If you get the chorus to the Bad Religion song stuck in your head when reading that band name, rest assured: you are not the only one. There isn’t any melodic hardcore on Struck a Nerve’s debut album, however. In fact, there isn’t much punk at all. Instead, the British newcomers focus on a type of thrash metal that is brimming with aggression, and which is pretty much the perfect balance between old school riffing and contemporary tightness. There is a nice bite to their self-titled debut album that many thrash metal bands could learn a lesson or two from.

Songwriting-wise, Struck a Nerve brings to mind the thrash bands that debuted in the very early nineties, especially on the east coast of the United States. There is a blunt aggression to the riff work and Aarran Tucker’s voice, and a majority of the riffs is very chord-based, though most songs have their fair share of Bay Area-inspired sections as well. The most straightforward songs, such as the strong opening track ‘Nocturnal Terror’, are somewhat reminiscent of the earliest post-reunion Destruction work. All in all, a nice amalgamation of aggressive thrash styles that doesn’t sound too much like one specific scene.

One thing Struck a Nerve is really good at, certainly better than most of their peers, is injecting their songs with a certain atmosphere that makes them stand out without deviating too much from their core sound. The clean guitars and just a splash of melody give the fantastic closer ‘Leviathan Wings’ an incredibly eerie atmosphere, making it one of the most memorable tracks on the album. ‘Struck a Nerve’ is a hyper-aggressive track that suddenly opens up for guitar harmonies that don’t necessarily sound all that melodic, while slowing down just a tad makes ‘Inside the Torture Fortress’ appropriately ominous.

Moments like these also help the more direct, in-your-face rippers stand out. To be fair, though, there is a surprising amount of variation among those as well. ‘Moon Sniper’ effortlessly alternates between Slayer-esque and subtly melodic modern thrash, ‘Parade of Violence’ sounds like something Warbringer could have done early on, ‘The Knife Scrapes the Bone’ annihilates everything in its way, and ‘Raining Death’ is a fun thrasher that is as catchy as it is aggressive. Struck a Nerve also wisely avoided the biggest pitfall of a thrash album this aggressive by making it just over half an hour long.

Everything anyone could want from a thrash metal record that is high on aggression, ‘Struck a Nerve‘ offers in spades. Christopher Williams’ drumming is nice and tight, Nathan Sadd and Lexell Altaïr Garrido both throw around awesome riffs as well as fiery solos as if their lives depend on it, and singer/bassist Aarran Tucker’s bark is the right level of blunt. Genuinely an impressive debut album in a time when those are fairly hard to come by in the thrash metal scene. Hopefully this is the start of a great career. Thrash metal is in dire need of new heroes.

Recommended tracks: ‘Leviathan Wings’, ‘Inside the Torture Fortress’, ‘Moon Sniper’