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BLOODY CHAINS
Last Will

Self-released (2021)
Rating: 8/10

Greek death / thrash is the order of the day here with Last Will, the debut platter from four-piece Bloody Chains.

The cover artwork actually fooled me into thinking this was going to be some dirty, doom-drenched expression of grief, but instead we get a solid, effective rasping slice of ferocious metal bolstered by the rabid vocal attack of George Pantoglou who brings a dehydrated gasp that I really enjoy.

Musically there’s melody, but it still remains a rather scathing thrash assault with the short n’ sweet ‘First Blood’ striking hard with its mid-paced energy. But damn, these guys really do have a snap in their jaw, especially with Panagiotis Ninos’ hard percussion and the devilish axework of Stefanos Doudoumis. And when you throw in the bass work of Giannis Riganas you have a quartet that’s ready to make a stand.

‘Into The Void’ is sharp, snappy and chuggy, but with a dollop of melody, while ‘Tormented Soul’ is fast, furious and feverish, and ‘Rotting God’ brings some mesmeric soling and hammering drums. My favourite though is the title track, ‘Last Will’, which incorporates an almost traditional metal aesthetic but fuses it perfectly with a cutting thrash ethos, and it’s a fine way to end the album.

But delve anywhere into this gem and you’ll find numerous salivating expressions worthy of your attention. ‘Fire’ exudes arrogance and maintains a steady, head-nodding groove, and then there’s ‘The Poltergeist’, which features some suspenseful bass dribbles before the combo heads full force into an infectious chug, while the percussion persists throughout as the band brings an interesting mix of, say, Teutonic scathing with Bay Area meandering, where flashes of latter day Slayer arrive. This is also evident on a track such as ‘Sacred War’ with its steady, razor-sharp riffage.

I know very little about the band as this debut has seemingly come out of nowhere, yet I’m finding myself returning to its blunt expressions. Bloody Chains bring memorable songs to the table but remain focused and aggressive even through the more melodious chimes.

It’s great that Greek thrash is still going strong, and Bloody Chains look to be the next act to barge into the New Wave Of Old School Thrash party. However, here’s a band that’s not here to party, but instead scrape its nails down the eyeballs and tear off the heads of those all too generic wanna-be’s.

Last Will is a nifty and threatening debut platter that I urge you to buy if you call yourself a thrash fan.

Neil Arnold

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