It was back in 2019 when cult Belgian maniacs, Cyclone, stepped up to the plate as the next in a seemingly endless line of ’80s thrash bands eager to pull the “We’re back!” routine. And by “We’re back!”, I mean frontman Guido Gevels and guitarist Stefan Daamen resuscitated the moniker with a backing band of fresh faces who they best felt could replicate the spirit of their original ’80s run. Ultimately, Daamen exited the fold in 2024, leaving Gevels to thrash all for himself. To this, Gevels said, “Screw it.”, going the same route as Megadeth, Vio-Lence, and so many of his peers before him, fully claiming the Cylone moniker as his own.
And why shouldn’t he? It’s Gevel who initially formed the band way back in 1981, before “thrash” was even a concrete musical idea, let alone a global phenomenon. His vocals, which could best be described as the European cousin of Sacred Reich’s Phil Rind, are what made Cyclone a force to be reckoned with in the first place…well, that and their ultraviolent Exodus-esque riff barrage, which makes 1986’s Brutal Destruction a mandatory spin to this day. 40 years since that iconic debut, and Cyclone have spun their way into the earholes of thrashers yet again, this time with their long-awaited comeback EP, Known Unto God.
At the risk of disillusioning fans with an over-bloated full length that runs the risk of falling off towards the halfway mark, Cyclone have played it safe, serving up a 5 song, 20 minute EP to ease their way back into the scene, and it’s a move that mostly works. The production, arrangement, and delivery of the EP is as straightforward modern thrash as you can get, which is a slight disappointment, but even by modern thrash standards, this could be a hell of a lot worse. As one-dimensional as the songs are, they do get this online metal album reviewer thrashing and bashing, which is the whole point to begin with.
For the most part, Known Unto God follows the same lunatic thrash formula as peers Vio-Lence and Exodus. The drums alternate from crazed Slayer beats and skank mosh beats, the riffs sound like they crawled straight out of the nuthouse, and at the helm of it all is Gevel: Aggressive and ferocious as ever. Admittedly, at this point in time, he sounds less like his ’80s self and more like any run-of-the-mill tough guy thrash shouter, but again, it largely works, particularly on cuts like “Eliminate”, “I Fear Myself”, and “The Truth Lies”. The only song on here that isn’t selling it for me is the chug-laden crossover-tinged “Nothing is Real”, which is a tad too generic for its own good. Take that out of the mix and you’ve got a perfectly acceptable thrash EP in 2026.
Known Unto God is only disappointing when being compared to the likes of Testament’s Para Bellum or Coroner’s Dissonance Theory: Rare examples of ’80s thrashers releasing opuses that live up to their heyday. Put it on a playlist alongside Warbringer and the thrashiest cuts off the last Megadeth, and it holds its own. While I don’t see myself spinning it on repeat like Cyclone’s initial output, it is a welcome return, and I look forward to seeing where this latest cycle of brutal, destructive thrash takes us. That, my friends, is the truth, and it doesn’t lie.
6 out of 10
Label: M-Theory Audio
Genre: Thrash Metal
For fans of: Exodus, Vio-Lence, Anthrax
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