“Get in the van,” as Henry Rollins once said. But this van’s a little different – a speeding and thrashing death-wagon that will stop for no one and nothing. Murder Van are a trio out of Atlanta, borne out of a friendship that dates back to 1993 – and many of their influences come from around this prolific era. Their self-titled début album zips past at full speed, with plenty to get your teeth into.
Murder Van showcase their raw and dirty sound throughout the eight tracks, whether on the slow and grinding “Death Rider” or the stomping “Dead Hookers.” “Consumed by death’s embrace,” gurgles guitarist Skraw Tharp, his voice resembling that of a man who swallowed glass. His riffing is similarly apt as it draws from both thrash titans Sodom and Demolition Hammer and death metal legends like Death and Cannibal Corpse. His compadres DeathRay and The Damager also put in meaty performances on bass and drums, rounding out a heavy-as-hell release that discusses a wide range of topics, from murder (of course) and war to Valkyries and nuclear death.
Having already made a name for themselves played shows around their native Atlanta with a variety of bands, such as Perpetual Warfare (Colombia, South America), Deathcrown (Richmond, VA), Oculum Dei (Charlotte, NC), and recently an Atlanta date opening for Florida metal legends Nasty Savage, it’s time to take things to the next level. It won’t be long before the Murder Van hit the Interstate.
The album will be released on Dec 6th 2019.
Read our review here.
