Aura Noir’s sort-of self-titled 2018 album, “Aura Noire,” brings a raw, unpolished retro-Thrash sound, invoking the first albums of Slayer, Sepultura, Possessed, Kreator, Nuclear Assault, Destruction, Overkill, Hades, Venom, Metallica, Death, and Exodus, with a healthy dose of Motorhead. Their target audience is a pretty small subsect of the population, but I count myself in that group, and I’m pleased with what I’ve heard. I think most Thrash fans will be too.

The production value value is utter garage (garage, not garbage), especially evident in the staticky cymbal hits. It's perfect for Aura Noire. From the production, to the simple tritone-based riffs and song structures, to the savage vocals, to the one-take feel of the music, this sounds like someone found your Maxell cassette you used in the boombox to record band practice in 1987.
Aura Noir aren’t trying to contemplate the secrets of existence, they’re just trying to get your hair flying - - what’s left of it, at least. The music works best when the headbanging power is at maximum. The best of these moments can be found in “Dark Lung of the Storm,” “The Obscuration,” and the razor-sharp instrumental album outro, conveniently titled “Outro.” The last one is so good, I wish they’d done it a few times throughout the album as refrains.
Recommended mainly for fans of deep-dive, old school Thrash.