Methane – Kill It With Fire
Release Date: 27th January 2023
Label: Self Released
Bandcamp
Genre: Thrash Metal, Groove Metal.
FFO: Exodus, Sodom, Slayer.
Review By: Rob Woodhouse
Sweden’s Methane are about to return with their second full length LP entitled Kill It With Fire. Having already passed their ten-year anniversary as a band in 2022, they are certainly not in a rush to expand their discography. Good things come to those who wait, apparently, so let’s see if our patience is to be rewarded.
Methane are straight to the point. There are no fancy atmospheric intro’s here; Kill It With Fire kicks off in explosive style with the title track bounding into action from the very start. Tim Scott’s rough and ready vocal roar coupled with the equally unpolished drum clatter give Methane a suitably abrasive sound. This isn’t going to be pretty… which is great news!
Accuser opens with an expletive-laden soundbite courtesy of your local Walmart religious nutter (check out the clip here if you haven’t witnessed the “woman-witch” before). Thrash metal based upon a viral YouTube clip doesn’t exactly scream ‘Old School’ but this crazy lady is scary and unhinged enough to carry this bouncy and slightly light-hearted track. The towering guitars and victorious chorus-line ensures it’s not a throwaway effort, by any means.
Moving on, the double punch of Declare Chaos and Shock and Awe collide in a muddy Sodom meets Slayer battlefield. Abrupt, sharp-edged riffing accompanied by an Araya-style vocal delivery takes Methane into that classic thrash realm of everything military and war inspired. Shock and Awe particularly proves to be one of the standout tracks from the album.
Shout out to Eka Saputra who captures this album vibe perfectly with the artwork. The fire-scorched cover is in the vein of classic Ed Repka, as some unfortunate folk are depicted fleeing winged demons emerging from flames behind them. Typical Saturday night scenes really…
Blood Red Sky proves to be a little more epic in delivery, with the call and reply vocals shared with CJ Sciosia (Blood Feast); this Native American inspired track has a few more layers to it than is typical on this record. The groovier Down in the Gutter follows, before the grand finale of Thin The Herd erupts into life. Soaring guitars, battering ram riffs and a big vocal that Chuck Billy would be proud of all come together to bring Kill It With Fire to a cataclysmic end.
So there you have it. Methane have come up with the goods and Kill It With Fire has certainly been worth that wait. Much like Xentrix did a few months back, Methane have delivered a no-nonsense album of pure thrash metal. Stubbornly brutal in approach, there are no frills, bells or whistles attached to this album; just some big old explosions of aural warfare.
(4 / 5)
