TERMINALIST: Danish-American Thrash Metal Quartet Releases Second Album, The Crisis As Condition, Out Today On Indisciplinarian

photos by Theis Wilmer Poulsen

Danish-American hyperthrash metal band TERMINALIST today releases their second album, the fiercely aggressive, complex, and rather pessimistic collection of songs titled The Crisis As Condition.

Singer, guitarist, and lyricist Emil Hansen states on the release of the album, “For the last couple of years, we’ve seen our world turn for the worse. Whether we’re talking climate, war, inequality, or the pandemic, the state of crisis embroils us with our societies seemingly unequipped to deal fundamentally with these issues. We hope this record will spark some thought and provide an outlet for some. Maybe the connection through music and art is what we truly have left in these dire times.”

It is a weighty and complex theme that TERMINALIST takes up on The Crisis As Condition. Rooted in 1980s technical thrash metal, on The Crisis As Condition, here the band updates the socio-political criticism known from the genre’s heyday in the late-1980s and early-1990s—a time that was also characterized by political upheaval, yet marked by a belief in better times ahead. The optimism of earlier times and faith in progress have been replaced by a bleak and pessimistic realism. Transformation turns to turmoil; the state of emergency is the new normal.

Where TERMINALIST’s 2021 debut album, The Great Acceleration, was a commentary on the (future) space race and the inherently destructive side of technology, The Crisis As Condition is a simultaneously detached and impassioned look at the present. Science fiction fantasies have been shelved in favor of a fierce analysis and castigation of contemporary crisis-ridden society. This is expressed through hard-hitting and dynamic music rich in detail that has its basis in thrash metal, but which draws parallels to progressive metal and black metal with its intricate rhythms and ambitious songwriting, the work of guitarist/vocalist Emil Hansen, guitarist Morten R. Bruun, drummer Frederik Amris, and bassist/backing vocalist Kalle Tiihonen.

Just as on their debut album, TERMINALIST teamed up with producer Lasse Ballade, The Crisis As Condition recorded and mixed at Ballade Studios in Copenhagen and mastered by V. Santura (Triptykon, Dark Fortress) at Woodshed Studios in Germany. Also, the same as the first album, British painter Ryan T. Hancock is again responsible for the unique artwork, and photography is handled by Theis Wilmer Poulsen.

TERMINALIST’s The Crisis As Condition is now streaming everywhere; find all links at THIS LOCATION. Also watch the “Mutating Fractures” video HERE and the title track’s video HERE.

 The Crisis As Condition is also pressed on LP – gatefold with 100 on Orange Vinyl and 300 on Black Vinyl – as well as CD and CS all available at the Indisciplinarian webshop HERE.

Following a run of Spring of shows with Hatesphere and having recently supported sci-fi metal legends Voivod, TERMINALIST will play its release show at Loppen, Christiania tonight with support from power Exelerate. Additional live excursions are to be expected over the weeks ahead.

TERMINALIST Live:
9/08/2023 Loppen – Copenhagen, DK *Release show w/ Exelerate [tickets]

“As one might imagine, The Crisis As Condition is teeming with high-impact and high-velocity everything. The drumming careens along at stunt car pace, but happily grooves deep in the pocket. The guitars never shy away from testing the limits of human forearm capacity… but where TERMINALIST really shine is in how Morten Bruun and Emil Hansen attach white-hot, flash-bang soloing to all corners of the compositions.” – Decibel Magazine

“Dubbing themselves ‘hyperthrash’, Danish band TERMINALIST injects a progressive mindset in their style – incorporating elements across the heavy/extreme genres from black to melodic influences. Their second album The Crisis As Condition has quite an adventurous outlook on both the lyrical and musical fronts – plenty of tasty riffs, interplay movements, and this overall sense of advanced skill sets that you rarely hear in this genre.” – Dead Rhetoric

“Whereas their debut album was a commentary on the future space race and the inherently destructive side of technology, this new offering is a detached and impassioned look at the present, with a fierce analysis of a crisis ridden society. The songs are ambitious, and the rhythms intricate, with middle songs ‘Last Remains’ and my personal favourite, ‘Frenetic Standstill’ showcasing their technical thrash roots mixed with black metal to create their own unique sound.” – The Razor’s Edge

“TERMINALIST live up to their self-described ‘hyperthrash’ label on their second album The Crisis As Condition. They’re technically proficient and expansive, evident by their eagerness to take their songs down narrow chutes and through wormholes. For me, this approach has always been the best for thrash metal because it keeps the genre’s griminess while improving the framework beyond its original iterations.” – Invisible Oranges

“TERMINALIST continue to impress both looking forward to a bleak future they’ve painted black on this record and when looking back to their past works which now feel more complete with this new companion in hand. There are somehow a dozen choices of thrash metal releases this month for the avid fan to dig through and I’d say this is one of the more worthy in terms of enthusiasm, a professional result, and a spirited theme to match the dogged attack of their work. A high recommendation.” – Grizzly Butts

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