public

Hey! Listen to Violence Condoned!

Whenever I find a good crossover thrash band, I feel the need to share it with anyone I know who might listen to it. I’ve got my metal fans

5 years ago

Whenever I find a good crossover thrash band, I feel the need to share it with anyone I know who might listen to it. I’ve got my metal fans who love the sheer chaos of it all and are glad to have the occasional addition to their “party metal” collections. My punk friends feel like they can really connect with it and, in so doing, connect to another music community that seems similar yet distant to their own.

To that end, let me introduce you all to Ramsey, MN’s own Violence Condoned. They make pretty extreme and wild crossover thrash, relying heavily upon hardcore punk roots and thrash metal guitar antics. It’s chaotic and extreme to an outrageous degree, and they absolutely refuse to slow down or hit the pause button. The 17 tracks come in at a blistering 25:30, so thrash metal and crossover fans know it’s going to be absolutely ridiculous to hear. I’d call it organized chaos but these dudes just let it loose. They’re so full of aggression and brutality that you’d feel like they were holding back if it was organized in absolutely any way.

Just listen to the opening tracks, “Intro” into “Over the Edge”. The public service announcement-style recording at the beginning is such a wonderful way to start this kind of record. I think it’s the contrast between the recordings and the music that makes these kinds of intros so good. Then once the breakneck riffing comes in, strap in. The song, along with the rest, has everything you’ve all come to love about extreme thrash metal. Shouted vocals, crazy acrobatic riffing, group shout choruses, and overall reckless abandon. Athletes call it “leaving it all on the field.” Hyper Tough does the metal version of that. Tap into your angry teenager angst and allow a little musical violence in your life.

Pete Williams

Published 5 years ago