Gareth straps in for a round of cold thrash from Canada… here’s what he thinks of the new album by Aggression

If you like your thrash a bit more primordial, then Canadian metalheads Aggression might just be up your street? Formed back in 1984, their 1987debut album ‘The Full Treatment’ was a bit of an underground cult classic. The band split for a few years, and reformed in 2004 when they released an album that was intended to be the debut, recorded in 1986, before splitting up again only to reform in 2014. Since then, the band has been surprisingly active, and have released several compilation albums, an EP and 3 full length albums, and now are about to release another, their 6^th;’Frozen Aggressors’ (sort of named after the track ‘Frozen Aggressor’ from the debut album).

Stripped back to a four piece since 2020, with founder, guitarist, and only all present member, Denis ‘Sasquatch’ Barthe now also handling vocals (since the 2021 EP ‘Field of Nightmares’) the band have an unique take on the thrash medium, Ok there’s plenty of thrashing guitars and drums, but there are also plenty of off the wall parts as well, take the chorus of Song #666, it is for want of a better term; a bit bonkers, and takes a massive swipe at all the world’s despots! The album also unusually starts with an instrumental, the brutal galloping ‘C.H.U.D. Invasion’ which sets up the album in fine style. The band do have a wicked sense of humour and with titles like ‘Holidays in Sodom’ and ‘Satanic Slut Gangbang’ you know their tongues are firmly rooted in cheek. ‘Crib of Thorns’ adds some melody into proceedings, whilst still remaining as heavy as a herd of bison. After all the violence ferocity the album ends in epic style with the eight minutes ‘Hyperspectral Winter Incursions’ a cautionary tale of frostbite, senicide and Norse Gods with atmospheric acoustic guitars & spoken narration, building into a melodic guitar motif, and then chunky powerchords cut in, it’s an ambitious track and a great way to end the album.

Aggression is great fun, and this is a very solid piece of thrash, they aren’t breaking much new ground, but they can certainly thrash it up with the best of them. Definitely worth a listen.

Aggression – Frozen Aggressors is out now… everywhere via Massacre Records