Review: “Fit for the Dead” by Mount Slatra

Twelve months and eight days after they announced themselves with EP “Divine In Ruin“, West Midlands Thrash crew Mount Slatra are back at the saloon door in search of Bourbon. They come armed for the apocalypse with debut album “Fit for the Dead“, having spent the past year cruising for a bruising on another Metal 2 The Masses run as well as playing both Slayfest and Slaughterhouse Festival. There has also been a line up shift with guitarist George North exiting stage left, to be replaced by bassist Aaron Watkins with Jay Mason joining on the low end, that however this record was completed before that happened…

The half an hour of power begins with the eerie, haunting instrumental “Dharmata“, a piece that sounds very much like it belongs to a John Carpenter movie from the 1980’s until a backwards instrumental provides a classy segue into “5×5“. Remember when people used to say if you played vinyl backwards you’d summon a demon? Not this time. Instead the opening track proper is a powerhouse old school Thrash cut that sounds fresh out of 1982 with that trademark adrenaline fuelled sound. Galloping drums from Ben Alexander provide the backbone with flavours of “Master Of Puppets” era Metallica in a surprisingly catchy chorus, a spellbinding tasteful solo a touch of class. That is followed by a second face melting one as the band get wilder towards the end, proving that they have a deep understanding of the genre they call their own. The themes of war in the lyrical narrative well balanced by the vocal performance from Ryan Darling, his barked approach very much in keeping with the genre.

An atmospheric introduction to title track “Fit for the Dead” takes us back to “Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?” era Megadeth with an introspective lyrical narrative during a ripping sonic assault. The slowdown for a melodic break is a nice touch and the rise back via another killer solo is impressive, confirming that time spent in the rehearsal space refining and redefining these songs has been time very well spent. There is a verve and swagger to the riffage of “Age of Industrial” that makes it seriously infectious as Darling gives us a history lesson that may also serve as a warning of the shape of things to come in the age of enslavement to the machine. This snarled vocals are as convincing as the driving rhythms as the band create music fit for headbanging. It has to be said that the old school qualities of the musicianship give the record the instant appeal of a cold beer on a scorching hot summers day. There is nothing cheesy or cliche about the record at all, it genuinely sounds timeless without sounding dated.

Arguably one of the most thought provoking tracks on the album is “Cryptocracy” as Darling paints a picture of a place where hitmen take out those who would oppose the Cryptocurrency backers. While it stands alone as its own entity, the lyrical narrative of this one has a continuity with early offerings in the Thrash genre as old school conspiracy theories of oppression and control from the government meet the modern day. Sonically the track is an a pile driver of a tune with well worked tempo shifts and groove laden guitars, the early spoken word part a distant memory by the time the neck snapping finale takes place. The second instrumental is “Rainfall“, which has a wonderful almost melancholic quality to it as the guitars play out to the sound of the rain. A well placed moment to breathe like this one usually gives the cut that follows it the opportunity to make a bigger impact and that is very much the case here.

The bell tolls as guest vocalist Hannah Law joins for “Radio Mercy“, her dulcet tones over clean guitars giving the feel of PJ Harvey singing something by Alice In Chains. Her vocals soar in the mid section and a flaming guitar solo provides a moment of impact that lasts until the final note. A powerful and intense tune, it is one from which a number of nuances rise out of the mix over multiple listens which are not to be missed. Bringing the bloodstained curtain down on this collection in fine fashion “Siege Eternal” is another all out Thrash attack with a meandering solo at its black beating heart. The acoustic finale is wonderful spellbinding touch that feels like the warmth of a hot cup of coffee on a cold winters morning. Sure there are things here that you will have heard else where before but Mount Slatra do what they do so well that no one actually cares [8/10]

Track Listing

1. Dharmata (Instrumental)
2. 5×5
3. Fit for the Dead
4. Age of Industrial
5. Cryptocracy
6. Rainfall (Instrumental)
7. Radio Mercy (ft. Hannah Law)
8. Siege Eternal

“Fit for the Dead” by Mount Slatra is out 9th September 2026 via Witches Brew Records and is available over at bandcamp