UMUR "Killer Instinct" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Hoboken/Jersey City, New Jersey based thrash metal act Gothic Slam. The album was released through Torrid Records in 1988. Gothic Slam were one of many thrash metal acts in the mid- to late eighties who achived mainly local success but didn´t make much impact beyond their home area. They only released two studio albums before disbanding.

The music on "Killer Instinct" is pretty old school thrash metal with some added groove based elements. It´s "in Your Face", raw and well played. Several riffs on the album remind me of some of the "classic" riffs on "Kill 'em All (1983)" by Metallica. Exodus is also a reference but that´s mostly because of the vocal delivery by Daniel Gomez which somewhat resemples the vocal style of Steve "Zetro" Souza (not quite as nasal and snarling). There is a healthy dose of humour on the album too, which is something I greatly value. Just take a listen to the funky opening riff in "Skankin´". These guys were all about having fun while delivering their energetic thrash metal to the people. Another great thing about the album are the great guitar solos. I like how the solos by one of the guitarists come out of the right speaker while the solos by the other guitarist come out of the left speaker. Nice old fashioned effect.

...it´s not necessarily the most innovative approach but it´s a damn charming one and "Killer Instinct" is an album worth a purchase if you´re a fan of old school US thrash metal. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.