There are plenty of bands called Ravenous, but this is the Austrian thrash outfit that released an album in 1991. The band were active from 1988 to 1994 and then called it a day—until 2014, when they restarted. Only now, though, are they finally putting something out, and it is called “The Fourth Decade”. From the original line-up, only vocalist-guitarist Jochen Kugelbauer remains. So we’re dealing with yet another of those bands that kicked off in the ’80s, went nowhere at the time, and are now having another go decades later.
Has the wait been worth it? Not really. Ravenous serve up standard thrash metal that we’ve heard done better a thousand times. To be fair, “The Fourth Decade” does pack plenty of tough riffs—there’s something to latch onto—and the production hits hard. But I just can’t get on with Jochen Kugelbauer’s vocals: they’re brash and one-note. The band do occasionally try interesting things—there’s even a bit of piano on one track—but for the most part this sounds like by-the-numbers thrash churned out in bulk.
Released September 26th, 2025 on Iron Shield Records.
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