Snafu are a Thrash Metal band located in Detroit, Michigan. They have Hardcore, Punk, and even some Black Metal vibes to their sound. The band consists of drummer Mike Jurysta, bassist Patrick ‘El Toro’ Saldivar, guitarist & vocalist Rian Staber, and guitarist & vocalist Scott Curnow.
Snafu formed in 2006 and have released a total of three albums. Their first, Fear The Future was released in 2013, followed by Present Day Plague LP, which was released in 2015. After six years, the band finally released their third album through new label home, Housecore Records, titled Exile // Banishment.
The album was produced and tracked by Philip ‘Landphil’ Hall of Municipal Waste & Cannabis Corpse along with his brother, Josh ‘Hallhammer’ Hall of Cannabis Corpse in Richmond, Virgina at Blaze of Torment Studios. It was mixed by Adam Shepard and mastered by Joel Grind of Toxic Holocaust.
Housecore Records announced that they just got the new colored vinyls in at the shop, which include a regular black one, an orange, and a splatter version. Check them out below!
The album is opened with the track Eyes of Your God. It is the longest track on the entire album at 5 minutes and 42 seconds. The first sounds you hear are the guitars slowly building up louder and louder during the first minute of the track, like something mind blowing is about to happen. And then the drums kick in followed by the guitars and bass. There is a heavy emphasis on the drums in this track! Some sound even tribal. Once the vocals start, you’re automatically kicked in the face. There are definitely some old school Black Metal-Thrash Metal vibes with some of the vocals, reminiscent of Sodom… There are also some heavy Exodus vibes in this one as well.
Eyes of Your God sounds like the perfect opening song for a live show.
The next track is titled, Closed Casket Habits, which was the first single released off the album. You can check out the grotesque video above. It starts out with a knockout punch with some Classic Thrash riffs. You can really hear the Hardcore–Punk influence in this song as well, especially with the drums. The vocals in this song come off as very vehement at times, with an ‘I’m-sick-of-this-fucking-world’ attitude.
The Pear of Anguish is the third track on the record. It starts off with a very pronounced, heavy bass line as the guitars wail in the background…The tribal sounding drums kick in as a high pitch melodic riff plays. The Music stops for a split second and then kicks in full force with some Groove and melodic undertones throughout the rest of the song. There are moments where it does remind you of some Dave Lombardo-Era Slayer, especially within the drums and the Kerry King-style solo!
Choking Game is the next track. It is the third longest song on the album, at 4 minutes and 1 second. It’s one of the heavier songs on the album, when it comes to the guitars and vocals. It is another song with some Slayer undertones. The guitar solo and riffs even have some late 2000’s Death Metal influence in it. The BPM speed is definitely kicked up a notch in this one, especially toward the end!
Bring Suffering is one of the many shorter tracks on the album. It’s a little over two and a half minutes long. Check out the video above! This one also packs in the Groove and Hardcore elements with quite a bit of speed! The vocals are very harsh, which definitely summon the vibe of the song title. The guitar solo is one of the more melodic ones throughout the album.
Wake of Vultures starts out immediately with a bit of a Black Metal vibe from the opening riffs, then turns more Thrash as the two minute song progresses. Holy fuck at the speed of the drums in this one!
The next song, Monarch is the seventh track. This is another one where you can really hear the Punk and Hardcore influences, especially around the minute mark of the song. There is a major emphasis on Mike Jurysta’s drums, even halting all other Music for moments at a time showcasing his incredible talent.
No Rites [For The Less Dead] is the next track. It starts off with a very prominent Slayer-esque riff as it builds up suspense at the very beginning, kicking in full force around the :45 second mark! It’s another one of the faster paced songs. There are some melodic hints as well as some Classic Death Metal ambiences between the riffs, bass line undertones, and vocals.
Soil of Blood is the 9th track. It is another short one at two and a half minutes. You can hear the Cro-Mags inspiration in this one with the instrumentals. In the lyric video above, you really can feel that there may have been some inspiration from Dante’s Inferno, especially with the lyrics and the Art, which signifies torture to the fullest extent.
Amazing Waste is the next track and also the shortest being one minute and eight seconds! It’s straight up an amalgamation of Hardcore, Punk, and Thrash. And there is even a riff toward the end of the song that definitely sounds like it may have been inspired by early Mayhem! Check the video out for the song below!
And finally, the album is closed with the title track and eleventh song, Exile & Banishment. Which is another with a heavy Groove element. The drums pack in some serious beats, as do they throughout the entire album. This one is definitely more Hardcore with the vocals than most of the other songs with Thrash fundamentals of the bass, drums, and guitars. Death Metal riffs take over a little over half way through and keep echoing until the song ends. It projects an aural gloomy darkness as you’re listening to it. It’s definitely a song that encompasses the vibe of the entire album!
Snafu are set to play their CD release show for Exile // Banishment on February 18th at the Sanctuary in Detroit with Wraith from Searcy, Arkansas, MRSA, who are also from Detroit, and Bone Folder from Toledo, Ohio. Check out the poster for the show below!
For more about Snafu, check out their official Bandcamp page at SnafuDetroit.Bandcamp.com!
