Review: “Divine In Ruin” by Mount Slatra

The recent suggestions that the Thrash revival has begun to falter have to be considered some kind of sick joke with the likes of Condition Critical, Electrocutioner and Necrokinesis blazing a trail like a commit breaking the atmosphere as it descends on Planet Metal in recent times. The latest act to raise a middle finger to those who claim that the genre is a dead horse when it is in fact not only alive but kicking are Mount Slatra, a four piece outfit hailing from the West Midlands who have built for themselves a reputation for a fierce live show. They’ve done that with a run to the  Grand Final of Metal 2 The Masses in Birmingham, narrowly missing out on the chance to play the New Blood stage at this summers Bloodstock Festival before opening for US Thrash titans Warbringer who did in point of fact go on to play the event. They’ve just released their debut record “Divine In Ruin“, something committed to tape after a year or so of writing with the occasional jail break for a show with the likes of King Abyss.

After the sounds of the downfall of Pompeii, the infamous volcanic eruption causing death in the streets as lava flows left nothing but obsidian in their wake, the record begins with “Fists of the Fallen” an old school Thrash cut that finds Mount Slatra breathing down the neck of all those San Francisco Bay Area veterans from the early 80’s. Aggressive riffage and a slick solo make it an anthem of mosh pit incitement, the raw edge of the production and in particular the drum sound, giving it the nostalgic qualities of the tape trading era. The quality of not only the musicianship but the dedication to craft and the genre as a whole shines through with the dark atmospheric of “Scorched Earth” which echoes the madness of “Master Of Puppets” era Metallica. A satisfyingly crunchy headbangers delight, its mid tempo weight and evil laughter are enough to convince that the men in white coats are coming with straight jackets to take the band to the asylum, such is the unhinged nature of the vocal performance. That bleeds into “Mr Axe“, a song with a classic low budget horror movie lyrical narrative told in such a way that you can just imagine the band re-creating the infamous “Here’s Johnny!” scene from The Shining for a music video.

Sinister riffs crate a dark atmosphere for the Pandora’s box that is “Cult of the Heavens“, a track that seemingly asks the question what if the Church was in fact a Cult? It’s one that will make you pause for thought once you’ve listened to the fretboards burn as calloused hands pull out a couple of classy solos and while the band pass up the opportunity to include a couple of gang chants, they may yet appear in the live renditions. The war machine marches on in perpetual forward motion with “Battalion“, a cut that exposes a few more old school influences while having plenty of bark and bite in the vocals. A surgically precise tempo shift in the final third for a scorcher of a solo is absolutely majestic and given this is a debut record, its an unexpected moment of serious quality. A little whammy bar action is a nice touch as riffs fly in all directions in the adrenaline pumping grand finale that is “Soul Thief“, the band making great use of samples to embellish this piece of cryptic writing. As a record “Divine In Ruin” doesn’t offer anything new but instead provides a nostalgic look back at the past glories of Thrash, giving the band a solid foundation on which to build their next chapter after demonstrating that they have the power of Greyskull [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Fists of the Fallen
2. Scorched Earth
3. Mr Axe
4. Cult of the Heavens
5. Battalion
6. Soul Thief

“Divine In Ruin” by Mount Slatra is out 1st September 2025 and is available over at bandcamp