Angry Metal Guy<p><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/black-talon-scenes-of-agony-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Black Talon – Scenes of Agony Review</a></p><p><i>By Kenstrosity</i></p><p>The thrash revival scene is alive and well, for better or worse. I don’t have a horse in the “for better or worse” race, but any thrash, newe or olde, hits hard when it strikes true. A big part of that impact comes from the spirit of thrash at its core. An inherent political lean and a pointed, punk energy defines much of what makes thrash thrash—to oversimplify the scene—and also makes up a significant portion of its appeal. For Edinburgh’s <strong>Black Talon</strong>, that spirit thrives and that appeal remains intact, despite ten long years separating their upcoming <em>Scenes of Agony</em> from their unsung debut, <a href="https://blacktalonthrash.bandcamp.com/album/endless-realities" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Endless Realities</em></a>. With such a lengthy turnaround between albums, I’m interested to hear what <strong>Black Talon</strong> have to say in 2025.</p><p>If you’ve heard <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/havok-v-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Havok</strong></a> and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/municipal-waste-slime-and-punishment-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Municipal Waste</strong></a>, you possess a decent frame of reference for <strong>Black Talon</strong>’s sound. Throw in the particularly energetic wiles of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/death-angel-humanicide-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Death Angel</strong></a> and their ilk, and a greater sense of familiarity with this material manifests. Politics and current events remain <strong>Black Talon</strong>’s subject of choice. To that end, earnest, if wholly unsubtle, lyrics deliver their message of frustration and disdain for various modern-age issues sneering from Johnny Steele’s versatile and venomous throat. Guitarist Rory Strachan stuffs an intimidating number of high-octane riffs, pulling from all corners of the thrashverse, into these forty-seven minutes, while drummer Dave Taylor pummels D-beats, freakouts, and double-bass runs—among other neat tricks—with wild abandon. Plucky and audible, bassist Eddie Campbell allots a delightful measure of low-end bounce to <em>Scenes of Agony</em>, giving the record a fuller heft than many modern records of this ilk can claim.</p><p></p><p>The style they play may be well-worn and reliable, but <strong>Black Talon</strong>’s execution on <em>Scenes of Agony</em> is rock-solid and at least a cut above stock. No matter where you look, a ridiculously effective hook lurks right around the corner. One of my favorite examples, “Falsifier” offers choice vocal nuggets such as “STAGES OF DENIAL AT YOUR DISCRETION,” bouncy riffing and a deeply satisfying double bass run to seal the song permanently inside my hippocampus. Quick and vicious cuts “Scenes of Agony,” “Cryptocracy,” and “Killing Time” offer similar sticky moments that make it easy to pick them out of a lineup without checking the tracklist. Unexpectedly, long-form troublemakers “Isolation” and “The Bastard Gene” also stand out as highlights by virtue of sheer vivacity. Even factoring in their somewhat lengthy buildups, these songs shrink before my ears so radically that I would never guess “Isolation” ran over nine minutes and “The Bastard Gene” barely under eight. To achieve this result, these numbers exhibit strong motifs of similar sharpness to their leaner companions, a high level of instrumental detail, and dynamic momentum.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, other sections of <em>Scenes of Agony</em> struggle to clear the high bar <strong>Black Talon</strong> set with their strongest material. Obviously, ten years of marinating time permitted even these cuts to make some marks, but offerings such as “Obnoxion” and closer “Not Meant to Last” don’t have the same staying power as others. In the former example, I struggle to grasp what the underlying message its lyrics mean to express. While it might be just a comprehension failure on my part (very likely), this confusion takes me out of the musical experience, as does the disorienting rapid fade that rudely shuts the number down. “Not Meant to Last,” on the flipside, simply lacks strong characteristics to magnify its voice in the greater crowd of engaging material preceding it, save for a very nice guitar solo. As a result, it sends <em>Scenes of Agony</em> off on a weaker note than it deserved. As an additional note, while I appreciate <strong>Black Talon</strong>’s focus on excellent riffcraft and muscular songwriting, developing fiery solo work, like that on “The Bastard Gene” and “Not Meant to Last,” into a few more nooks and crannies might’ve offered complementary points interest to an already compelling work.</p><p>It bears mentioning that <em>Scenes of Agony</em> sounds great regardless of its songwriting strengths and weaknesses. Full tones, rich textures, and a nice balance between instruments with Johnny’s vocals placed appropriately in front, this production strikes the right chord with this sponge. In effect, that’s what pushes <em>Scenes of Agony</em> past Good and into Very Good territory. It’s clear <strong>Black Talon</strong> loved making this record, and that care and passion for the craft comes through in the final product. A couple of nicks here and there aren’t nearly enough to dull the ear-catching luster of what might be one of the better modern thrash records to come out this year. Only time will tell!</p> <p><strong>Rating:</strong> Very Good<br><strong>DR:</strong> 9 | <strong>Format Reviewed:</strong> 320 kb/s mp3<br><strong>Label:</strong> Self Release<br><strong>Websites:</strong> <a href="http://blacktalonthrash.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">blacktalonthrash.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="http://facebook.com/blacktalonthrash" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/blacktalonthrash</a><br><strong>Releases Worldwide:</strong> January 31st, 2025</p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/35/" target="_blank">#35</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-talon/" target="_blank">#BlackTalon</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/british-metal/" target="_blank">#BritishMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-angel/" target="_blank">#DeathAngel</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/havok/" target="_blank">#Havok</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/jan25/" target="_blank">#Jan25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/municipal-waste/" target="_blank">#MunicipalWaste</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/scenes-of-agony/" target="_blank">#ScenesOfAgony</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/self-release/" target="_blank">#SelfRelease</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/thrash-metal/" target="_blank">#ThrashMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/uk/" target="_blank">#UK</a></p>