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SOLITARY
I Promise To Thrash Forever

Copro (2014)
Rating: 7/10

Okay, thrash-heads. It’s time celebrate the career of one of the UK’s most underrated, and certainly rarely talked about extreme metal bands.

Thrashers Solitary were born in Preston back in 1994, during a time when the only music filling everyone’s ears was grunge, but 20 years later – in spite of only two full-length albums under their belt (but another on the way!) – Solitary has released a live album entitled I Promise To Thrash Forever.

The album features 11 tracks – including a frothing version of Testament’s ‘Into The Pit’ – with ‘The Downward Spiral’, ‘A Second Chance’, ‘Twisted’ and ‘No Reason’ being plucked from 1998’s Nothing Changes debut, and ‘Predator’, ‘Spineless’, ‘Requiem’, ‘Keep Your Enemies Closer’ and ‘Hatred’ taken from 2008’s Requiem album. Meanwhile, another track – as yet to be released – ‘Unidentified’ also appears.

I’m not normally a big fan of live albums, especially involving thrash bands who usually suffer sound-wise when transferred to wax / CD etc. However, I Promise To Thrash Forever, recorded in Selby during 2013, comes across well and is packaged with some great artwork depicting all manner of classic British thrash bands. According to the press release for this album, the concept of the artwork “depicts the decline of the LP and the fact that the key things that were so important in the original thrash movement have been disregarded in the wake of technology and file sharing. Those of us old enough to remember the golden years will recall the ecstasy of flipping through LPs in your local record shop and finding the album you’d been after for weeks. Followed by the obligatory study of the cover, lyrics and thanks list on the bus on your way home, this was all part of the buying experience back in the day. The artwork shows the 80s UK thrash legends album covers having been rotted away and burnt in an attempt to show that the new technology as well as downloading and ‘burning’ of CDs has all but replaced the LP which has been almost forgotten completely”.

For those of you not familiar with Solitary, the line-up for this record consists of Rich Sherrington (vocals / guitarist), Andy Mellor (lead guitar), Ren Robinson (bass) and Roy Miller (drums). Musically, Solitary delivers no frills, energetic thrash metal in the vein of old school UK metallers Xentrix, Deathwish, Onslaught et al. Indeed, with this style of passionate, salivating thrash metal being extremely popular now, it would do Solitary well to hurry up and get the new studio opus out, because although this live album celebrates their past, I’d much prefer to actually see them live or experience the new studio recordings.

Having said that, I Promise To Thrash Forever makes for quite a bruising experience, with Sherrington’s vocal delivery sounding large over the backdrop of that cracking drum rattle and those forceful, speedy, clunky guitars. Testament’s ‘Into The Pit’ clearly goes down a storm with its charging riffs, as does the pounding ‘Predator’; a maniacal lump of heavy thrash dedicated to British serial killer and “wanker” Peter Sutcliffe (The Yorkshire Ripper).

Most of the tracks, as expected from a thrash band, are delivered with pace. ‘The Downward Spiral’ churns weightily with those rolling guitars and steady drum nods, while new track ‘Unidentified’ stands up well alongside the back catalogue with its rampant percussion and deathly vocal menace.

I’ve never understood why Solitary have achieved such little recognition, but I guess it was a case of coming at the wrong time. Hopefully though, with a consistent output from here they should attract a horde of new fans eager for a taste of what British thrash metal has always been about.

Neil Arnold

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