Fastkill

Japan thrash lords Fastkill are known for one thing: playing really, really fast. While many acts approach metal with an eye towards innovation, nuance and a way to create a sound they can call their own, Fastkill take an orthodox approach to metal: if you're going to make heavy music, you'd better make thrash so fast you can imagine fingers falling off at the end of a set. These guys will remind you why it's called "shredding," as the band blast through 11 tracks of mania without missing a note. While the music is thrash any purist will approve of, the vocals ― a screech that approaches a poodle's yelp at the best of times ― might disconcert some. But from an album that proclaims its bestial tendencies in its title, what else can you expect? Bestial Thrashing Bulldozer is as insane as the name suggests. It also features cover-art of a partying skeleton joy-riding a tank while simultaneously holding a bazooka and beer. That pretty much sums up Fastkill: falling somewhere between Slayer-grade evil and The Simpsons-like hyperbole.