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Started during lockdown by three friends from Leeds, UK who wanted to make some crossover thrash, having been fans of the music for years, Pest Control is the classic story of DIY music straight from a time of crisis. Jack (from Death Metal bruisers Mortuary Spawn) joined soon after the release of the Demo in 2020 and the line up was complete with Pest Control’s first show commencing in their home town the week lockdown ended. Influenced by classic thrash giants such as Metallica, Testament etc. but with a healthy spoonful of crossover like Crumbsuckers, Ludichrist and Municipal Waste, the members grew up with one foot in the Leeds metal and hardcore scenes, taking the best from both worlds. Topping it all off, Leah's powerful vocal reminds one of the great Dawn Crosby from Detente. For the recording of the LP they were joined by Luke on second guitar and now have a permanent second guitarist in the shape of Joe Williams (Big Cheese, Fate) and will be seen touring Europe with the almighty Foreseen, having already played across the UK with Municipal Waste, Eternal Champion and as well as appearances at Outbreak and Wrongside Fests.
With this LP the band have truly shown their technical chops from the fast and furious title track to the almost operatic thrash style of The Great Deceiver. There is a fresh range of ideas and most importantly catchy songs for the Crossover Thrash fan to sink their teeth into. Mastered by Arthur Rizk, who knows a thing or two about thrash metal excellence having worked with Power Trip and Fugitive, expect to have your brain well and truly FUMIGATED.
Credits:
Pest Control is Leah, Joe, Ben, Jack, Joe
Recorded by Adam Rogers, Mixed by Ben Jones of Pest Control
Mastered by Arthur Rizk
Artwork by Max Spoljaric
Design by Ola
Photos by Meline Gharibyan, Call Me Killer, Jones, Mattouxn, Bobby Cole and Pay No More Than Photography
Pressing Information
300 green vinyl
500 black vinyl
Glossy outer sleeve, square insert, poly lined inner sleeve.
Our take: Quality Control HQ Records brings us the debut vinyl from this UK crossover thrash band. A lot of bands have been combining 80s-style thrash with Cro-Mags-inspired, mosh-oriented hardcore in the years since Power Trip got big, but I’ve remained indifferent to the trend. Thrash metal and moshy hardcore are styles I can get into when they’re done well, but I have little time for the also-rans, so merely smashing those two sounds together won’t win me over from the jump. Pest Control, however, is just a superb band. I put on Don’t Test the Pest while I was working with no real expectations, and soon I found myself bopping along to the tunes. They don’t reinvent the wheel as far as their style goes, but they have a charismatic singer with a cool voice and a real way with a riff. Pest Control’s songs are like highlight reels, stringing all the good bits together and avoiding things like too-long guitar solos or gratuitous mosh breaks that might work well live, but wear on your ear on record. If you’re curious about Pest Control, I recommend checking out the title track, a 45-second stunner that finds room for freaky rhythmic twists and turns, a blistering solo, a catchy chanting chorus, and a tasteful sprinkling of blastbeats. If that wins you over, the other 10 tracks on Don’t Test the Pest will, too.
With this LP the band have truly shown their technical chops from the fast and furious title track to the almost operatic thrash style of The Great Deceiver. There is a fresh range of ideas and most importantly catchy songs for the Crossover Thrash fan to sink their teeth into. Mastered by Arthur Rizk, who knows a thing or two about thrash metal excellence having worked with Power Trip and Fugitive, expect to have your brain well and truly FUMIGATED.
Credits:
Pest Control is Leah, Joe, Ben, Jack, Joe
Recorded by Adam Rogers, Mixed by Ben Jones of Pest Control
Mastered by Arthur Rizk
Artwork by Max Spoljaric
Design by Ola
Photos by Meline Gharibyan, Call Me Killer, Jones, Mattouxn, Bobby Cole and Pay No More Than Photography
Pressing Information
300 green vinyl
500 black vinyl
Glossy outer sleeve, square insert, poly lined inner sleeve.
Our take: Quality Control HQ Records brings us the debut vinyl from this UK crossover thrash band. A lot of bands have been combining 80s-style thrash with Cro-Mags-inspired, mosh-oriented hardcore in the years since Power Trip got big, but I’ve remained indifferent to the trend. Thrash metal and moshy hardcore are styles I can get into when they’re done well, but I have little time for the also-rans, so merely smashing those two sounds together won’t win me over from the jump. Pest Control, however, is just a superb band. I put on Don’t Test the Pest while I was working with no real expectations, and soon I found myself bopping along to the tunes. They don’t reinvent the wheel as far as their style goes, but they have a charismatic singer with a cool voice and a real way with a riff. Pest Control’s songs are like highlight reels, stringing all the good bits together and avoiding things like too-long guitar solos or gratuitous mosh breaks that might work well live, but wear on your ear on record. If you’re curious about Pest Control, I recommend checking out the title track, a 45-second stunner that finds room for freaky rhythmic twists and turns, a blistering solo, a catchy chanting chorus, and a tasteful sprinkling of blastbeats. If that wins you over, the other 10 tracks on Don’t Test the Pest will, too.