Gloom Factory

After the grunge/Seattle/Nirvana/Pearl Jam upheaval of the early '90s, many of the metal and hard rock bands that were formed in the '80s suddenly found themselves being described as dated or old-school; that was true of pop-metal hair bands as well as power metal acts. But many of the thrash metal outfits that emerged in the '80s have had an easier time remaining relevant in a post-Nevermind world, and that can be attributed to their strong punk influence. A healthy appreciation of both metal and punk is the thing that links Anthrax, Metallica, Megadeth, Exodus, Vio-lence, and Slayer to grunge; it's the thing those bands have in common with alternative metal favorites like Slipknot, Korn, Godsmack, and System of a Down. And for Tearabyte, thrash is a way to worship the '80s without sounding totally stuck in the '80s. Although Tearabyte wasn't formed until 1998, their approach is reminiscent of thrash's '80s heyday; Gloom Factory sounds like the work of a band that lives and breathes Exodus, Anthrax, Megadeth, and early Testament. Gloom Factory isn't the least bit groundbreaking, but the performances are inspired, focused, passionate, and gutsy — and by 2004 standards, Tearabyte's thrash worship doesn't sound nearly as dated as an album of pop-metal hair-band worship would sound. Never let it be said that Tearabyte, for all their dark lyrics, lacks a sense of humor; on Gloom Factory, 42 minutes of new studio material are followed by a half-hour of bonus live performances that include, all of things, several thrash interpretations of Christmas songs. Gloom Factory doesn't pretend to reinvent metal's wheel, but for die-hard thrash addicts, this 72-minute CD paints an enjoyable, if derivative, picture of the hard-rocking Tearabyte.