Band:	Remission
Album:	Impermanence
Style:	Melodic death metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	July 2023

01. Ad Astra
02. Castor
03. Violence Overcoming
04. Noctis Bestia
05. Hellfire
06. Pollux
07. Constricted
08. Fastest Burns The Brightest Flame
09. Penance
10. Paralysis

It’s probably not surprising to anyone who regularly follows my reviews to hear that a Bandcamp bio opening with ‘a 4-piece thrash band’ doesn't immediately get my blood pumping; however, subsequently saying that your band ‘blends the blistering pace and aggression of Sylosis and The Black Dahlia Murder with the melodies of Trivium’ certainly makes a group sound more tempting.

The band behind these words are Perth’s Remission, who are approaching a decade of existence. Impermanence is their second album, following 2019’s debut The Tether’s End. It’s also an album where the band’s openly declared influences are quite easy to detect, particularly Sylosis; while by no means a direct replication of the British group’s sound (if you fancy a band with an even closer resemblance to Sylosis, consider checking out Kinzoku’s recent single), the riffing and particularly percussive approaches during the thrashier sections of this album bear clear hallmarks of Sylosis’ sound. Additionally, there’s guitar melodies/harmonies that pop up across the album that owe their existence to Trivium and other 2000s NWOAHM groups (see the harmonized guitar leads midway into “Constricted” for a great example). Nevertheless, there is more to Impermanence than its influences.

Thrash is a style that, when performed in a retro/classic way by new bands, I can struggle to engage with. What helps Remission capture my attention is not only taking cues from one of the least classic-sounding post-millennial thrash bands in Sylosis (who also happen to be one of my favourite bands), but also by distinguishing themselves from retro-thrash revivalism in other ways. Impermanence spills over into other genres, including melodeath and metalcore/NWOAHM (both sounds that have also slipped into Sylosis’s writing); for example, the softer quasi-interlude “Fastest Burns The Brightest Flame” could conceivably have appeared on an Insomnium record, with its melancholic guitar leads and depressive mood, and while some guitar leads on “Penance” still have a touch of Sylosis to them, the riffs on this instrumental cut feel far closer to a band like Killswitch Engage.

On top of this, there’s also a certain degree of aggression and savagery to parts of Impermanence that, although not threatening to spill over into deathrash, do skirt the typical confines of extremity in thrash. “Hellfire” is an onslaught of speed and growls, “Pollux” has a blackened edge to brief blasting passages, and the rapid, sharp, complex guitar work early in closing song “Paralysis” feels as close to thrash as it does to tech-death. This latter song also has a slight proggy inclination as it evolves across its runtime, moving beyond the blistering early riffing towards elaborate, evocative instrumental passages. This evocative ending is one aspect of Sylosis that Remission may want to explore further; the melodic, emotional or atmospheric parts of Sylosis songs have often been a key determinant in elevating them above ‘regular’ thrash, and what Remission pull off on “Paralysis” is something that could reap rich rewards for them if they can find a way to more regularly incorporate those emotional peaks without sacrificing the intensity of their thrash.

For it is intense thrash; the darkness, subtle melody, and gnarl of the riffs on the likes of “Castor” and “Pollux” practically demand one's attention. There’s also satisfying writing when these tracks evolve across their durations beyond those initial thrash attacks, whether it’s the snare march progressing into a tasty contorted riff later in “Castor” or the more metalcore-leaning bridge in “Violence Overcoming” with the semi-clean group vocals. Add on top of that the brooding gloom of the introduction to “Noctis Bestia”, a satisfying atmospheric lull before another savage onslaught (although some of the more straightforward Gojira-esque chug riffs in this song are a bit less impressive).

Impermanence does owe a lot to certain influences, including the aforementioned Sylosis and Gojira (see “Pollux” for more examples of the latter), and I think there’s room to grow their sound by more frequently dabbling with stirring detours in songs in the vein of “Paralysis” and the ending of “Pollux”. However, this is still a very solid effort overall; I don’t know how much it means coming from me, but this is comfortably one of the most gratifying thrash albums released this decade that I’ve heard.