Despite the fact I'm being swamped by the new wave of thrash bands doing the rounds, and at times being engulfed in the banality of it all, Bonded By Blood are one of the better chuggers in the recent charge of the mosh brigade. My only real issue being that not one of the current bunch, and I mean not one of many, has been able to produce a classic thrash record, because in such genre, the modern bands seem unable to produce the originality which came in the '80s. Looking back, the Bay Area had an original crunch, then in Europe there were the creators of avant-garde thrash such as Coroner, but in today's metal market there seems a great ability, of that I have no doubt, but the bands seem to have the inability to escape the past. Sure, it's great to wear influences on one's sleeve, but every album I've heard in the last six or so years is all too keen to take so many Testament, Exodus, Overkill and Slayer riffs, whereas the original purveyors of thrash had a unique sound. Bonded By Blood do sound a lot like Exodus, but without the immense quality, bit even so, 'Feed...' does offer a sturdy set of thrashers, fave's being the title cut, the moshing chant of 'Immortal Life', the pulverising 'Mind Pollution' with its immense riffing and the sonic crush of 'Vengeance'. Of course, the new wave of thrash bands have kind of proven that there is now a limit within the genre, and so instead to bands are sticking to their guns in order to churn out an almost no thrills version of their favourite carnage. All well and good if it works, and thankfully Bonded By Blood do have that quality needed do rise above the mediocrity, but it still remains light years away from the original titans who plied their trade back in the '80s and '90s. There's no need for Exodus and the likes to give up their day jobs yet.
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