ALBUM REVIEW – AGGRESSION

Canadian thrashers Aggression release their sixth studio album Frozen Aggressors on December 1, 2023 through Massacre Records. Aggression emerged on the Montreal, Quebec metal scene in the mid-80’s building a strong reputation for their blistering style of thrash and legendary live performances, all of which I got to experience first-hand growing up in Montreal during the 80’s. The band appeared on two key compilation albums – Speed Metal Hell II (1986), and Thrash Metal Attack (1987) that helped launch them beyond their Quebec borders. Unfortunately, Aggression disbanded by 1989 as thrash metal was just reaching peak popularity due to various personal issues, but thankfully reformed in 2014 with a new line-up. 

Denis “Sasquatch” Barthe is the only original Aggression member these days handling vocal and guitar duties. The current line-up has been consistent the last few years with Dave Watson also playing guitar, Kyle Hagen handling bass duties and Ryan Idris beating up the drums. The band describes their current musical style as follows: “This is a perfect crossover blend, delivered from our black hearts, influenced by ancient recordings of the past that changed our lives. Fast, furious, and straight through your face!”. All pretty accurate in my opinion. I would describe Frozen Aggressors as old school thrash metal that successfully incorporates punk and hardcore crossover influences.  

The album opens with the near four-minute instrumental ‘C.H.U.D. Invasion’ featuring dive-bombing riffing, manic aggressive overtones, and strong technical musicianship. As far as opening instrumentals go, this has strong replay value. ‘Circus Of Deception’ is an old school thrash attack that could have easily appeared on early Aggression releases. It has a slight punk slant, showcases impressive bass work that’s featured up front in the mix, and includes some cool drum fills and intense riffing. Barthe’s no nonsense vocal approach is perfect for this “working class” thrash material. ‘Song 666’ is a punk crossover track that still incorporates lethal crunching thrash chops. The chorus is incredibly catchy and reminiscent of a band like the Ramones.  

‘Crib Of Thorns’ is a pure thrash metal gem with shredding guitars & bass and allows drummer Ryan Idris to shine with his excellent drum work. At times, the vocals on this song remind me of Randy Rampage from the first Annihilator record. Heavy Venom influences are evident on ‘Holidays In Sodom’ which features some heavy guitar driven hooks that are so catchy and memorable. ‘Satanic Cult Gangbang’ is reminiscent of the punky thrash stylings of Sodom with some comical lyrical content.               

‘Queen Of The Damned’ is a favorite track of mine and 100% old school thrash. The entire band is firing on all cylinders at a raging pace. The vocals are more unique here with Denis entering death metal territory with a goblin like vocal approach at times. The albums longest track ‘Hyperspectral Winter Incursions’ at eight plus minutes closes the album in an epic progressive manner beginning with an acoustic intro and featuring vocal narration throughout. This is Barthe’s most dynamic vocal performance and includes strong melodic supporting vocals. Excellent songwriting incorporating strong technical and melodic instrumental inputs. BEST track on the album.               

The album production is perfectly straight forward matching Aggression’s musical direction. Original band member Barthe recently noted in an interview that they recorded this album in a garage like setting keeping it simple and straight forward. All instruments are well placed in the mix and the sound is crystal clear. I love that I can clearly hear the bass riffs. The cool album artwork is a family affair with key artistic contributions from Barthe’s daughter and ex-girlfriend.   

All I can say is WOW, Frozen Aggressor is an outstanding album that will surely make my top 2023 albums list. The songwriting is rooted in old school thrash, but still varied enough to encourage multiple replays. Aggression perfectly balances aggressive thrash, heaviness, technicality and catchy hooks. The big four of Canadian thrash is commonly cited as Sacrifice, Razor, Voivod and Annihilator (and / or arguably Exciter) but Aggression deserves to be part of this talented influential group.            

As a metal fan who grew up in Montreal, Quebec in the mid-80’s listening to all the local bands and attending shows, it’s fantastic to see many of my favorite older local bands still relevant today. Aggression unleashed this awesome slab of metal, DBC and Obliveon are actively working on new albums, and Martyr recently reunited hitting the stage for some one-off shows. Maybe I’m biased but the Quebec metal scene back in the day (and still today) can stand its ground with the best in the world.   

 Frozen Aggressors drops on December 1st via Massacre Records.