Shrapnel

Originating from Norwich, England, the hard-hitting thrash metal band Shrapnel released two EPs before delivering their 2014 debut full-length The Virus Conspires, an album that quickly positioned them as favorites among the U.K. underground thrash community. Refining their rapid, neck-snapping style rooted in Bay Area thrash, the group carried that approach forward on Raised on Decay and Palace for the Insane before embracing a more progressive metalcore direction on 2024’s In Gravity. Guitarists Chris Martin and Nathan Sadd formed Shrapnel in 2009 and later added drummer Chris Williams, vocalist Aaron Tucker, and bassist Adam Read to the lineup. Drawing from thrash forebears including Exodus, Testament, Sepultura, and Overkill, the band issued its first EP, 2010’s No Saviors, which stirred interest in the metal underground and prompted Candlelight Records to sign them. The Virus Conspires earned praise upon its 2014 arrival for its kinetic, no-nonsense thrash attack, a quality the musicians honed further across Raised on Decay in 2017 and Palace for the Insane in 2020. After Aaron Tucker departed in 2022, Daniel Moran stepped in as vocalist, his versatile delivery bringing a fresh dynamic to the group. Moran made his recorded debut on In Gravity, an album that found Shrapnel deploying every creative resource to craft songs anchored in thrash yet marked by substantial progressive metalcore influences.