When looking back at the Metal Massacre compilations, it’s wild to imagine these acts that have since become genre staples as glorified amateurs. However, this was exactly the case. The first Metal Massacre featured future 80s giants like Ratt, Cirith Ungol, and a little band called Metallica, among cult legends Bitch, Steeler, Malice, and more. While its aptly titled follow-up didn’t include as many breakthrough bands (aside from Armored Saint), it still had its fair share of heavy hitters, like Warlord, Obsession, Savage Grace, and of course, Trauma.
Despite being pigeonholed as “the band Cliff Burton played in before Metallica”, Trauma have since forged a formidable path for themselves. Their 1984 debut album, Scratch and Scream, became a classic amongst the underground US metal crowd. Fast forward some 30 odd years and the band reformed to play a series of triumphant reunion shows on the euro fest circuit. Yet whereas many of these bands resort to these one-off shows for the occasional juicy check (And who can blame them?), Trauma barreled full steam ahead, releasing 2 studio albums in Rapture and Wrath (2015) and As the World Dies (2018). Their latest effort, Awakening, keeps the Trauma tradition going, albeit slightly differently from past releases.
Awakening is Trauma’s first album without classic singer Donny Hillier, who succumbed to lung disease in late 2020. Only drummer Kris Gustofson remains from those early years, but joining him is a pummeling lineup, consisting of guitarists Joe Fraulob and Steve Robello, former Testament bassist Greg Christian, and veteran singer Brian Allen. Together, this incarnation of the band have recorded what is hands down their most vicious album yet. Roughly half of Awakening falls into the thrash category, heavily channeling the 21st century output of Destruction, Overkill, and so forth. Cuts like “Walk Away”, “Death of the Angel”, and “Voodoo” waste no time thrashing and bashing away, boasting flesh ripping riffs, pulverizing double bass drumming, and an all-out violent delivery. Allen’s vocals, that vary from harsh growls to Halford-esque shrieks, only further broaden the palette.
When they aren’t taking us on a one way trip to mosh city, Trauma manages to showcase other aspects of the metallic spectrum that construct their sound. “Meat”, “The River Red”, and “Blind” standout as muscular slabs of traditional metal gone modern, similar to 2010s Accept and Metal Church. Pantera inspired grooves and knuckle-dragging riffage comes into play on the anthemic “Burn” and devastating “End of Everything”. And then there’s “Falling Down”, whose versatility, technicality, and flashy prog chops make for not just the most unique song on this album, but perhaps the entire Trauma catalog.
I give Trauma lots of credit, not just for weathering the storm all these years, but for being able to do a 180 from their power-speed roots and still put out compelling metal. Similar to Lillian Axe fully embracing progressive metal on their latest outing, here’s yet another band of veterans keeping things fresh, yet without losing their soul to the generic modern metal machine. With Allen’s earthshattering vocals at the helm, there’s no telling what this reenergized beast is capable of. Whatever it is, I’ll be looking forward to it!
7 out of 10
Label: Massacre Records
Genre: Heavy/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Metal Church, Flotsam and Jetsam, Destruction