Review of the Album Inhale the Inferno by Greek Thrash Metal Band Drunkard

If this is the first time you are hearing the band name Drunkard you are not alone. Drunkard is a Greek thrash metal band having been around since 1999 and they are the sixth Greek thrash metal band that I’ve discovered in the last two weeks alone! Drunkard’s 3^rd studio album called Inhale the Inferno has vocals similar to the New York City thrash metal band Unrelenting Force. What are those Greek thrash metal bands that this writer has discovered since the beginning of September 2019? Well, I have covered at least two of such bands in great length, the latest being Nightrage.

Greece is not only just a black metal music producing nation anymore. They have improved since the late 1980’s. If you enjoyed the music of Nightbreed, Drunkard is a totally different kind of thrash metal because there is more of heavy groove sound to their music and they sound like Dave Padden era Annihilator.

Exterminate to Ashes starts off with this heavy groove similar to Mental Care Foundation and then, the rough vocals come in. “The Devil’s Crown” starts off this intense thrash metal album as I hear influences of early “The Haunted”. For those of you that have heard of that Swedish heavy thrash metal band will know that they also have VERY aggressive vocals especially in that debut album of theirs. Okay, back to the first song of Inhale the Inferno we go, as I hear also traces of the song Without Judgement. “Roadrage 69” reminds us of the mid 2000’s era Holy Moses as the riffing and the vocals remind us how heavy they both are and I guess thrash metal bands these days really want to show us that they are ready to put out their rage if we can even call it that. As we get into this musical work, Drunkard seems to want to increase the heaviness and the 4^th song has riffing that reminds me of Polish death metal band Decapitated. “Luxuria Divine” is a song that tries to address that love and hate can sometimes unite this world and it leads to suffering, death, and destruction.

“Exhale Your Demons” has an interesting part influenced by Slayer in the middle of the song. Project Satan lyrically is about… well the obvious things that people associate with Hell. Blood Red Scorn musically continues with speed as it is influenced by 1990’s Slayer but in terms of the guitar work it is quite effective in keeping your interest. What makes this song brilliantly constructed is the fact that out of nowhere comes this acoustic part that is mixed in with the vocals.

As of this first listen, Drunkard is a better band than Horus Legion and Violent Definition, two other Greek thrash metal bands that I have reviewed but for the avid thrash metal fan, Drunkard is a better choice in terms of thrash metal that is near elite status because you will be more impressed with these guys musically if you hear them first.

Note: as we get into this album once again, I am reminded of at least two other musical influences, the first one being Sweden’s “The Haunted” and then early Florida death metal (think about the 1993 album Individual Thought Patterns).

Even though the lyrics are sometimes not the most positive, these guys manage to keep the riffing at a pretty solid level. Remember that the greatness of any band, particularly in the thrash metal genre is not always about how fast a group of musicians play but how well everything fits in with the rest of the other things such as the song structure, production, and other things.

Overall rating for the album Inhale the Inferno: 85 out of 100 points