#furihelium — Public Fediverse posts

Thrash has enjoyed a solid year thus far…Whether your poison has included the head-spinning technical fireworks of Cryptic Shift, the sprightly horns-up gallop of Kreator’s inspired latest, lean, mean death-thrash of Nuclear Tomb, hard-hitting punch of Furi Helium, or rabidly nasty old school battering of Desolus, the legendary genre where many a metalhead cut their teeth has been on a solid streak. My issue with the modern thrash scene is the lack of genuinely exciting outfits releasing standout material, especially when stacked up to other preferred genres, such as the embarrassment of riches of the current death metal scene. Arriving with their full-length debut of retro-inspired modern thrash, UK outfit Imperium unleash debut album Exodus Unknown. Does this fledgling crew contain the songwriting powers and instrumental chops to stand out from the pack?

First up, Imperium boast a pretty cool though not particularly original sound, wrapping chunky modern production values and tight performances with a very palatable, ear-friendly brand of hard rock-infused, hook-laden thrash and modern groove metal. Featuring a retro thrash charm and broad influences recalling the likes of Testament, Metallica and the groove-meets-thrash metal crunch of Pantera amongst other touchstones. Imperium place emphasis on anthemic hooks, bright melodies, chunky riffs, and lashings of more involving, thrashy speed. Opening one-two punch of “Hell and High Water” and “Exodus Unknown” whips a tasty storm of early album momentum and boundless energy. The former features an urgent pulse, earworm chorus, and impressive axe pyrotechnics, creating a punchy, infectious initial impact. Meanwhile, the title track follows suit, though takes a groovier path across a slightly drawn-out nearly six-minute thrash fest. Some questionable lyrics aside, it’s a dynamic and well-composed track, showcasing Imperium’s melodic tricks and technical chops.

Imperium keep the album length at a reasonably efficient 45 minutes, wisely not overstaying their welcome despite the fact some tactful editing may have been a welcome advantage. Leaning into their groovy tendencies and penchant for infectious choruses, and featuring the slick melodicism and solo work of lead guitarist Hardip Sagoo, the chunky “Unstoppable” and album centerpiece “The Gun” both feature their rousing, hooky moments and bouncy grooves. On the flipside, both tunes could use trimming, with ‘The Gun” in particular slogging past its welcome across an overly drawn-out eight-plus minutes. It is a recurring songwriting theme which detracts from the album’s notable strengths. Weaving more dynamic structural and tempo twists into the compositions and striking a keener balance between their heavily utilized mid-paced, groovier elements and higher-octane thrashy sections would be welcome songwriting tweaks. Unfortunately, the overcooked songwriting and extra flab on the aforementioned songs create a mid-album lull in speed and sharper songwriting efficiency.

Momentum pleasingly picks up for late album bangers “Hangman” and “Tread the Serpent,” both featuring solid riffcraft, catchy hooks and urgent, thrashier pacing. Exodus Unknown wraps in disappointingly sedate fashion courtesy of the atmospheric closing power ballad ‘The End,” concluding things with more of a whimper than the desired bang. Qualms aside, Imperium pack tons of energy, tight, quality musicianship, and solid riffs into their groove-centric, retro-tinged modern thrash, and performances are on point. The dual axe work lands more often than it misses the mark, though certain segments and riffs hit with higher potency than the more stock or pedestrian moments. Vocally, frontman Ben Porter boasts a rough-hewn melodic sneer and weathered singing voice and knows his way around a sharp vocal hook, even if occasional clunky phrasing or cliched lyric crops up. Throwing down some more aggressive, deeper growls or screams would add some extra grit and punch to the vocal attack.

Quality thrash can be hard to find and even harder for a young band to bring something fresh and intriguing to the thrash equation. Imperium bring intriguing elements and polish to an assured and confident debut. Exodus Unknown is certainly an intriguing debut which smacks of potential for Imperium to make a bigger splash in the modern thrash scene. As it stands, their remains kinks to iron out and refining of their songwriting formula, but signs are positive Imperium have the basic tools to carve an impact on the modern thrash scene.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Heavy Metal Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Official
Releases Worldwide: July 17th, 2026

The first review of the year always brings a strange sensation. After a long year of reviewing great, good, meh, and fucking terrible records, it gets even longer come November/December with list season. The amount of work increases more than ever as you write your blurbs, edit others, and constantly monitor comments by those who wrongfully disagree with you. After list season comes to an end, there’s an involuntary sigh of relief that all the work got done, and while a lot of the lists were shit, stylistically and format-wise, they looked good. But the first review of the year is a different kind of sigh. Not one of relief but one of “here we go again.” So, with my knuckles cracked and promo downloaded, I dive into Spanish thrashers, Furi Helium, and their sophomore outing, No Altar Stands Eternal.

I’m not gonna lie, I absolutely picked this promo because of the band name. Ignoring spelling and pronunciation, the thought of “furry helium” is fucking hilarious to me. As I rolled around on the floor, with kids and cats alike watching in bewildered horror, it was brought to my attention that “furi helium” can be translated to “black sun” in Latin. Fine. Take all the fun out of my life. But, after my initial spins, I came to appreciate this little gem because Furi Helium is much in the vein of Spanish brethren (and one of my favorite thrashers), Crisix.1 So, instead of imagining furry gases that give you a high-pitched voice and furballs, I’m pummeled with crushing riffs, punchy gangshouts, memorable choruses, and a bass presence deserving of better production. Which, I suppose, I can accept.

No Altar Stands Eternal by Furi Helium

Like many of the other neothrash outfits these days, the opening track, “Bloodspiller,” launches into a simplistic approach that sets the tone for the album. But it isn’t until a couple of songs later that No Altar Stands Eternal really takes off. “Criminals” introduces some nifty guitar work and a charging attitude. From there, it alternates between a galloping riff and one of the more memorable choruses on the album. At the album’s midpoint, the back-to-back “Tidal Disruption” and “Fall in Disgrace” rule the roost. While both have killer riffs throughout, what makes these songs so special is the massive bass presence. While it’s been there up to this point, it’s dialed up to eleven, and the performance is stellar. “Tidal Disruption,” in particular, is a banger. It features punchy vocals that perfectly match each drum hit, plenty of melodic At the Gates vibes, and the standout chorus on the record.

Others worth mentioning are “12 Mirrors” and the closer, “The Chronophage.” The first is up there with songs like “Tidal Disruption,” laying to waste anything in its way with a kickass thrash groove and gnarly fucking vocals. It’s a monster mash of Crisix attitude and riffs that get better as they go. The closer is the black sheep of the record, loaded with a thick layer of melodic laquer and dark, swirling atmospheres. It also gives off a lot of The Haunted vibes—growing and falling along a path of thick riffs and soothing movements—producing a near-perfect ending to this sophomore effort.

The main issues I have with No Altar Stands Eternal are that it takes a bit to get going, and the production is not worthy of the skill. While the first handful of songs are worth a listen, by the time you get to “Criminals” (the fourth track on the album), the album really begins to blossom into something special. From there, it’s nonstop satisfaction. I only bring this up because some might bail before the good stuff emerges, and that would be a terrible mistake. While the production isn’t bad, it only bothers me because the nooks and crannies are what I’m most interested in. Whenever the bass controls a song’s flow, it feels dialed up to accommodate it. Otherwise, it sits comfortably in the background. With a dynamic master that can breathe and throb with all the intricacies throughout, we might experience the bass and other subtleties as intended. So, someone sign these sons of bitches and give them money for a higher-quality product. All that to say, I really enjoy this record and shall be jamming to it for months to come.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: furihelium.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/furihelium
Releases Worldwide: January 22nd, 2026

FURI HELIUM (Catalunya) presenta nou àlbum: "No Altar Stands Eternal" #FuriHelium #ThrashMetal #Gener2026 #Catalunya #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic