Weapönizer

On “Spitfire,” which opens this eponymous effort, Weapönizer sounds like some kind of early thrash band fresh from hearing Venom for the first time — or like Darkthrone, if that band had drawn even more inspiration than it did from the first wave of grindcore. But while on the surface Weapönizer evokes that mood, the guitar work is more intentionally tuneful, and the drummer’s propulsive textures make you think he might have listened to a lot of Voivod circa Dimension Hatross, particularly on songs like “Human Sewer.” Fusing the most menacing aspects of grind with the rawest end of thrash (as exemplified by “Warbastard”), these guys also end up sounding like a black-metal band with a more outwardly focused energy and expansive dynamics. The Sodom cover? Brutally, beautifully spot-on.