REVIEW - Vindicator: Whispers of Death (thrash from Ohio, USA)

Vindicator

Whispers of Death

22 August 2025

Crazy, man. Metal Archives shows that there are at least five bands named Vindicator. Therefore, to make things clearer, this is the Vindicator from Ohio, from South Amherst in the state of Ohio, in the United States. Anyway, Metal Archives does show that all the other bands named Vindicator are now split up, so that helps. There is only one left standing! You're looking at 'em, kid.

This album lives by riff. Vindicator's guitar riffs are a hot cauldron of intensity, skill and bang-your-head rifforama. Sharp and fast, this is what thrash fans want in guitar playing. The guitar solos leap out from many places, trying to grab your attention, trying to convince you, and I am convinced.

Besides the speed and shredding, there are good melodies. Granted, Vindicator is not a melodic band, but I am telling you that there are melodies, you just have to listen more attentively to notice them. This is thrash metal, so the melodies are created with guitars, not with keyboards, synths, or samples. Also, it’s a little more work to notice the melodies when you're getting excited by fast rhythms and dazzling velocities. For example, "Bleed Between the Lines" has some real heavy metal/rock-and-roll melodies that you can't miss. They even slow down the speed a little to help you hear those melodies better before speeding up again.

Don't forget the drumming. Nobody told this drummer to take it easy, so he doesn’t. This is the beat that's going to take you straight down to the mosh pit. There are lots of little things going on with the drums for listeners to be entertained. I would like the bass guitar to be more active and a bit louder in the mix, but I definitely hear it on this album. Sometimes, like during the less frenetic passages, the bass lines really work well for filling out the sound. The vocals for Vindicator are probably closer to black or death metal than to typical thrash. In reality, Vindicator's music fits well with the black thrash style. Of course, it also pairs nicely with classic thrash.

I don't have the lyrics, but I think I hear some potty-mouth moments; therefore, if you’re driving on the freeway taking your kids to the soccer game, this band might not be appropriate due to the cursing (if I am not mistaken about hearing it here). The bottom line is that if you have a metal band, you want people to listen to your music. Thus, it's not wise to shoot yourself in the foot by limiting who listens to your music, limiting your audience. Things are already hard enough for metal bands, with no radio airplay and with the negative stereotypes (at school, church, work, and other places) about metal bands and fans.

Let me ask this: If a band takes out the bad words, is the thrash less intense? Does it become slower? Does the music become any less metal? No! All that metal bands have done is shut the door on potential listeners. For example, do metal musicians understand that many fans have children and have their kids in the car when they press play? So, why would metal bands shut the door on those young children potentially becoming fans of the music from an early age? Okay, so without the curse words, would the music be on television or radio? Probably not! So, what’s the point?!

This. This is the point: Metal fans grow up, have children, and want metal they can play. If the children hear it, all the better! What makes metal musicians think that an eight- or nine-year-old won't like thrash?! How do you know that?! Some kids do like fast, sharp, energetic and skilled music like Vindicator, too.

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