The Bottom Line
- Takes thrash lyrical themes to the logical extreme
- The music rocks very, very hard
- Overall package makes it worth long-term repeat listens
- A second guitarist could add some additional power to the music
- Not much more to find once you’ve scratched the surface
Description
- Released in 2007 on That’s Heavy Records
- Features nine punk-tinged thrash tunes
- Combat calls themselves “NY’s Original Hardcore Mutant Thrash Metal Band”
Guide Review - Combat – Ruination
Lyrically, Combat takes the lyrical themes of apocalyptic violence so favored by many early thrash bands (think Metallica’s “Disposable Heroes”) and pushes them to their logical extremes, infecting every song with dark images of modern war, technological destruction and evolutionary competition as Mad-Max-style sci-fi themes that convey the dominant message: that we’re all doomed to be betrayed by our computers, crushed by our warmongering governments and driven to extinction by our amoral science. The music powering these themes dovetails nicely with the message of chaos and destruction: raw, grinding and yes, occasionally even dissonant, it makes for the perfect accompaniment to the bleak picture painted in the words. There are some issues – the single guitar attack with overdubbed solos take something away from the music’s power and this is not an album that gives the listener a lot to explore beyond the first few listens – but overall a good release and worth some regular rotation in your collection.
