Be Offended

Hailing from the the European country of Estonia, lies a group of thrashers by the name of Tankist. With their EP Be Offended, we are hammered with many crushing and underproduced licks from all around the borders of thrash metal. Not that a new or unique sound is developed, but obvious influence is taken and used from different acts, and is exceptionally delivered in an original way.

Sticking with the constants, it's a very raw and underproduced release, which in my eyes is a good thing. This gives it that authentic and pure, "straight from the garage" sound, which fits perfectly with this style of music. The first band that came to mind was Evile, as the vocal style seems to share a similar output, with harsh roars, yet controlled and still holding a form of structure to them. No raspiness in the voice, just harsh and in your face. Similarly, the instrumentation is spectacular, as the riffs are aggressive, and to the point, much like in an Evile album. However, another band that comes to mind is Slayer, especially with the second track, "Mortuary". Listening to this, sounds like something straight off of "Hell Awaits". The same can be said for the solos, considering a lot of them are all over the place, and use many high screeches, much like the classic thrash legends. Along with the Evile sounding vocals, there is certainly a Slayer influence in there as well. So Be Offended does a great job mixing up a classic thrash act with a newer sounding twist, all very raw and underproduced.

All other acts aside, this band alone throws in some surprises, including higher shrieks before extended guitar parts and catchy hooks that almost sound too melodic to fit in with the rest of what's being played here. "At The Gate" also takes things a step further with more advanced solo work and deeper growls thrown in near the end. Additionally, the bass plays a huge part of this record, used in the intro of "Mortuary", and during the outbursts in "God Delusion". It's clearly more than just a backing beat keeper, and takes as much significance as a guitar. All of it is executed very well, and things don't seem just thrown in or unnecessary. Overall, Tankist relies heavily on the heavy slower roars overlaying the faster riffs, rather speedy shrieks you'd get from Bobby Blitz. I'm not at all saying that it's a slow record, but speed doesn't seem to be as key of a factor as heaviness and richness, particularly in the vocals. That's the only thing that I would add a little bit more of to this record. The guitar, however, switches back and forth. The drumming style is fairly typical to the thrash scene, with hard beats, as well as heavy use of the bass pedal and cymbals. Some parts of it are tough to hear, but that's probably just the production.

For anyone craving raw thrash metal, this is the perfect record to dive into. Obviously anyone who likes Slayer or Evile. As it's not quite the same as your typical newer act such as Municipal Waste or Toxic Holocaust, fans of both could still dig this just as well as someone who would prefer Exodus or Overkill. Be Offended is definitely worth a listen for fans all across the thrash spectrum.