A short album review written for Areadeath Productions’ release of Tumourboy’s 2018 EP "Condemned to Extinction." Tumorboy is an underground thrash metal outfit that hails from Beijing. Posted on Unite Asia, a quintessential source for everything and anything to do with the Asian underground music scenes, the target audience for this review was music enthusiasts and consumers.
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Usually the thank you section in an album’s booklet only lists family and friends who in some way contributed to the production of the album or who are always supportive, but, in Tumorboy’s 2018 release on AreaDeath Productions, Vocalist/ Rhythm Guitarist Jiashu “Nighthunter” finishes with “永远忠于地下音乐DIY or DIE! (Always be loyal to underground music DIY or DIE!).” From the intro narrated by Payton Fu about a dystopic world that only TumourBoy can survive in, to the cover of “Scarface (Push It to the Limit),” this DIY or DIE attitude is blatantly expressed on Condemned to Extinction in nicely packaged 2-4 minute intervals of euphonious blitzkrieg.
Instrumentally, the overall composition of Condemned to Extinction is a makeshift thrash opus hailing from the same camp of contemporary thrashers Vektor, Hexen and Municipal Waste. Lyrical themes run from physical and psychological assault to political dystopia. The musicianship on Condemned to Extinction is highly polished with Fuwen “Blitzreister” ’s dexterity prominently showcased in meticulously derived solos—that you find yourself instinctively playing air guitar to— to “After Earthquake,” an instrumental reminiscent of Morbid Angel circa 1990s.
As is stated in “Fatal Extermination,” “Nothing can stop this…merciless attack,” and nothing can stop TumourBoy’s modern thrash attack. From its archetypal song progress to a quintessential screw you, let’s rage! feel, TumourBoy’s Condemned to Extinction is a modern thrash maniac’s wet dream.