Toronto-based Thrash Metal band Mastery is the brainchild of the Swiss-born guitarist Markus Armellini. Their debut album, the blistering instrumental thrash opus Lethal Legacy was released in 2006 on Corporate Punishment Records (run by EMP LABEL GROUP/COMBAT RECORDS’ Thom Hazaert) in North America and Sanctuary/Noise Records in Europe.
For their second release, the band recruited legendary M.O.D/S.O.D vocalist Billy Milano for the hardcore-tinged epic In The Key Of Kill, self-released in 2012.
In 2020 Mastery partnered with COMBAT RECORDS to prepare their first new album in 8 years, Severing the Earth, distributed by Kronic Music. Joining founding member and guitarist Markus Armellini is a new line-up of musicians, including Vocalist/Lyricist Carl Crosswhite (Mortifex/Six Pack of Doom) and Guitarist/Bassist Oscar Rangel (Mortifex/Annihilator/Operus), along with Drummer Johnny Macri (Experiment Specimen/The Unborn Dead). The album was mixed and mastered by Grammy-nominated and famed Metal engineer Chris “Wizard” Collier (Korn, Metal Church, Fear Factory), with cover art created by Andy Pilkington at Very Metal Art.
Says Armellini, “We had a great relationship with Thom (Hazaert) from the release of Lethal Legacy, and thought it would be cool to reconnect with him at Combat for the new album, with all the cool things he and David (Ellefson) were doing. Being part of such an iconic Thrash Metal legacy is really an incredible honor.”
Adds Hazaert, “As long as I’ve known Markus and the MASTERY guys, which is over 15 years, they have carried the torch for traditional Thrash Metal, as I have, long before it was a “cool” thing to do. I have always been a fan of their approach, even as an instrumental band, they had such a reverence and understanding for classic Thrash Metal, and I think they took that to a whole new level on Severing The Earth.”
The album is now available on all digital outlets, as well as physical retail, and the band has released lyric videos for “Severing The Earth”, “Wake Up”, and “Revolution”.
LYRIC VIDEOS:
“Severing the Earth” [OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO]:
“Wake Up” [OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO]:
“Revolution” [OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO]:
Full Album
Mastery Debut Album
Mastery was recently named by Metal Hammer/Louder Sound as one of the “30 essential Thrash Metal bands that aren’t the Big 4”, which included Mastery alongside Thrash veterans Testament, Exodus, & Overkill, as one of the top worldwide acts in Thrash Metal. Partnering with the revived COMBAT RECORDS, relaunched by Megadeth’s David Ellefson and Thom Hazaert in 2017, Mastery follows in the footsteps of Combat alumni and Metal gods including Megadeth, Slayer, Death, Forbidden, Exodus, Possessed, Dark Angel, and many more.
