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\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania: Candlelight Records today confirms February 4 as the North American release date for The Virus Conspires, the full-length debut from English thrash metallers SHRAPNEL. Produced by Russ Russell (Napalm Death, Evile), it features artwork from Eliran Kantor (Testament, Athiest). The album and its lead single, \u201cTitan,\u201d will be available for preorder via ITunes and other digital platforms beginning January 7.
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\nFast, furious, and uncompromising, The Virus Conspires is propelled by its freshness and electric intensity. Sonically imposing and explosive, songs like \u201cBraindead, \u201cRed Terror,\u201d and album opener \u201cKingdom Come,\u201d are sure to quickly catapult the band to a global audience. Metal Hammer\u2019s Dom Lawson has already proclaimed the band an up-and-comer. Commenting on the band\u2019s sound, guitarist Chris Martin notes, \u201cindividually we are pretty different in our tastes but when we put it all together it works. For us, the energy in thrash is just so much more satisfying than anything else. It\u2019s technically challenging and exhausting to play live and it gives you that buzz, that rush of adrenaline that few other genres do. It\u2019s got to have balls and it\u2019s got to have attitude. When you find a band that has that bite to them, that testosterone-driven aggression, its just killer. And that\u2019s what we do.\u201d
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\nFormed in April 2009, the five-man wrecking crew initially bonded over their lack of a vibrant local metal scene. Driven to provide what few others seemed to be doing, SHRAPNEL pooled their myriad influences and came up with a sound that at its formidable core celebrates pure-to-the-bone thrash and speed metal, but one that never fails to keep eye on the future of the genre. Proudly citing Megadeth, Slayer, Testament, and Exodus as influences, the band also assimilates elements of everything from traditional heavy metal to modern death metal. The result is a thrilling lesson in neck-wrecking sonic violence.
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\nStill buzzing from their triumphant set at Bloodstock in August, SHRAPNEL are slated to appear alongside Kreator, Overkill, and label mates Corrosion of Conformity at Hammerfest VI in North Wales (March 13-16, tickets are available at www.hammerfest.co.uk).
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\nTrack listing for The Virus Conspire is:<\/p>\n
1. Kingdom Come<\/p>\n
2. Titan<\/p>\n
3. Braindead<\/p>\n
4. 22<\/p>\n
5. The Virus Conspires<\/p>\n
6. The Wake<\/p>\n
7. Red Terror<\/p>\n
8. The Watchers<\/p>\n
9. Pseudocommando<\/p>\n
10. Poison the Mind<\/p>\n