Perpetratör - Altered Beast album review

The second album from Lisbon’s Perpetratör, Altered Beast is an onslaught of hammering old-school thrash, built upon heavy, fast riffing that shifts tempos with a brain-twisting lurch and virtuoso, blazing solos. It’s a style strongly reminiscent of Coma Of Souls era Kreator and late-80s Destruction. Hellthrasher, Doors Of Perception and Black Sacristy – a cover of obscure 80s US thrashers Pontius Prophet – are all pure adrenaline rushes, the latter two featuring guest vocals from Flávio Lino, who won TV competition The Voice Portugal with his rendition of Painkiller. Altered Beast is delivered with vitality and anger, and if the production has a touch of modern polish it never lessens impact and or the feeling of authenticity. There may be lots of bands ploughing the same, apocalyptic furrow, but fans of the more barbarian end of thrash will lap this up.