One wouldn’t expect a band whose members mostly hail from Sweden to sound like Methane, a quartet featuring alumni from medieval power metal knights Cryonic Temple and ancient death metal Cthulhu worshippers Revenant.
No, the boys in Methane prefer thrash by way of the American South, and they’ve been at it for over a decade, unleashing their sophomore slammer, Kill It With Fire, early this year.
Exhorder, Lamb of God, and Municipal Waste are the influences at the fore, Methane’s bionic, acrobatic riffery, the titular opening track and follow-up cut “Accuser (Of the Brethren)” alone can serve as a primer on what is an often neglected and unfairly maligned corner of the metal universe.
However, it’s also obvious that Methane are unabashed fans of latter-day Overkill and Prong and prefer a few drops of Black Label Society to give it some kick. Furthermore, they remind me somewhat of the much lesser-known Robot Lords of Tokyo when I hear rumblers such as “Declare Chaos,” “A Blood Red Sky” (featuring a guest appearance by guitarist C.J. Sciosca from obscure New Jersey thrashers Blood Feast), and apocalyptic album finisher “Thin The Herd,” which manages to invoke both Machine Head and Vio-lence at once along with Heathen and a touch of Hallows Eve, all coated with a nihilistic, rough-trade paint job.
A short, stocky, ill-tempered album, Kill It With Fire shows its adoration for the old-school underground with shoves, shoulder-blocks, and the occasional stray headbutt or elbow. Be careful in that pit, boy. But by all means, take a chance, tough guy. Your teeth look too nice anyway. You can afford to lose one.