Towards End Rapture-Of Genius and Madmen

Towards End Rapture is a modern thrash metal trio from the black heart of the city of lights. Their sound is fast and powerful. It often reminds me of such modern thrash geniuses like Revocation and Machine Head. Yet their sound has something more, maybe its the blackness of the overall sound, or maybe it is their sheer old school death metal ferocity. The guitar work is brutally fast with plenty of cool solos. The bass work is extremely cool and it really brings the sound to a new level. Meanwhile, the drumming is fast and furious and VERY metal. Finally, the vocals, performed by every member of the band are just stellar. In other words, Towards End Rapture is an excellent modern thrash band with a sound that you won't soon forget.

The guitar playing on this record is really fun and really high powered. The rhythm parts are fast and furious, but still nothing without the bass. The overall power of the bass allows for the guitar work to play in a slightly higher register. The guitar solos are fast and high powered. I particularly like the Dragonforce feel that some of the solos have. It really brings forth another side to the music. It is truly amazing to hear this kind of variety in an otherwise typical sounding thrash metal band. And that is one of the things that makes Towards End Rapture so unique, they are willing to experiment with other genres in their music. They are not afraid to go into moody atmospheric passages which shows a whole new side to the guitar playing. To finish on the guitar playing, the sound is excellent and varied and proves a true virtuosity in his playing.

The bass work is some of the best that I have ever heard on a thrash record. The fact that this band is a trio means that the bassist must work extra hard to fill out the bands sound, and he does it gloriously. The playing is just so varied and tasty it never leaves you bored! There is a variety between crazy rhythm playing and awesome lead work. The bass is treated as a lead instrument and it rocks its role, it is one of the things that make this album so awesome. The drumming is pretty well done and reminds me a lot of the playing of Dave Lombardo. While typically straightforward and rapid the drummer knows how to let back and allow for some variety in the sound. Overall it comes across brilliantly with a true thrash metal energy combined with a more progressive flavor tied into it. Luis does not rely on his double bass all the time like many thrash drummers, instead he brings in some variety and in consequence, makes Towards End Rapture really cool.

Vocally this band is extremely interesting because of the fact that all three members share singing duties more or less equally. This means that some songs can have more of an extreme metal feel, while others might be more in a death metal vein, while others come across as “Metallica but scarier”. All of these flavors mean that the sound can be extremely varied and very interesting. It is almost an extension on the sharing of vocal duties seen in Revocation and Black Tusk. They all have their own evil energy and they all could be the primary vocals of the band. This variance in sound makes Toward End Rapture unique, and if they want to get signed they should emphasize this. Toward End Rapture has a varied sound and that is their strength. The vocals are just antoher proof of this and they show what good musicians they all are.

In conclusion, Toward End Rapture's album Of Genius and Madmen is an excellent modern thrash epic that will keep you riveted to your seat and is worth many, many play through's. Their sound is at once heavy and atmospheric and will leave you impressed. The guitar is fast and furious and has great solos, the bass playing virtuosic, and the drums, pure thrash. The vocals show off the bands sheer variety and promise great things to come for these guys. You need to check out this album, it will rip your face off!