Review of the Album Under the Knife by American Thrash Metal Band Eugenic Death

Eugenic Death is a thrash metal band from Greensboro, North Carolina that has been active since 2010. I didn’t think that I’d be reviewing another album by an American thrash band just because I prefer European thrash over American thrash metal. Yes, that is a sort of bias but anyway, here we go with yet another American Southern thrash metal band and the album we are reviewing the band’s second studio album called Under the Knife. The band’s name was created specifically to bring attention to society’s view, mistreatment, and neglect of poor people.

There are has to be at least some analysis of the album’s cover. Eugenic Death must have taken a page out of bands such as Cannibal Corpse and so the cover depicts or shows a woman that is undergoing surgery but it is easy to see that she is in major distress with cuts on her hand and body. She is being injected with a substance called Demerol. I don’t understand why some of these bands have to have such graphic album covers and sometimes they do come under controversy.

American thrash metal (at least the more modern bands) have tried to infuse more melody into their songs. Those American bands that just rely on speed with rough vocals really can’t advance and compete with the countless thrash metal bands that are in Europe. Nonetheless, Eugenic Death is a modern American thrash band that does better than bands such as Corrosion of Conformity, Suicidal Tendencies or any other crossover thrash because these guys have something called melody especially as the title track ends.

All of you came here to find out about the music that is on this album called Under the Knife and I can say first of all that what you will find on this album is fast thrash metal that works out well. Indoctrinate is the first song on here and this one in the beginning sounds like late 2000’s era Megadeth. The song is about someone that is looking for ways to advocate for peace. The song also says that whatever is built will be destroyed by others. There is no cure for evil acts or is there? The song also says that the religious right in the US continues to deceive others about what’s really going on. The United States does have good thrash metal bands with socially conscious lyrics but in this modern era there are not as many as before. “The Citizen Patrol” is a fast song that is lyrically about what happens when you are in a society that controls the way we think. We think we are free but are we really that free? The United States doesn’t even have the freest press in the world yet there is this idea that the United States is the home of the free and the land of the brave.

“The Devil’s Tower” is somewhat like the song Truth Be Told by Megadeth in the main riffing section. It seems that there are times in life that positive thoughts turn to doubt as there is no way out. “Witching Ground” is a nice, chunky riff filled song that is about the fact that there are evil forces within as the hour strikes. People awaken at night filled with fright. “Hara Shiva” is a song with nice acoustic guitar as there is also some singing, chanting or whatever you want to call this. Is this a case of a band realizing that they have to be diverse musically in order to compete with bands from around the world? Perhaps that may be the case. “Aghori Sadus” is a song that is lyrically about reaching a higher state by practicing human cannibalism oh my goodness! That subject matter isn’t very pleasant but at least these guys know how to get the job done musically. The album ends with the title track that lyrically is about the fact that there is no hope left and that praying to GOD will not help. Overall, Under the Knife is a very solid modern thrash metal album by North Carolina’s Eugenic Death and although this album is better than much of the American metal that is present in this modern age, it is still just a bit below some of the European bands such as Distillator.