siLLy puPPy UNTIMELY DEMISE is one of the many newer thrash metal bands that has a strong affinity for the classic thrash era of the late 80s and early 90s. Formed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Canada’s middle section and founded in 2006 by two brothers, Matthew Cuthbertson (vocals, lead guitar) and Murray Cuthbertson (bass), it took a few years to years to hone the chops to craft the first release FULL SPEED METAL which found drummer Scott Cross joining in for some powerful thrash metal bombast.

This short EP only featured four tracks just shy of the 15 minute mark but left an undeniable mark on the thrash metal world with powerful chunky riffs, ripping solos and bombastic bass and drum fury. With the Teutonic orotundity of Kreator sprinkled with Marty Friedman era Megadeth’s melodic touches, UNTIMELY DEMISE captured the perfect zeitgeist of the classic years of thrash sometimes reminds of Death Inquisition and sometimes a touch of Skeleton Witch but perfectly performs four head banging skull crushes without missing a beat.

This is the type of frenetic thrash metal that head banging dreams are made of however the weakness of FULL SPEED METAL is that it’s woefully too derivative of an era long past and although this retro thrash is perfectly executed down to every single tremolo picked lightning fast guitar lick and crunchy riff in distortion overload, it doesn’t quite measure up for my tastes for a modern day thrash metal album. Kudos to Matt Cuthbertson’s vocal style though that ranges through various shouts, screams, raspiness and emphatic declarations. He truly has done his thrash metal homework as all these guys have done.

This is certainly highly recommended for those who aren’t as critical about creativity as i personally am. If retro thrash is what you crave then you can’t go wrong with Saskatoon’s UNTIMELY DEMISE who crank out a filthy rawness that made some of those 80s and 90s bands so utterly addictive. This is only the beginning EP so i’m completely sold on exploring the band’s following four albums that have been released throughout the 2010s. Unfortunately though the four tracks on this one are excellent in delivery but not very memorable.

Time Signature Escape to superthrash...

Genre: thrash metal

A couple of years ago Untimely Demise released the instant thrash classic City of Steel, and now they are back with a vengeance, having recently released their second full-length effort Systematic Eradication. If we are to judge a book, well a CD, by its cover, then Untimely Demise have already won. I mean, the nihilistic title and the sci-fi inspired cover artwork, thing pretty much don't get more thrash.

But how about the music? Well, absolutely nothing wrong with that. As on the previous release, the Canadian thrashers explore a variety of thrash metal aesthetics, combining fierce uptempo thrash riffage with a dose of death metal brutality and a touch of melody. The opener 'Spiritual Embezzlement' is a fierce and aggressive track akin to Exodus at their most aggressive while 'The Last Guildsman' is quite melodic and features elements that border on power-thrash. 'Somali Pirates' takes the listener back into the territory of speed and aggression. The dynamics of aggression juxtraposed with melody characterizes the entire album and makes for a very varied listening experience.

There seems to be a considerable influence from Chuck Schuldiner's Death on this album, which is reflected in the more technical passages on the album. In particular, 'Escape from Supermax' strikes me as being somewhat of an homage to the creative mind of Schuldiner. Obviously, it takes an advanced level of musicianship to pull off this sort of stuff. Fortunately, Untimely Demise's level of musicianship is top notch, s they can easily pull off the Death-inspired elements, and the performance is impressive across the board – from the skilled drumming over the presice riffage to the advanced guitar solos. The often screethcy vocals may be an aquired taste, but after a couple of spins, you should get used to them, and, at the end of the day, it just wouldn't be the same without this particular singing style.

Fans of thrash metal who appreciate top notch musicianship and a great production, and who have a soft spot for musicians who are not afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves (without every being unoriginal) should check out this album. It seems that Untimely Demise have made another instant thrash metal classic.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature City of steel...

Genre: thrash metal

If you like thrash metal, then Untimely Demise is the way to go. If you like good thrash metal, then Untimely Demise is the way to go. If you like awesome thrash metal, then Untimely Demise is definitely the way to go.

Originally released in 2010, "City of Steel" is Canadian thrash metal act Untimely Demise's debut album, and it is going to be released worldwide this September, so the entire world can enjoy Untimely Demise's supreme brand of thrash metal.

Untimely Demise draw extensively on primitive aggressive old school speed metal and thrash metal, but inject a good dose of Megadeth finesse and technicality into it, and there is also an obvious Schuldiner influence throughout the entire album. The result is semi-technical, but still uptempo and aggressive thrash metal with lots of energy and lots of melody, and it totally rocks from beginning to end. The guitar solos are impressively shreddy, almost reaching Mustaine/Friedman level, and the vocals are harsh, aggressive and screetchy.

A strong contender for the thrash metal album of the yeah, this is an album that thrash metal metal fans around the world must check out.