Electrocutioner - Harbinger

Angry Metal Guy 60

Two years ago, I grabbed Electrocutioner’s False Idols solely because their one-pager told me not to. And I enjoyed every minute of its straightforward approach to old-school thrash. Even scoring it higher than one would ever dare for something that’s been done countless times over. But there was just something about its riff-machine qualities that hooked me so deeply. Fast forward, and I’ve got my grubby sausage fingers on their sophomore outing, Harbinger. And, once again, you’ll find no gimmicks here. Just beer-swilling thrash in the realm of Slayer, Testament, and Whiplash. The only difference is that this threesome (with gang vocal support from some friends) is signed to a label. Sure, it’s a smaller Canadian label, but these Strong Islanders ain’t aboot to let that bother them.

Like the band’s debut, Harbinger is a relentless onslaught that rarely sees drawn-out introductions throughout its tight thirty-six-minute runtime. The only moments of calm are delivered in the same way as before: using weird-ass instrumentals that only Tangerine Orange would enjoy. Though completely pointless, it appears to be their jam. Outside of that, each song is tight and effective, not a one of them exceeding five minutes in length. You’ll find everything from blistering-fast speed licks, chonky thrash charges, and mid-paced stompers. Mix in some rough vocals, chaotic gang shouts, and rough production, and you might as well be listening to it on cassette in your dad’s beat-up pickup. But will the outcome be the same, better, or worse than its predecessor?

Harbinger by Electrocutioner

Unlike False Idols, no spacey instrumental coaxes us into the record. “Doomsday Device” rips your scrotum on the first note and doesn’t let go until the gangrene settles in. This short, Slayerish ditty even sports a classic Araya scream that forms goosebumps on my pecker. Like any good trash track, it breaks down in the middle, restarting the frenzy, charging faster and faster as the gang shouts tear around you. The follow-up track, “Lightning Sacrifice,” keeps the momentum going, delivering a killer groove and addictive chorus that sticks hard. While there’s some variation in the songwriting throughout, the one track that stands out for being straightforward and restrained is “Frozen File.” With its intricate guitar work and pleasing chorus, it uses its strength in quality construction instead of dropping breakdowns and screaming guitar solos.

Other songs worth exploring are the back-half beauties, “The Chariot,” “Azazel,” and “Seven Seals of Koresh.” The first is a short piece featuring some of the album’s more vicious guitar and vocal performances. It uses a speedy lick to build up to the gangy chorus before ending with a slick, headbangable conclusion. “Azazel” is a flailing storm of guitars with a pavement-splitting chorus. Though it includes a ridiculously stupid spoken-word passage, this piece is one of the heavier tracks on Harbinger. “Seven Seals of Koresh” backs off a bit, opening with a mid-paced thrash lick. But then, all hell breaks loose, charging toward the chorus like Steel coming after me for drinking all his bourbon. As the intensity increases, the band picks up the pace, charging faster and harder than ever before.

Outside of the useless instrumentals, the two songs that have the biggest issues are “End of Days” and the title track. The first is that it’s so short, it doesn’t seem to know where to go. The only thing going for it is its slithering Slayer vibes. The title track is frustrating because the chorus is dreadful. It has some nifty riff changes that help, but when the chorus comes back around, I want to skip it. And, the fact that the instrumental “Vision II” closes the album instead of “Seven Seals of Koresh” is a mistake. There’s also an issue with the mix. False Idols was just dynamic enough that the bass had some presence. With Harbinger, the bass is buried far too much for my taste. These issues put this new release a notch lower than its predecessor, but Harbinger is hella fun and will keep your attention if you liked the band’s debut.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: Stream | Format Reviewed: Stream Deez Nutz
Label: CDN Records
Websites: electrocutionerthrash.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/electrocutioner
Releases Worldwide: September 5th, 2025

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