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Thrillhammer is a short lived band of legend. Madness and pure energy followed the fellows (who would later form Hazel, Pond and Rotor) whereever they went ultimately resulting in the bands untimely demise. In 1992 Rough Trade in Germany posthumously issued the bands only release Giftless. Produced by Steve Albini the record is a document of Thrillhammer's vibrant power and strength. Cavity Search is pleased to be reissuing Thrillhammer'sGiftless in the digital domain for the first time.
Thrillhammer was formed in 1990 in Portland Oregon by David Triebwasser (Pond) on drums, Pete Krebs (Hazel) guitar and vocals, and Ben Munat (Rotor) on bass. The band managed a few one off shows in Seattle, Olympia and Portland and a short west coast tour rife with cops, guns, false charges of kidnapping, beatings by drug crazed maniacs, and high profile shows with the likes of Nirvana, Steel Pole Bathtub, Flipper and Urge Overkill. The band returned home and called it quits.
The record itself consists of the sort of energy you might expect after hearing such stories. It is fast, tight, melodic, and chock full of youthful angst. Krebs growls and spits with a ferocity unlike any other. On stand outs such as "Happy Anniversary", "Dread" and "Alice's Palace" Kreb's wears his heart break on his sleeve and pours his bloody guts on to the floor in front of the girl who crushed him. This is pure unadulterated North West melodic punk from 1990, through the tight stops and starts one can almost taste the rain and smell the moss. Skillfully disguised in the heavy riffs and pounding rhythms are well crafted pop songs. These stick in the ear like gum to hot sidewalk. The albums closer "Bride" gives the best glimpse of the future work of Thrillhammer's members starting sweet and quiet. The track of course eventually explodes - just too much energy and pain to contain itself. Throughout the record the progressions and song structure defy the insanity of Thrillhammer's legend, the age of the band members, and the age of the band itself. It is indeed no wonder the band sprouted so many popular projects from its corpse.
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