First step with ‘Edge of Humanity’, the second album from UK thrashers Eradikator is to hold it up against the thrash checklist. From Birmingham, the home of heavy metal? Check. Produced by Russ Russell? Check. Band name spelt with a deliberately changed phonetic? Check. Job done – thrash attack!

Joking aside, ‘Edge of Humanity’ is an absolute corker of a record, and even with its slicker-than-slick production recalls the glory days of 80’s Bay-area thrash. Thankfully it’s not a straight rip-off, as Eradikator have plenty of riffs and breakdowns of their own to throw into the thrash melting pot. In fact, some of them are so good that they’ll have the likes of Testament and Exodus thinking, “How come we didn’t come up with that?”

Refreshingly, ‘Edge of Humanity’ avoids the thrash pitfall of having 45 minutes of tracks that just blur into one another, which means that stand-out songs literally do just that. The frantic melody of ‘Astral Body’ is the best example with its irresistible refrain and glorious breakdown.

Every time thrash looks like it’s finally petered out, another crop of bands bring it kicking and screaming back into the present. With bands like Eradikator the torch will be kept well-lit though and is being done so by 2015’s greatest exponents of the genre.

4.5/5

’Edge of Humanity’ by Eradikator is out now on DiveBomb Records.

Eradikator links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp

Words by Rob Fearnley.