Beats and yelling shorts, 1st July 26

W.M.D.: Against all WarningsOut 5th June, self-released Tempers the legacy of Vektor into a tighter, more focused entity of progressive thrash. An earthy punk immediacy and even some hints at party metal a-la Municipal Waste are offset by bracing technical flourishes, arriving at something like Watchtower kept in check by a foot stomping simplicity. Although choppy and dense, the bulk of these pieces are direct, focused, and accessible. Complexity arises from the sheer number of parts thrust into a short space of time, and a constant churn of ornamentation that complicates an otherwise surprisingly down to earth posture. High end, relatively clean vocals work to humanise the music further in spite of the obvious allusions to a futurist, dystopian aesthetic. The result is a meaty thrash album that is refreshingly at ease with itself. Obnoxious, showy, over excited (like all good thrash metal), but undergirded by a wealth of substance to back up the claims made by the frontloaded…