Thrash Thursday II - Virus, Necroriser, Crypsis & Mutant Zombie Foetus - The Unicorn, Camden - 9th June 2011

It was time for round two of the awesome Thrash Thursday held now periodically at The Unicorn in Camden. As I’ve said before we love the Unicorn because it’s not only a cool venue but the gigs are always free and the booze is pub prices. It just doesn’t get better than that. Not only that but somehow Steve always manages to secure such good bands for the line up. This night was no different as thrash legends Virus were topping the bill.

Mutant Zombie Foetus

First on were Mutant Zombie Foetus from Reading. Having checked out their facebook page I noticed that they’d supported among others, Napalm Death. This gave us quite high expectations to say the least. To be honest I wasn’t too sure what to make of them really. At times things sounded a bit out of time and we reckon the bass was too loud in the mix. They have a punky/thrash crossover thing going on and at first both Trunks and I didn’t like it, but after the second or third song they kind of eased into their set. They have a very charismatic front man that keeps this four piece chugging along. They definitely don’t take themselves too seriously and after a little while were pretty entertaining to watch.

Crypsis

Next up were Crypsis. These guys were an altogether more serious outfit. The thing that stood out the most for us was the incredible drummer. These guys are a more straight forward thrash band. We enjoyed their set that seemed pretty effortless. They are obviously quite accomplished musicians and definitely worth checking out. Good work.

Necroriser

Third to grace the stage were Necroriser from Brazil. Holy shit they were good. I’d have to say the best band of the evening in my opinion. They reminded me of early Sepultura with what appeared to be James Hetfield on vocals with Max Cavalera’s voice. The set was tight and brutal. They are verging on being a death metal band but I wouldn’t say were out of place on this set. An excellent band with bright prospects, I’m sure we will be hearing a lot more about these guys in the not too distant future. Definitely give their facebook page a listen, no self respecting metal fan would think that these guys were anything short of excellent.

Virus

Finally Virus. As we all know Virus have been going for a very long time and it shows in their execution of the music. Not forgetting to add that they all look like maniacs. They played a blinder of a set, relentlessly thrashing us through the night. This became evident by the ferocity of the pit. It got hectic, which is always a good sign at gigs like this. They were a very fine ending to an exceptionally enjoyable night. I love these Thrash Thursdays and long may they last.

Boojay