Stricken By Might

US Thrash Metal classic from 1987 gets re-issued, first time on CD, remastered and with an extra unreleased track from the original recordings! When it comes to classic thrash discussions it’s honestly not that rare to see E-X-E’s debut”Stricken By Might” getting mentioned every once and awhile. When an album bleeds this much Metallic Steel, we can definitely see why many fans love this one. E-X-E found themselves stuck in the middle of the thrash explosion, a little too late for 1985’s “no rules” releases like Agent Steel’s debut and this was before the early 90’s when it seemed everyone had to have a perfect production. Don’t get us wrong, while we love albums like “Victims Of Deception” by Heathen or “By Inheritance” from Artillery, we often find ourselves craving for a little rawness, an amateurish edge that says “these guys are just having some fun”. E-X-E’s debut ticks all these boxes for sure. Landing in the middle of the thrash road here, E-X-E seemed to take a little more influences from the speed metal side of things rather than the Bay-Area. Nothing here is crazier as some stuff you would hear in 1985, but the diversity is all over the place. Some tracks sound like Exciter slipping into hellish dark waters, others are excellent thrashers, topped off with a few traditional anthems that are simply unforgettable. While E-X-E never really does anything out of the ordinary or insanely groundbreaking here, there’s just something about this whole album that screams “metal”, something we never hear in 2025 anymore. Nothing feels fake here and you just get this incredibly awesome feeling listening to it. All in all there’s a powerful aura to this one that gives it an incredibly awesome vibe. The consistency is as strong as ever and there really isn’t any throwaway track in sight here. This is one of those albums that might not hit you at first, but the more you listen to it the better it gets each and every time. If you want some pure and true speed/thrash metal with a lot of timeless spirit behind it, this is highly recommended.