UMUR
"Old School Killspree" is the debut full-length studio album by Finnish thrash metal act The Hirvi. The album was released through Inverse Records in June 2018. The Hirvi formed in 1987 and released a demo in 1989 before disbanding. Although they were an influential band on the brutal thrash metal scene of late 1980s Finland, they never managed to release anything other than the 1989 demo. The Hirvi reunited in 2017.
Two of the three tracks from the 1989 demo have been re-recorded and included on "Old School Killspree" ("Satan´s Back" and "Killer Instinct"), and although they are obviously older tracks than the remaining tracks on the album, they seamlessly melt in with the new material (although admittedly I have no information about when the remaining material was composed, so it could have been written in the late 80s/early 90s before the band split-up). The Hirvi have managed to create "Old School Killspree" to sound like it´s the natural successor to the 1989 demo although 29 years have passed. It´s only the more crisp, detailed, and professional sounding production values, which give away the fact that "Old School Killspree" was released in 2018. The sound production is raw and powerful suiting the material well.
Stylistically The Hirvi play an aggressive thrash metal style which is influenced by an artists like Kreator but with experimental/progressive ideas thrown in and when those ideas and dissonant chords appear I´m thinking of Voivod. A contemporary act like Vektor is also a valid reference. There´s an odd "fun" edge to the music too, which includes rock´n´roll solos and other non-thrash metal traits, and to my ears The Hirvi take it a bit too far during those sections as the album becomes a little inconsistent in style. So, while this is at its core still aggressive thrash metal, it´s not an abrasive all out furious affair. There are way too many experimental/progressive elements to make such a simple description of the music. The highly experimental "Dance Dance Dance" is probably the best example of how eclectic The Hirvi are.
Although "Old School Killspree" is certainly both well performed (the raw snarling vocals are a real treat), well produced, and also well composed, it is the songwriting which will cause confusion among some listeners. You have to be an open-minded thrash metal listener to be able to appreciate all aspects of The Hirvi´s music. When that is said "Old School Killspree" is overall a high quality release and it´s certainly challenging the boundaries of what thrash metal can be. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
