Asa takes a listen to the latest single from Colorado Thrashers Draghoria.

Draghoria were formed during 2013 in Northern Colorado by Ronald Carrillo. Since then, the band have started to amass a small following within the Thrash scene after the release of 1 album (Portal To Extinction, 2016) and 2 E.P’s (Portal To Extinction E.P in 2017, showcasing new vocal talent Riggs, and Thrash A.D in 2018). The current line-up consists of Ronald on Thrash ‘n’ shred duties, his son Alex Carrillo providing the backbone with percussive mayhem, Riggs handling the shouting department, John Colucco (ex-Internal Bleeding) mastering the bottom end rumble and Ryan Nevins rounding things out by assaulting us with ferocious riffs for Ronald to shred over. The band are determined to end 2020 on a high by releasing a new album, entitled Dangerous Species, sometime towards the end of the year (no date has yet been announced for its release). Murder Nation is the first single from the album to be released, meaning it has the daunting task of setting expectations of what is to follow.

The song opens with clean guitars picking apart chords. It has an ominous yet melodic refrain to it that gives off some serious Megadeth vibes. There’s an excellent intro solo that is melodic, mixing up slower moments with short bursts of shredding prowess. It’s not overly flashy, instead providing the right balance between memorability and technicality. The bass underneath sounds huge, and it locks in with the drums which makes for a great, dynamic and wonderfully executed intro. Stepping things up a notch, the distorted guitars come roaring in, carrying on with the same melodic phrasing as the clean guitars but adding aggression and sense of intensity to the proceedings. A second burst of energy propels the song into a simple, but effective, Thrash riff that doubles as the verse. It’s nothing you haven’t heard before, but it does the job, allowing Riggs’s vocal performance to take the helm and lead the song.

The vocals are delivered with a sense of ferocity that lends that extra dose of anger. Riggs barks and shouts his way through the verse like a man possessed by the spirit of Baloff. The riff that follows has a great tempo change, which gives a nice groove to it. The verse comes back before diving back into the groovy riff, but this time doubling up as the songs chorus. The gang shouts during this section give off old school vibes, making it feel like it was the 80’s all over again. It’s a solid and catchy stuff. The Thrash destruction continues as another venoumous riff plows through the sound barrier. It’s a full-on old school Thrash attack but has these slightly dissonant chords thrown in that remind me of something Revocation would use. It’s a nice touch, blending modern ideas into old school foundations which really helps give this part an edge over everything else. A chugging charge barrels its way into the verse again, before we return to the simplistic yet catchy chorus and the excellent old-school-meets-modern Thrash riff.

The song slows down, bringing back the same chord progression as the intro but simplified, as Ronald provides some excellent dual guitar harmonies. The drums change up the speed as an impressive solo breaks out, providing enough shred to please any die hard Thrasher. It’s a real highlight of the song that doesn’t overstay its welcome. The chorus returns but with a chuggy twist, providing forward momentum for the song to end on. One last killer riff rears its gnarly hard, with harmonic notes added during the midpoint to give it a truly 80’s Thrash feel. It’s a great way to end the song and promises that whatever follows next is going to be damn good.

Overall, the song is killer Thrash. It’s got simple but effective riffs that serve their purposes well. The chorus is catchy, and it blends just the right amount of modern ideas to make it not stagnate. It doesn’t spend to long on any one section, which really gives the song some great energy that drives it forward. You’re always invested in the song because there’s always something to keep it moving. The performances are great. The drumming is top notch, providing great tempo shifts that give the song a great backbone. The bass sounds incredible, with a modern tone that allows it to provide meat to the guitars whilst sticking out and gives the song warmth and depth. The guitar playing is tight, with solid riffs and some seriously impressive lead work from Ronald. The vocals are aggressive, and Riggs gives it his all, providing some excellent energy for the song.

I just wish there were a little more variety in the vocals as they’re pretty much one note for most of the time. I’d love to see Riggs expand his range a little more, but this is only one song from the album so it does excite me to see what else could be in store. The production is monstrous, everything sounding crystal clear, fully taking advantage of the more modern production but maintaining a vibe that fits right in with old school releases. This song may not be the most original, you’ve definitely heard it done before, but it’s to the point and fun. It has killer performances throughout and has some truly excellent moments throughout that make it worth coming back to. It’s a straight-forward ripper and has enough to please every Thrash fan out there. I recommend giving it a listen when you have 4 minutes to spare, you won’t be disappointed.

Have 4 minutes to spare now? check out the lyric video below!