Happy Slayer Day. In celebration on this most unholy of days I present you with something that I think a lot of people will fall in love with. For me, this album is a time capsule and a lost classic. It is a technical thrash album that combines the best parts of Megadeth with the best parts of Atheist or Death. Aspid’s Extravasation original release was limited, being confined to tape and vinyl. Being a few years late of the thrash boom and with this as their only output, their relevance never left Mother Russia. Fortunately for us, the rerelease of their album isn’t too hard to find online. I bought my copy immediately.

The album resembles thrash at its peak in creativity. The production is thick and old school, but not dated. Like film, the old recording techniques sacrifice clarity for warmth. After a cool synth intro, It Came (Aspid) rattles into my speakers. The tech riffage and outstanding bass work hits a sweet spot that only the best prog metal bands can. If you enjoyed Vektor’s Black Future or want something similar in a more old school setting, then this get your head banging and your mystical metal grapefruit squeezers squeezing. The riffage is tight. The attention to detail is immense. The musicality of the songwriting is fantastic. There is not a single solo for the sake of one or a riff out of place. Songwriting this good in thrash can only be found every once in a while and it is important to make note of it when it is there.

The next song is one of the best thrash metal songs I’ve ever heard: Towards One Goal. This song deceivingly starts off on a somber and slow note. That is before a wailing scream causes my tiny little thrash balls to crawl up into my stomach. The speed that these guys are going is unworldly. There is no reason why anybody should play this tight and this fast, but they do it. The drumming here is phenomenal. Tons of double bass and thick natural snare hits mixed with intricate cymbal work. God dammit son musical passages out the ass. Perfect song.

Vitaliy Hlopov does a great job as frontman of this unique band. His vocals come off in a similar snake bite way that Chuck Schuldiner popularized. His delivery has plenty of passion and range, which comes off even cooler since he is singing in Russian. It isn’t hard to see why a 1992 technical space thrash album sung in Russian wasn’t the most popular thing at the time.

But there is more to be had here! Give Me (Play for a Ballet) is a midpaced rocker that sounds like an earlier Sound of Perseverance. Where the Night starts off with an intricate bassline and proving to be the most technical song on the album. If you are like me love intricate guitar playing but are unimpressed with the soulless tech death movement then this will rock your anus like the best of them. The album’s last shining moment is the instrumental Extravasation, which works out as if Dream Theater wrote The Call of Ktulu.

Ultimately that is who I recommend this for, the people that have the Cynic demos or Unquestionable Presence on vinyl. Many may even find traces of Voivod. In the end, they sound like none and all of these bands. This album is not a classic, but we can make it one. This is a great record and one that I believe stands up to anything released then or released now. If you would care for more crunchberries in your Captain Thrash Crunch cereal then I suggest that you take a listen to Aspid’s Extravasation right away.