Spain’s Dishammer plays a brand of extreme metal that owes a fair bit to the d-beat/ crust punk scenes and also the thrash and black metal scenes. You could call Vintage Addiction an exercise in blackened crusty thrash but I think that sounds just a bit silly and this music is anything but silly.

Right from album opener Smoke of Death, it’s pretty clear that the band love their old school 80s thrash but it’s the punk beats and the blackened rasp of vocalist Jose Dopico that straightaway lifts Vintage Addiction from the ranks of the ordinary. The majority of this album actually sounds true to the band’s name. Imagine what would happen if Discharge and Hellhammer started jamming together while retaining a slight sense of humour and playfulness and focusing on catchy riffs and full of speed and aggression. The songs are short and to the point with no unwanted messing about and while the occasional nod to Motorhead is present and accounted for this is mostly crust punk ala Wolfbrigade done with a lot of panache and what seems like genuine love for the more violent black metal bands.

Stand out tracks include the superb Pain in the Ass which would have been hilarious if not for the absolutely crushing delivery, Werewolves on Wheels which has some terrific riffing and actually seemed too short, opener Smoke of Death with a vintage 80s thrash riff and the punky drum and bass led Into the Bong. At the same time, it’s not like the rest of the songs are bad. Vintage Addiction has 12 songs in less than 30 minutes and there’s absolutely no fat on this album. Each one of these songs will alternately kick your head in, have you banging your head or leave you with a big goofy grin on your face (or maybe all three).

For a debut album, this is some pretty impressive noise. The songs are catchy and because of the length never outstay their welcome. While the raw production and raspy blackish vocals may put some people off, I think this is an album that everyone from your old school thrash fan to the punks to the black metal crowd can enjoy. Dishammer is a band worth searching out and Vintage Addiction might just be the first sign of greatness to come.

Label - Hells Headbangers

Year of Release - 2008