Sweden is on a real tear lately when it comes to young bands playing thrash metal. The lads in Hostilia are between eighteen and twenty-two, which means the youngest was only fourteen when they started the band. That’s fun—and a bit odd to think about, because this is more or less the exact kind of music we were playing when I was a teenager in the ’90s. If, back then, we’d played music whose heyday was forty years earlier, we’d have been bashing out Little Richard, Doris Day, and Bill Haley & His Comets.
Times change, and it may also suggest that thrash metal has stood the test of time, since new generations play the style without it feeling outdated. Hostilia do a fine job on their debut album, “Face the Fire”. It sounds tough, the band have loads of strong riffs, there’s real dynamism, and the vocals are varied and solid. I’m also impressed by the production, which feels organic. So hats off to Hostilia on a cracking debut.
Released October 24th, 2025 on Hammerheart Records.
About The Author
