This is the first review I’ve written in over a month, the biggest break I’ve taken ever in my going on eight-year writing career (if you wanna call it that). So fitting then that my return and first review of 2025 is for one of my favorite new bands, Spain’s RetadoR, ripping thrashers who must’ve time machined their way from the past with how they channel the classic thrash metal sound and sensibilities (and fashion – look at those jackets).
After being so enthralled with their first self-titled album, it was only right that I frothed for more in feral and wild anticipation of another challenger (that’s what ‘retador’ translates to from Spanish). Two-ish years later was all it took for Earëndel to drop, named after the most distant known star to our world, or a Norse/Germanic mythological figure whose name can mean ‘morning star’ or ‘rising star’, both play well to the starry, spacy theme of the album cover which might as well depict you, the listener, on a voyage after being catapulted by this album’s raw energy. Ready?
I’ll be upfront – Earëndel isn’t doing anything you haven’t heard before, but it is being exact and precise in how it retreads hallowed metal ground. Many compare them to old Kreator or Sepultura and while I haven’t listened to either band enough to wholeheartedly agree (I know), I do get the point. Songs like “Somos Eternos”, “Asesino”, and “Terror en la Noche” are riotous time capsules from a time long gone, though bygone are the gimmicks in favor of true-blue thrash. This is real dyed-in-the-wool shit with gang vocals, wailing guitar solos, and riffs to crunch on like chicken bones.
“Lux Ferre” is another track that deserves mention. Being the longest track of the album entrenched in the middle of the list is a hard thing to pull off – you generally wanna start or end on your longest material for better effect. It’s a fundamentally melodic track though, beset with the foundation of a nice single and the band made it so – good choice. Plus, it’s only 5:30 which isn’t that long compared to other tracks and thanks to the gritty momentum of thrash, you’re never just waiting for something cool to happen between the throaty vocals about rebellion and awesome guitar leads.
See?
Another of the bolder moves on Earëndel is how the sole atmospheric, instrumental track is at the tail end. “Abismo 52” is expansive, wide open – a derelict void tingling with electronic resonance and an eerie feeling you can’t shake (‘abismo’ means abyss, so hell yeah, on point). It being at the end of a thrash album is implicative of its story and themes, a tight bow on the space theme that’s less an afterthought or something to check off a list and more a cliffhanger. “La Sombra de tu Existir” is another surprise that has some delightful melodeath riffing that’s reminiscent of stuff I was hearing almost twenty years ago, showing RetadoR‘s willingness to color outside the lines a bit even with a neatly defined genre like thrash. It won’t blow your mind, but it will make your nod your head in a slightly different way.
Earëndel is the sophomore album of RetadoR and I can’t help but notice a slight slump with it overall compared to their door-blasting debut that hook-fucked my ears off my head. The first LP was more immediately likable, more chock-full of blazing melodies and writing, and the first half of it just never quit. Earëndel spreads it out more throughout the album, but to the point where it feels a little on the thin side comparatively. What makes up for it some is the harder dedication to atmosphere and variation in approach to their sound, however slight it may be.
Still, it’s easy to recommend this album to those looking for a firecracker pop of a way to lead off your new year. The songs rip and in different ways – there’s genuinely a lot to like on here if you’re a diehard thrasher or just someone looking for high energy (hint hint to all you new year’s resolution gym rats). I can’t find a single weak moment among Earëndel‘s track list, only moments where I wish the band would have pushed a bit deeper and further to best their past work. They say the third time’s the charm though – they’re still one of the best underground thrash bands out there.
