Alpha Warhead – Code Red

I’ve never heard of Margem Sul before. Initially, I assumed it was some sort of Lord of the Rings reference, but it turns out to be much closer to Lisbon than Mordor. It’s definitely in Portugal. Am I starting my latest review with a breakdown of my own confused holiday plans? I wish, because the hometown of Alpha Warhead – the aforementioned Margem Sul – seems quite lovely. No, no one is leaving anywhere, in fact, we are welcoming a new addition to the Thrash Metal family today.

Alpha Warhead – an unnecessarily aggressive name for someone accustomed to the beauty of the Portuguese coast – were formed back in 2019 and has spent 5 years playing the local scene, as well as working on their debut album, Code Red. 5 years is fairly long and we should be allowed to expect these hairy dudes to hit the ground running. I want fire and flames, like I always do, so let’s get this show on the road.

Code Red is a bit of a unicorn, and to explain what I mean, we need to take a little stroll down Thrash Metal alley. Thrash Metal has always – more than any other sub-genre of metal – been associated with tight and chugging riffs. “Associated” is way too mild of a word. Tight riffing is what Thrash is built on. Every fan loves debating who the real “Riffmeister” is, no one really gives a shit about Lars and Lombardo. It’s either Hetfield, Holt, Hanneman or Ian. Fine, I’ll throw Mustaine in there for the Mega-fans. My point is that even the lead guitarists are playing second fiddle in Thrash, and that’s fairly rare for Metal.

Code Red – and by extension Alpha Warhead – is a unicorn because whilst present, riffs do not lead the dance. In fact, the riffing on this album seems purposefully loose. This is clearly not down to a lack of ability as proven by the tight and soaring solos, but rather a conscious choice. Instead of the accustomed guitar-mania, Code Red presents Thrash that is spearheaded by frantic drumming and rumbling basslines that grabs you by the stones.

This all starts on the title track “Code Red” (the second song of the album, which comes after a 2-minute opener), but this is clearly the track that reminds us the most of The Big Four. There’s a hefty dose of both Slayer and Metallica in here, supplemented by Testament and Sodom. And from here on out, those first two gradually fade into oblivion as the Teutonic Thrash inspiration rears its beautiful head, coupled with tasteful injections of Crossover.

“Fuel to the Fire” is a moment of ecstasy where nasty groove very much reminiscent of Testament at their best is front-and-centre. Then comes the perfect follow-up in the form of “Thunder and Lightning”, a song that truly doubles down on both groove and Crossover, becoming a disgusting anthem that you’ll keep shouting spontaneously for the next few days. Then comes the big one.

Track number 5, “Apollyon”, is the sort of song that I can imagine having the same effect on a 15-year old in 2024, as any early Metallica song had on teenagers when that was released. Sure, Metallica had wind in their sales that these guys don’t have, but “Apollyon” is the sort of song that will make you a fan. It’s that good. You need to hear it for yourself to believe it (and it might require more than one spin), but this is Avant-Thrash that takes you on an otherworldly gallop through hell and should be worth the price of the album alone.

From “Apollyon”, we get three more tracks that all vary in inspiration but not at all in quality. There’s classical Thrash and Crossover with small doses of Pantera-inspired breakdowns and the resultant chaos is beautiful. These guys truly do controlled chaos better than most.

And after 8 tracks, we’re sadly done. I say sadly, because I could listen to this forever. Code Red is an instant classic and has already become one of my favorite Thrash records of all time. Yes, of all time. I love Exodus, Metallica, Testament and Suicidal Tendencies (just to mention the tip of the iceberg), and now I love Alpha Warhead just the same. You need to check this band out and you need to do it now!

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