Another Steel City act that aims to make its mark, Vicious Blade started in 2019 and has had members in their ranks past or present with ties to Eviction and Castrator among others. Releasing two EPs during the pandemic (a self-titled effort in 2020 plus the Siege of Cruelty follow-up in the summer of 2022), the band would sign with Redefining Darkness Records to finally unleash a debut album in Relentless Force. The nine-track outing conveys a sound that’s equally pulling from early raw thrash roots with a crust / extreme edge, pulling no punches in its approach to cause mayhem through a primal, in your face sonic pummeling most won’t soon forget.
Equal gravitation towards stateside / European influences means that one measure you can hear a thoughtful, crisp nature to the riffs / transitions, only to go for full force oblivion during the next sequence – all wrapped around the scathing, rabid vokills emanating from Clarissa Badini. Even when the pace slows to a more mid-tempo template for “Forged Steel”, the militant riff presence wrapped around wild, whammy bar enhanced lead breaks and the semi-clean to blackened raspy vocals still raise hairs on the edge of insanity. The songs breeze by in quick hitting fashion – only closer “Death Blow” moves past five-minutes due to its soundtrack-like instrumental beginning sequence, once kicking into distortion mode another solid thrash banger in the Destruction meets Hellripper mold. Favorites shift daily – it’s hard not to resist the Slayer-esque assault within the title track complete with rapid fill/ d-beat action out of drummer Kevin Parent or the call to arms anthem “Nocturnal Slaughter” that rivals the best Midnight has to offer.
Add in the wonderful color schemes to graphic representations for the cover courtesy of James Bousema (Municipal Waste, Soulfly, Frozen Soul) and Relentless Force could be an ideal record for those who savor the darker, penetrating side of raw thrash. Already highly requested openers on the local circuit for traditional, speed, thrash, and death artists, Vicious Blade cut to the heart of the matter and operate on a model that seeks to destroy first, submission almost inevitable.