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BLACK DENIM RAGE
State Of Emergency

Witches Brew / Jawbreaker (2023)
Rating: 7.5/10

Described as “street metal”, Lake Worth, Floridia-based speedsters Black Denim Rage was formed in 2019 and State Of Emergency is their debut full-length spat forth on the Witches Brew label.

When I first heard the scurrying musicianship I must admit I was expecting a more venomous vocal approach, but frontman James Balcazar has an almost naïve, clear tone which doesn’t always necessarily match the velocity of the music. His crossover thrash style chops make for an interesting listen nonetheless and I still found this opus one of intrigue as the foursome blasts its way through ten tracks which sizzle due to the effective axe work of Balcazar and fellow thrasher Matthew Sanders.

From ‘Rage Militia’ through to ‘The Last Breath’, ‘Speed Overdose’ and ‘Curfew City’, to name but a few, you sense the old school thrash dynamics while also picking up a rather unorthodox attack with which to draw in the audience. The way each track builds is to be noted, and the crisp riffage of ‘The Last Breath’, the hurtling hostility of ‘Chemical Bullets’ and the raw bludgeoning of ‘Street Metallians’ suggest a band with a genuine understanding of how to deliver high quality thrash, and once you get used to the slightly off-kilter vocal raps you’ll be thrashing along with this one in no time.

Neil Arnold

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