Stop Believing Lies
Witches Brew
Mosh Pit Justice’s label Witches Brew was founded by a fan who was dedicated to flying the flag of classic thrash. The German based independent label has been active since 2002 when its founders acquired a near overwhelming amount of demos from promising new bands. Operating on social media and an official website, it has become well known to previously unsigned bands including Mosh Pit Justice who independently released their debut EP The Serpent in 2012 and their subsequent full lengths Mosh-Pit Justice and Justice Is Served on smaller indie labels. The band is distributing copies of their current full length through Witches Brew, of the seven hundred copies printed for release in October 2016. The cover art (the Bandcamp link I have doesn’t indicate the artist) is reminiscent of cover art that adorned albums by D.R.I. and Cryptic Slaughter for its cartoonish quality and its sociopolitical theme. In musical terms the CD mixes Bay Area thrash and classic power metal, and these two major influences are arranged to help the genre retain its appeal thirty years down the road. This is apparent from the opening riffs of Burn To Live; this song starts with a crunching riff leading to a frenetic pace, underscored by Iron Maiden-like lead harmonies, classical tinged lead harmonies and melodic vocals. While the thrash elements dominate the band’s material, the subtlety of the lead harmonies endow it with texture that surpasses their restrained addition. Think of old Testament and Forbidden with old Armored Saint and Queensryche, and there’s your introductory idea. The band’s skillfulness at writing catchy riffs makes the material impelling and difficult to ignore. Left For Dead would be a favorite for the classical guitar it begins with. As 2016 draws to a close it’s good to hear an album that can qualify as one of the year’s best. -Dave Wolff
Track list:
1. Burn To Live
2. To Hear My Name
3. Rest In Flames
4. Till Death
5. Mosh-Pit Justice
6. Left For Dead
7. Stop Believing Lies
8. The Battle Within
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