrash on Scavengers. Now, if they’re trolling us with the album art, then so be it; thrash this good can overcome even the worst of visual presentations.