Re-discovering Metallica in the context of St Anger and Death Magnetic

Year : early '80s to present days
Genre : Thrash Metal, Doom Rock
Label : Vertigo, Elektra
Origin : United States

The size of the shitstorm Metallica has found itself in with the St Anger album, did not even register in my awareness for ten years, courtesy of me occupying a highly ignorant inner position by which my interest towards the band was pretty much zero, or even worse. I was a snob, a mancunt who considered Metallica's music to be equally necessary and - so to speak - over and done with, I though it is family friendly material in present days, that would not be able to catch me off-guard anymore. Bold - and possibly ignorant - enough assumptions to make me intrigued to see if my above voiced sentiments had any legitimacy to them. So I finally have decided that it would be a very good AND real fucking necessary idea to check out Metallica material in at attempt to re-evaluate my related overall awareness, as a band of this significance definitely demands a chance to kick my ass once again if they can. I wanted to see how Metallica would affect me, having not listened to them for more than a decade, - except for the Lulu album, of which though I have written a review, I block the experience from my consciousness - and having no experience/knowledge with St Anger and Death Magnetic, either. So, for a start I popped in "Holier Than Thou" from the Black Album on YouTube, - though I have my bona-fide, used-by-your-n1-latex-gimp-music-critic-gyz-Black Album CD from 1991, starting bid = $200 - gave it maximum headphone juice power, and waited for the uncensored effect it is able to induce in me after 10+ years of not hearing it. BOY, the effect was tremendous! No, it was not nostalgia. Nostalgia is miserable. The music on the Black Album is 101% legit to this day. Read on to know more about this.

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Megadeth - Endgame review

Year : 2009
Genre : Thrash Metal
Label : Roadrunner Records
Origin : United States
Rating : 9.2 / 10

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(K)illuminati connotations aside, - Dave Mustaine is a hobbyist -conspiracy theorist, as far as I know - Megadeth's 2009 LP Endgame is one exceptionally visceral statement, and this latter term of "visceral" seems to me as the most essential one amidst the many that reveal the global character of the disc.

Granted, the ideal-, the optimum form of thrash metal probably should be visceral as a thr(e)(a)shold minimum, but, if you are any kind of embracer of the genre, then you know that this is not always the case. Many is the number of the beast, -TUK! - as is the number of things that invite a thrash album to become its own parody from time to time, up to the point on which from this unfortunate transformation reigns evident and beyond the state of being preventable, since it has happened already.

Even THIS album, which I consider a pretty stellar delivery from Megadeth, features Dave Mustaine's trademark cabaret thrash metal in its full anti-glory, but the manifestations of said affliction gets assuaged by such a strong subsequent segment, that the cabaret side of things becomes tolerable, hell, even enjoyable (!!) when contrasted by the immensely eminent hooks the package packs a healthy dosage of. Yeah, there are tamer hooks on display, too, but the idea which permeates the release is something that sound to be unique : it simultaneously CRAVES acceptance, and, at the same time, does not give a FUCK if you give it to him.

It's like - Dave Mustaine would be happy to know that you love the disc, and could not care less if you would not. In other words, the disc embraces its deficits, which come to you exclusively throughout SOME points of the songwriting strategy, as the production is flawless in my book, and I'm pretty sure it is flawless in yours, too. Read on to find out more about one of the quintessential Megadeth releases.

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Testament - Dark Roots of Earth review

Year : 2012
Genre : Thrash Metal with Alternative/Rock nods
Label : Nuclear Blast
Origin : United States
Rating :  8.0 / 10

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With Dark Roots of Earth, America's Testament brings the picture perfect variation of traditional thrash metal that has no trouble tolerating some well positioned nods towards alternative metal and even classic rock flavors, which though suits these structures pretty efficiently.

Orthodoxy, as sole agenda, and decent-, related song structures are important key factors on the spin. Don't expect the re-invention of the wheel, expect instead another exciting ride in a familiar car on a familiar course. Luckily, there is no need to stick to this metaphor all that much, as the overall flow does a decent job of evading road motor sport thrash metal affectations, and brings that old school-, yet timeless thrash sound that the genre looks the most efficient with to this day.  Read on to know more about the character of the latest to date Testament LP.

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Meshuggah - Contradictions Collapse review

Year : 1991
Genre : Thrash Metal
Label : Nuclear Blast Records
Origin : Sweden
Rating : 9.1 / 10

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It probably is very easy to overlook the first full length affair of Sweden's Meshuggah, as this 1991 massively thrash contribution can not even be regarded as a spiritual precursor of what the music of said band has evolved to via their later operations that forms the face of metal to this very moment.

General consensus seems to be ultra-tepid and unacceptably deformed regarding the disc, as, despite my valiant efforts, I have failed to find and read a review that seems to reckon the delivery for what it really sounds to be. In other words : the 'fuck is up with you people? If not a single person is willing to rearrange related reality, then allow Yours, Truly to do so armed with an agenda and scientific rigor.

Meshuggah's Contradiction Collapse is doubtless influenced by a particularly good looking/angry image of early Metallica, but you would need to be supremely biased, I think, to fail to notice that this formation of youngsters - the Meshuggah dudes are in their early twenties by the era of the disc - are delivering a pretty much impertinently mature and complete variant of thrash metal which, to THIS very day emerges galaxies more relevant than say, the cartoon thrash metal of the latest to date Megadeth album, let alone the pinball road-motor sport "thrash metal" rhetorics - synonym : antics - of the latest to date Overkill series of facial ticks. Read on to find out more about this release, that packs infinitely more capacity to kick your ass to hell and back than you ever thought it does.

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Kreator - Phantom Antichrist review

Year : 2012
Genre : Thrash Metal with an Epic Power Metal tint
Label : Nuclear Blast Records
Origin : Germany
Rating : 8.8 / 10

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I would never-ever be miserable enough to withhold myself from giving a perfect score of 10 out of 10 to the latest-to-date album of one of the greatest Teutonic thrash metal bands of known history, had said band - Kreator - been persistent enough throughout to bring the top tier form it declares in titular track "Phantom Antichrist". As noted, the disc starts out in nuclear fashion, revealing top of the food chain thrash eloquence, and it never "sinks" below a steady 8.0, figuratively and bumptiously speaking. The "problem" is something else, if it is a problem at all, that is.

I feel that this Kreator delivery is more peaceful-, and less entangled in the hilariously sick sonic aggression the band is deservedly renowned for. This shift in the direction might seem "just logical" (?) when following such a stupendously and sublimely angry release as 2009's "Hordes of Chaos" is. Still, I won't hide the fact from you that I personally love "my Kreator" angry and furious, and I accept that the Teutonic thrashers reveal more pronounced affections towards a little bit tamer type of metal in 2012. A tamer type of metal that borders on power metal on numerous occasions. Read on to find out more about this.

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Vexxus - Binary Reflection review

Year : 2012
Genre : Groove Thrash Hybrid
Label : Independent
Origin : United States
Rating : 8.8 / 10

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Vexxus is an independent groove/thrash hybrid hailing from Hell in the way of the United States of America, and, while their debut "Binary Reflection" is a release that comes to you with high octane garage-charisma production values, the notion I just told you makes said contribution one of the most likable pieces of the current year so far, in my opinion. The guitars are smartly limited in their mean intentions to occupy all that much sonic volumetrics, - a production strategy similar in character to that of Pharaoh's - focusing instead on rendering the guitar anatomy "just sufficiently enough" so you are able to make out the spiritual message no problem, IF you are serious about it. Yes, surprise, surprise : sometimes you need to look for the music, and this baby right here delivers it aptly, once you are serious about paying attention to it. Guys, let's talk about this record.

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Demon Hunter - True Defiance review

Year : 2012
Genre : Alternative Metal with Metalcore and Groove elements
Label : Solid State Records
Origin : United States
Rating : 9.0 / 10

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The new Demon Hunter LP arrives with an elegant trick, and that is to consort orthodox metalcore rhetorics with a much more ripe take on alternative metal incorporated into the fabrics than the variant of said element obtainable in the works of the stock-metalcore act. The top-form alternative fascinations of this disc are reeking top-form Stone Sour, and this influence is showing through the deeply melodic choruses. Segments that feature a strong mid-range vocal presence which exhibits only very mild interest in conforming to the OH!, so usual emo variant of the metalcore-chorus. After all, the chorus in emo metalcore "usually is" just a radio friendly example of alternative metal plus suckdom lyrics, share your opinion in the comment section if you think I'm deeply mistaken about this. (Too?) In the meantime though, read on to find out more about this ripped, curvatious sonic delivery.

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Overkill - The Electric Age review

Year : 2012
Genre : Thrash Metal with Glam Metal affectations
Label : Nuclear Blast Records
Origin : United States
Rating : 6.0 / 10

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The new Overkill LP starts out with a superb, tribal-thrashy introduction, - bouncer thrash guitars on 'roids included - which though is on its way to open up stone-orthodox human growth hormone thrash metal on your awareness. Pinball machine thrash with fast cars and chicks wearing a snarl. Wow. The central character of this album packs the excitement factor of waiting around for the bus at a public bus stop, and that mainly is due - in my opinion - to the shockingly tepid glam metal (!!) chorus work and a submission to road-motorsport metal rhetorics the contribution is an obese, sweaty galore of. What the hell, it still has potato chips charisma. As just noted, Overkill's latest exhibits profound indication of glam metal in - pfff - "traces", and the so called deviation-, - pseudo-complexity it offers are renditions of the thrash metal methods you witnessed serving diligent duty a million times before, only with more vile elegance and inventiveness. This sounds to me as thrash delivered by sheer routine, like they do not even watch. You are free to take the position that I have no clue what I'm talking about, and this is in-your-face badass thrash warfare that emerges

to Destrooooy Eeeeeverything

in its way, and I second the notion that indeed, on OCCASION, the album works pretty well. There are some songs with increased amount of catchy factor and only a mild dosage of (chest)hair metal in them, and the guitar solos are doubtless top of the food chain caliber. But the record's flow suffers legendarily, as result of reoccurring fixations the group can't seem to get rid of during the dire. I mean : ride. Like the favorite note-bending of the singer, which he uses to end 11 out of 10 of his sung lines. Terrible, fucking terrible. Track number 3, "Wish You Were Dead" starts out with a superb intro, - just like as the first song - and then the band practically starts to drown amidst thrash platitudes being raped violently in front of your helpless crying eyes. It is about 15% legit thrash metal with vile intentions and stuff I can take serious, and 85% of Dave Mustaine's trademark cabaret thrash metal that which he plays when there is no musical thought on his mind whatsoever, and cabaret thrash is his method to hide this fact. You know, Inspector Gadget thrash metal. CHUGGA! CHUGGA! - Now! Iiiii! Am! Pretty! Pissed! CHUGGA! CHUGGA! Look! At! The! Kill! You've! Missed! CHUGGA! CHUGGA! GTFO. Pretty hideous thing. Read on to find out more about this release from Overkill, which exactly is just that. (Overkill.)


I personally feel that the members of this veteran ensemble surely must have - arrogant contradiction - decided that they will put out a pulverizing thrash epic weighing in at 50 minutes, no matter what. Guess what : it just mattered what. The album, for the most part, is tired, uninspired and even unfocused routine thrash in traces, and, to validate my claim, I offer you the example of track number 5 : by this time, Overkill is so embarrassed by the fact that there are no thrash platitudes left to assrape without vazelin at the moment, - because they tremble in fear around - that Overkill goes Iron! Fucking! Maiden! on you to administer c-grade Iron Maiden-clone power metal with communist marching song vibe and gang-shouts included. "Save Yourself!"

Good idea.

I do not seek to be especially douchy about this delivery, because the work doubtless is there, only, the exquisite thought-, the aim behind the work canceled the invitation. Instead, the thought simply is "let's thrash like goodol' times boys!", but the premiere ingredient-, the vileness of thrash is substituted by glam metal antics and bicepses, and this, I think, is quite staggering to see and hear. (On a negative register.) I do not deem this release bad by any means, as the complexity is there, but its substance is a towel reeking mansweat. No thank you. Not a bad record though. As the saying goes here at Noise Shaft, it is much worse than that : mediocre. VASTLY - oxymoron? - mediocre. Worth a listen, but don't expect this music to command/tune your psyche in to violent headbanging fueled by the evident desire to submit to the metal. Pinball machine thrash metal with fast cars and chicks wearing a snarl, and the snarl is the sexiest thing of it all. As for this Overkill album, it tries valiantly, but never fucking touches the switch.

Rating : 6.0 / 10

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Murder Your Gods - debut EP review

Year : 2012 
Genre : Vile Thrash with Death and Groove tastes
Label : Independent
Origin : United States
Official Site : > - here - <

Murder Your Gods is a four piece metal ensemble from Olympia, Washington, and their trade primarily registers as heftily executed classic thrash played with high definition vile intentions kept in top of the heat shape all the way back from the golden era of the '80s, yet, the band also brings with itself a surprising level of aptness to grace the ears with flamboyancy directly borrowed from the flesh - auuuua. - of other subgenres, all this for relentless and much welcomed musical variation. Thrash never expected to be left alone. Thrash always expected to be tinkered with, so it can thrash shit to hell and back.

Murder Your Gods, luckily enough is a group that took the harder-, BUT much more admirable route to flatter and express the desire to administer radical sonic intensity, and decided to sculpt out five songs into intricately detailed musical fabrics, as opposed to come forth with a full length debut with more coarse segments. This debut EP has a formidable amount of work AND musicianship behind it, while the production values are quite efficient-, I kind of dare say super-efficient - at revealing the thrash ethos of the '80s, spiced up by various contemporary leanings the band is not at all afraid to showcase. Go Murder Your Gods then come back to read about the influences and various pastimes of this delivery.


I find myself in a quite pleasant position right now, because there is nothing to me to whine about like a little bitch in pink latex lingerie, as this squad keeps the form I hoped they would all the way to the very end of the release. The leanings I have been telling you about are need to be addressed, so now is the time to inform you of the influences I personally think are notable on the stimuli : while non-mistakenly thrash in character, the data seeks and finds exigent musical interludes to introduce charismatic nods toward a myriad of styles. Among these, the most notable one is a tame obsession cultivated towards Pantera / Lamb of God, but imagine the similar spiritual stance riding on a more pronounced variant of thrash metal, while you are pretty much free to dismiss the anticipation of the southern vibes. This also is one interesting aspect of the delivery : whenever it seeks out the groove, it finds other methods to do that by, than to abuse immediate ACME groove patterns. Like : play around on the first three notes of your deepest blues scale, emphasize the open string like there is no tomorrow, and you are grooving like Hell on Earth, man!!!!!1


With great delight and satisfaction I recognize that the Murder Your Gods members seem to be quite aware of the same kind of motoristic genre-agitations and habitual fixations, and their conscious and successful deviations from these trends are a welcome addition to this EP. Other leanings on the release that need to be pointed out is an invigorated tendency to offer thrashy guitar solos from time to time, most often sticked into the heart of a point to cultivate variation or a turnaround from. The intro section of concluding track, "Dark Protectors" is a good example of how detailed things can get herein : the way the group "comes out" of the introductory theme exhibits traits of black metal, death metal, - blast beat those impertinent psyches away for a while - then flows into a verse structure that strikes a fine balance between ballsy metalcore - yeah, there IS a such thing, WOW. - and groove metal. Yes, metalcore owes a great deal to groove metal, in my opinion. (And to Stevie Wonder.)

The shape of music on the disc, as noted, is surprisingly well varied and I have zero doubt whatsoever that the band would harvest relevant, immediate public success and widespread attention - imagine the usefulness of covert success - if to deliver this stimuli in a live environment. Go soak your ears into their stuff at their official site and invade the places they will be playing at.

Check out the official Murder Your Gods site with the free EP this review is based on.

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Red Lamb - Red Lamb review

Year : 2012
Genre : Cabaret Thrash Metal
Label : Roadrunner Records
Origin : United States
Rating : 6.5 / 10

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Red Lamb is the cartoon-thrash metal project of Dan Spitz, - don't believe the press release, there is nothing alternative metal on this - former lead guitarist and notability of Anthrax. Dave Mustaine, the key figure of Megadeth also has collaborated on this album, as co-producer. The material itself is pretty anti-staggering, and here is why : this spin almost entirely sounds to me as the latest Megadeth album.

This, of course, is not necessarily a bad thing, - nor necessarily the opposite - and it can even be the best you could hope for if this is the kind of music you are looking for right now. I personally tend to think that the character of the sonic warfare obtainable on this release is pretty hyper-orthodox cabaret thrash metal, I dare say, family friendly thrash metal. (Yeah, I could say "tired", "non-inspired", or "routine" if I were to be a troll.) Read on to find out more about the release.


The songs seem to follow and utilize the compositional techniques so keenly used by Dave Mustaine himself, but the content itself, in my opinion never manages to deliver audio data that which I feel is a must to revisit after being subjected to it on one occasion. I feel you. Thank you, don't come again. The album, much to my sorrowful frustration, features the terrible rhetorics when the narrator spouts out pseudo-powerful rants and malevolent declarations to scattered-on-the-floor cabaret-guitar riffs, like a psychedelic circus director would while under the influence of needing a desperate attention-fix. This is exactly as serious for a musical experience as Inspector Gadget is for a psychohorror. It is easy to spot the points when Dave Mustaine has absofuckinglutely nothing to say to you, because those are the moments he utilizes this type of rhetorics by. Highly boring and tolling to endure, and I remember the day I came to this very realization, noting that the problem is not with me, Dave simply plays shit music sometimes.

There is zero place devoted to open-minded experimentation and/or notable ambition to deviate from hyper-orthodox, risk free lightweight thrash on this delivery, instead everything tends to weigh in as tireless, BUT very much tired variants on the tendencies and methodologies used by family friendly cabaret thrash metal. This is routine stuff, and this is the thrash metal you are free to show to your grandma, she will like it. Dan Spitz sings pretty much like Dave Mustaine does, what is the deal with that? Strange, strange development, but not a disturbing one. Dan, in fact, sounds to have an even more wider vocal range than the pipes of Dave Mustaine cover, as there are some vocal passages herein that Mustaine in my opinion would not be able to belt out, but, luckily, he would not even try to.

Believe it or not, I do not want to be a douché with this release, because the enthusiasm behind it is evident, - and nothing more or else behind it is such - but I am virtually forced to wrap this review up by saying that I could not find a single thing-, nor a single second on this spin that managed to register on my Geiger counter as being of the "this is the shit!" category. Hyper-orthodox-, pretty much traditional detective cartoon thrash with no vile intentions in it at all. Family friendly thrash. Cabaret thrash. Inspector Gadget thrash. This is Megadeth from 1992, and this is not bad. It's just Megadeth from 1992. Nothing less, nothing else. And you decide if this matters.

Rating : 6.5 / 10

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Dr. Livingdead - Dr. Living Dead review

Year : 2011
Genre : Thrash Metal Punk Crossover
Label : High Roller Records
Origin : Sweden
Rating : 8.0 / 10

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Dr.Livingdead's Dr. Living Dead is a counter-conspiracy audio device that makes the members of the Illuminati call it a wrap and tremble in fear in the nearest corner, - Alex Jones declares you the Leader of the Resistance and announces the State of Interplanetary Collapse in this recycled Special! News! Bulletin!, right after this premium product presentation - and, if that is not enough for you, you rebel scum, then know that the record has been produced by none other than your Legendary Death Master Fred Estby. Fred Estby, man, Fred Estby! If you have no obscure shallow purple of a clue whatsoever who Fred Estby is, then feel free to join THAT club, and prepare yourself for 36 minutes of contemporary Estby sound as Dr. Living Dead unleashes its variant of counter-thought controlling, all seeing lizardeye-staring crossover thrashpunk on your sorry hide. The truth is in there. I'm sane, the voices told me, too!


With a hilarious opening track entitled "World War Nine", the record leaves nothing to be desired in the department of larger than life-, violent action cartoon warfare. The LP is divided to 16 tracks of short sharp shrapnel impacts, and not a single one of those hits the 3 minutes mark. The album is safe, enthusiastic thrash-worship fun via a method that tends to register as a friendly blend of Sex Pistolsian punk and Slayeresque - WTF??! - thrash metal, with a tint of Voivod surfacing up in it from time to time, too. The album packs a superb, old school, nihilistic thrash sound with well defined middleweight musculature and a vile grin, and notable emphasis is placed on the different frequency domains, too. In other words : the album, thank God and Co., does not revolve around the continuous act of stalking out of shape riffs on the open bottom strings. The tempos and the structures of the record are soberly varied within a certain set of compositional limits, the lyrics are hilarious, - "this is the END, we're getting OLD, we're getting FAT, DEAD! END! LIFE!" and the whole album shows a trusty, steady thrash character with a solid understanding of its potentials and capacities. 36 minutes is a perfect length for this style.

The furious pacing is interrupted here and there by a mid-paced build with legit, melodic rhythmic riffing - track called "My Brain Is For Sale" is an example - giving the record apt opportunity to handle ignition mode at its own consent afterwards. Make no mistake : this is 90%-, if not 95% intense thrashing throughout, and the eloquent kind of it, too. The release does more complex and elegant things instrumentally and rhythmically than the ever-cultivated Ultimate Intensity of the release lets you recollect at first, so, in my opinion it is worth directing your attention to the little subtleties the band pulls the moustache of the sleeping beast with.

Dr. Livingdead's Dr. Living Dead causes no unwanted-, obtrusive surprises, and it is more than a record that serves out rudimentary thrash cravings, like this baby sounds to do, in my opinion. Dr. Living Dead lives up - hah! - to it's demanding name, and delivers unalloyed retroid thrash attack power reeking the charisma of a violent ballpoint pen drawing. You want this, Lover.

Rating : 8.0 / 10

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Metallica - Beyond Magnetic EP

Year : 2011
Genre : Thrash Metal
Label : Vertigo
Origin : United States
Rating : 8.2 / 10

Metallica is quick to release an EP following the controversial Lulu quasi-shockumentary that gave your mom a series of successful nervous breakdowns. Beyond Magnetic sounds bravely old school and "garagy" - sorry about that - in a skillfully and tastefully researched Black Sabbathian way, and the Metallica members thankfully bring re-invigorated thrash heft with relevant melodic power, hell, yes! James Hetfield's voice sounds especially ripe, confident and complete, in my opinion. Notice how he sometimes exhibits a midrange timber that is very reminiscent to Freddy Mercury's. What I personally hear on this release leaves me absolutely content as far as the post-black album Metallica era is concerned, and here is why : I always liked the Load and Reload albums, despite the amount of flame those albums seemed to have generated, and the nature of this EP brings to mind character-similarities with the direction of those two black sheep LPs, in my opinion. Beyond Magnetic does not sound to me as cyber-polished OR gritty as Death Magnetic does, yet still sounds superb in the spirit of a much different, more restrained, yet sanely chosen and well focused music methodology. This restrained, but at heart hefty Metallica is more authentic to me to be honest than Dave Mustaine is with a song to the metalcore adolescent, WTF. Read on to find out more about this Metallica EP.


You know the recent day Metallica listening deal : good old fashioned-, always honest Larsian 4/4 pummeling - check out this timeless EPIC FAIL video about Lars Ulrich, too - interchanged with melodic sequences that promise a lot to sink your teeth into, and rightfully so, because, though these compositions are accessible and relatively simplistic in nature, - not necessarily a hindrance, nor benefit - this simplicity never lacks musical exigency and convince power, and the riffcraft is pretty stable, too. Classic Hetflield riffing with great sense and taste exhibited throughout the mere sonic frequency domains, and, oh, Kirk Hammet's feet are still glued to the whammy bar, and she is not afraid to use it!! Unbelievable!

Metallica seems to be taking the fanbase seriously, and this new EP, regardless how similar it is in parts for earlier works, - example : opening track "Hate Train" has this intensified segment. This totally sounds like "Fuel". This is not a problem by me at all, I'm just saying - is once again the Metallica you can regard as a formation that seeks to entertain and not to self-indulge, though I do not find all that much need in myself to flame the Lulu superlong-play anymore. One has the hunch that the next Metallica LP is coming through a space-time rift near you, and there is nothing else to add to this than what Caleb would.

Bring it ooooooon!

Rating : 8.2 / 10

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Helstar - Glory of Chaos review

Year : 2010
Genre : Thrash Metal
Label : AFM Records
Origin : United States
Rating : 9.0 / 10

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Texan metal act Helstar brings you thrash as authentic as electricity since 1982, and, popping this 2010 gem into your music player device is the equivalent of releasing a testament on your hide that feeds from the most rabid and restless thrash ethos - the vintage thrash ethos - that in my opinion is currently conceivable.

Helstar's 2010 LP, Glory of Chaos, as mixed martial arts notability Don Frye would say, "is like prison sex : fast, hard and violent, and there is a lot of noise." Some noises are more than they sound as first though, and the situation is only partly similar herein, because this album wastes no moment to emerge as top of the food chain vintage thrash delicacy, regardless how it has been released in 2010.

Glory of Chaos brings the structure, along with the "mere" sound of the ethos we are talking about. What you hear on this release is supremely faithful to the most mythical / popular thrash releases. Megadeth's earlier work - Killing Is My Business, Rest In Pieces - and pretty much anything I currently know from Kreator comes to mind, though it seems safe to say that the teutonic thrashers are even more aggressive in nature than Megadeth is, for most of the time. Check out track number 2, called "Pandemonium" on this Helstar release, which is extremely similar to what an early Megadeth song tends to come through as, in my opinion. If someone would say to me : "this is a lost recording of early Megadeth ", I would totally believe it!!!!exclamation mark

Helstar, as an exigent and committed keeper of an ever-rabid style others have decided to venture away from, remains faithful to this vintage thrash ethos, and exhibits doubtless capacity to deliver material that emerges as pretty much equal to the classic-, aforementioned deliveries. Read on to find out how this release works.


It works as a tight vintage thrash release, of course : mid-tempo is very rare herein, while cunning and ferocity are both permanent companions. From a musical point of view, this is good old fashioned - not a negative notion in this regard - thrash sound operating via the genre's vibrant mechanics, and the collective timber of the release has awareness enough of its own nature to not include glitter and too massive presence of anything. The elements you hear on these tracks are absolutely well defined, but they do not seek to overwhelm you by their occupied volumetric proportions, they instead seek to form an intricately fragmented wall of sound experience in which the vocals can live in a raging hell without being endangered by their direct surroundings.

As hinted, the structures of the songs are quite similar to the meta-architecture established by deliveries that to this day outline the cream of this style, and, one is free to conclude with great delight that the presence of genuine musical effort and inventiveness is ubiquitous on the LP when scrutinized from the angle of ultimate value. Glory of Chaos has a playful fabric that never trades in the legit bite for alibi-technicality, while it also shows zero interest - OK, not shows - in going for the tolerance-hook.

One interesting attribute that separates this LP from its mythic predecessors is a pronounced tendency to sport vocals that border on aggressive, melodic power metal. The lead singer finds efficient notes - relating to the harmonies - to take them across interesting arcs and lengths, and has a reoccurring agenda to go Rob Halford at a couple of exceptional occasions. The power metal component should not make you believe that the release exhibits the fabric of a thrash / power hybrid, as this is not the case. Glory of Chaos is relentlessly thrash, and the vocals merely pack more propensity to exhibit uncensored vocal melody than the genre most often cares to tolerate.

Helstar's Glory of Chaos consciously resonates from a musical field that gave birth to the original form of thrash, and this-, pretty much scientifically cultivated, unconditional faithfulness necessarily guarantees a vintage thrash metal experience that gives no place to disappoint on. An immediate-, safe recommendation for every rabid fan of the genre.

Rating : 9.0 / 10

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Vektor - Outer Isolation review

Year : 2011
Genre : Thrash Metal
Label : Heavy Artillery Records
Origin : United States
Rating : 9.5 / 10

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Vektor's Outer Isolation brings to you a rampant variant on the original form of full blown, unforgiving, timelessly oldschool thrash metal. Musically, this record is eloquently brutal and ever-faithful at heart to the most demanding traditions of the style. Among these traditions, the steepest probably is to establish an autonomous flow of waste-propensity through the individual musical ideas, and Vektor delivers flawlessly in this regard.

The reason behind this capacity is none other than the combination of the band's - just natural - love for the thrash metal genre, supported though by a valid set of compliments that deliberately aim to flatter the mere "limits" of the style. Indeed, one can come up with trash metal riff ideas and deliver those along different tempos to end up with "uhuh" grade thrash content, but Vektor is vastly past that game, and keeps the tip of its vile index finger on the tiny-tiny region where the pulse of thrash is the most intensified, and, as such, the most entertaining. Vektor's Outer Isolation is a record that is the equivalent of a bomb device with a malfunctioning timer jumping between 50:00 and 0:30, so it seeks and accepts no silent peace in the sonic domain. Listen how this thrash metal album starts up its engines at the 2:15 mark of the opening track : this is what I want from thrash metal, and all other things regarding the matter is insignificant. Read on the find out more about this release.


The record has an extremely sexy horror-sci-fi theme to it, as the great cover art suggests that already : sci-fi at heart, yet the green tint conveys an alienating, discomforting Cthulhu-influence, a sense of cosmic horror that is out to crush the little human astronaut on the image, simply by being seemingly separate and seemingly so much vaster than him. Opening track, called "Cosmic Cortex", in my opinion, is about God's consciousness, and let me tell you that I'd rather hear a thrash song about God's consciousness than about a fast car which you can drive like : - uh - fast. Fuck that shit already, pretty pretty please with chocolate syrup and strawberry pellets on top?

As just hinted, the top of the foodchain thrash metal music on this LP also brings quite relevant and well constructed lyrics, heavily fixated on transhumanic / philosophical / existential observations, and bowing to no cheap, false Thrash Gods like alcohol, or adolescence-fury as Dave Mustaine so shamelessly does with his terribly, terribly sad song called "You hate my friends and where we go, you hate the way we wear out clothes, just whose life it is, anyway?".

Just whose lie it is, anyway?

Vektor comes forth with a musically competent and quite BRAVE release, as well. This album reeks and summons the best forms of the most rabid thrash traditions, early Voivod comes to mind - what's more sexy thrashing than that? - and the singer here is in a constant war with ALL and PREVAILS, and the music's heft simply does not know the concept of a fuel tank that needs a refill. When the band decides to tame the sonic rampaging for an elegant, lush, complex instrumental moment, - of which the release packs no less nor more than beneficial for the primordial agenda - that always is a result of an awareness that is out to guard the efficiency-peak of full intensity engagement, which is the premiere nature of this spin.

Vektor's Outer Isolation is a current-, paradoxically enough, ever-fresh reincarnation of the timeless form of the similarly ever-fresh epitome of oldschool thrash metal, but, what separates this declaration from the flock, lies in the musical inventiveness : the record has all your thrash needs at its immediate disposal, yet, it also exhibits an autonomous capacity to cultivate new ones - awareness, and related quasi-needs - in you, and this is the most you can ever expect from any musical data. You definitely should check this one out, no matter what.

Rating : 9.5 / 10

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Criminal - Akelarre review

Year : 2011
Genre : Thrash Death Hybrid
Label : Massacre Records
Origin : Chile
Rating : 9.0 / 10

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With its barebone declaration - ha, ha. - Akelarre, Chile's Criminal delivers quality aural fun through the thrash / death consortium that seems to establish itself as a relevant and super-efficient direction of recent metal music. The first occasion I personally have heard this hybrid sonic rampaging being ruthlessly administered before, was located - and still is, by the way - on Deceased's highly recommended Surreal Overdose, and the similarities in character between that release and this one, are hard to miss, even if you try. Pointing out these similarities is an act one can commit with honest delight though, and here is why : this thrash / death blend demands top of the heat level playfulness and creativity from their creators, because it must (nevertheless ShOULd, all in capitols) exhibit both the melodic aspect of thrash and the massive robustness of death metal. You can't lie and succeed in creating a thrash / death affair, you have to MEAN it, at the VERY least.

Deceased means it with its latest declaration, and it sure as hell is for a pedophile priest that Criminal means it, as well. This record does a great job at revealing the bastard thrash / death Animal with the tools of granite solid, vile riffing and larger than life intensity, intensity that bows to no brake on board. Guys, let's talk about the music.


Criminal, fortunately enough, throws everything but the kitchen sink at you, - but maybe they did that, too? - and they are pretty aware of the current location of your aural attention all the time. Akelarre brings you ten tracks with a very sane - ?? - program length of 41 minutes, and this amount of time guarantees a comfy-, yet not at all self indulgent space to precisely reveal the Thing on. This LP at heart is pissed like an incoming grizzly after a sedation shot, and still keeps a constant focus on its own sonic character, never trading mere heaviness in for elegant variation. Fifth track, called State of Siege is a good example of the primal attractions you can bath in with this rampant release, as this particular song reveals crisp illustrious segments of all the main elements the band is keen to do on the record. Classy, invigorated old school thrash riffage riding on a robust death-ass, and, while you would honestly be all good already with what the band gave you so far, they topple the cake with a SUPERB melodic chorus, and NO, I don't mean metalcore-like whinefests committed to embarrass the generic sky. The chorus architecture brings to mind the chorus of Rainroom's superb opening track on their debut LP, making efficient use of a soul-swallower doomy feeling that is relentlessly carried along on the bastard pauahorse of the thrash / death blend.

The favorite shape of things herein revolves around the epitome of heavy and equally catchy riffing, complimented later on by the clever placement of inventive emphasis throughout the bodies of each build. Solos are included, too, and hell, these are pretty properly presented solos : they are absolutely free of all intent to deliver you a catalog of the wankfest tourist center, and one very pleasant extra thing to recognize is the mere sound of the solo guitar. It is thankfully free both of the effect-wizardry and the over-presence. The solos are situated on one particular primal channel, leaving the other sonic landscape on the other side virtually untouched, and, this way, the riffage remains tight and present in the mix, no problem. As for the sound and shape of the solos, they are truly "proper", do not seek to tear out random minds around, and they are coming in with that pleasantly raw, distorted "default amp" sound known for its classic, angry grit and its haughty determination. You know, the distorted guitar sound you will return to with a relieved sigh when you have checked out the 1111 effects your amp comes with.

Full efficiency-, and mid-tempo engagement modes are elegantly complimented and served on the LP, and there virtually is no time by which you would be harassed to endure the exact same pattern on two successive occasions. One minor qualm to cultivate regarding this tights release is the melodic key some of these raging declarations are reigning in : sometimes, the track that follows the current one up, is in the same melodic key, and they - logically enough, I suppose - both are occupying the same sonic domain, giving you a sense of sonic-domain-abuse, so to speak. (I know I know, this is a mania of mine, but I have some others, too.)

Criminal's Akelarre has a whole lot of quality content to soak your hungry-for-the-extreme ears into, and it is quite safe to say that the release is a risk free recommendation both for the death metal fan, and the thrash metal fan. To be honest, I have no clue what you are doing here still. Go and get the fucking record??

Rating : 9.0 / 10

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Lich King - Super Retro Thrash review

Year : 2011
Genre : 8-bit Thrash Metal
Label : StormSpell Records
Origin : United States
Rating : 8.0 / 10

Lich King - this is what I call a perfect band name AND a perfect cover art, to be honest - comes out with the first 8-bit thrash metal full length, and the results are outright hilarious : ever wondered how your first generation Nintendo Entertainment System would fare in resonating metal that has no less of an agenda than to waste stuff on sight for the sheer fun of it?

Among other truly relevant things and motor synapses it has created in millions and millions of nervous systems living on the face of Gaia, NES also has its immense and timeless musical heritage, - the Super Mario theme is a piece of music perfectly suitable to send out into space to contact little green spacemonkeys with - and now these classical 8-bit sound generator algorithms are ignited on top capacity to bring you absolutely SOLID thrash metal, in its architectural character. Read on to find out how your Super Mario 8-bit Thrash Lich King emerges to invade your soul to claim it as its own for the sake of highly radical private amusements.


Lich King's 8-bit thrash is rampantly old school - sorry?? - and fluently varied, and the primer fixations of the release, fortunately enough, are coming your way on the respective registers of maximum level thrash-, and menacing mid-tempo attack modes. There are no pauses here in the almighty body of the 8-bit mindfuck, and, to be frank, no one needs them, either. The tracks follow the classic thrashy compositional techniques, yielding declarations that reveal complex 8-bit sonic architectures, and one caveat that is quick to reveal its doings is the band's decision to administer the majority of the dosage on the same aural frequency. At least, it sounds to me that the tracks are immensely fixated on the low E string, which, of course, is a MUST to be fixated upon as a manic guitar molester, but, in my opinion, it is advisable to ATTEMPT to hide this fixation, and not get all too much relied on it.

Apart from this though, as it is stated on the album's back, all songs are awesome, and this is not a blatant exaggeration at all, saved for one other qualm - as extra - that needs to be addressed. The songs indeed are legit, old school thrash builds, yet the album features a very limited amount of lead work, - crazy-ass solos, for example, which I wished for greatly - in fact, almost none. The next Lich King installment, if the band decides to stick with this hilarious 8-bit thrash direction, will demand thrashing solos, for sure.

Lich King's Super Retro Thrash has tremendous charm and an unprecedented degree of sonic shock value, and it is a good idea to take in just one or two pills at a time, so the release has its chance to communicate the content along the same fresh 8-bit vibe, eliminating the feeling of the "E" fixation during a listen that follows up a gap.

Rating : 8.0 / 10

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Absu - Abzu review

Year : 2011
Genre : Black Metal Thrash Metal hybrid
Label : Candlelight Records
Origin : United States
Rating : 8.8 / 10

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The Absu to date is a rabid black / thrash metal act that simply can't be arsed to spend seconds / minutes spouting at a random crimson moon with a corpse or two while riding on the same tremolo layers for wrist-slicing effect. Absu gives you that classic feel of unforgiving, Emperor Palpatine-grade black metal, but it mounts thrash metal rockets on all possible points you can think of along its body.

Opening track called Earth Ripper is a strong example of the elegant plan of the record : the fabric herein, though easily decipherable, remains relentlessly heavy BUT valiantly playful and alive, nevertheless. An elegant riff runs around left and right on top of good old intensified thrashing, and the madly rhythmized vocal / lyrical contribution of drummer / vocalist Proscriptor McGovern is a total fit for the extremely pissed off status report the song registers as. The LP has an occult theme to it, yet the structures - fortunately - show much more interest to reveal the Mad Mage in Intense Summoning-vibe in a larger than life, hilarious comic book fashion, and has no intent to wage a full scale war on your will to exist. If you want to hear occult black metal getting chased around with the big ass minigun of thrash for a change, then you need not to look further. You need to read on, oh!, useful infidel.

Abzu is composed of two main sections, and the common denominator of those is the old school, bravely and smartly varied reckless thrash metal, which though speaks the language of black metal. As for the two main sections, the first twenty minutes of the record is composed of five gritty, furious tracks with respective running times around 3:30 to 5:00, while the second part of the release is a monster-track nearing 15 minutes. It is a kind of deceit, though, and here is why : this second section, dominated by the monster-track, sounds to contain autonomous smaller tracks of similar character, only these have been embedded into one. So, don't expect an epic declaration of progression or something like that.

As hinted, the forms and general shapes of things and patterns you hear are black in character, but they are incoming along the structures and methodologies that are super-common to thrash. This inventive pairing is toppled by the tight, sanely balanced - regarding its frequency of occurrence - vocal presence. The vocals, while they are belonging to good old fashioned spouting at heart, pack legit, tight power, and it is notable that they are not faked in a GTFO fashion, like in metalcore.

Absu's Abzu sounds like the inner sonic outburst necessarily conceived by the panicked mind of a mad wizard who accidentally messed up his highly illegal demon summoning pentagram, and now he assesses his experiences for the fabric and related sake of All Unholy Remembrance, knowing that the demon he just invited will have the fat right to rip him to tiny pieces, and has zero doubt that it will do, too. Proscriptor McGovern addresses the highly mysterious, and none less vast perspectives and soul-swallower entities of Enochian Magick all over the LP, and his related lamentations find infinite ways to shoot out genuinely "heavy-sounding word pairs", so to speak, and this is the main idea herein. You don't necessarily need to look for direct meaning to the lyrics here, they can be understood through the mere moods of the words they sink into you as.

Absu's latest reveals a demon finger through the portal, and, once you are curious/reckless - or both - enough to move a step closer, the hand shoots out and pulls you through. 35 minutes is JUST the right amount of time you want to spend on that other side, which is another little something that makes this record a solid black-thrash delivery that has a sober understanding of its own grit and recklessness.

Rating : 8.8 / 10

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Deceased - Surreal Overdose review

Year : 2011
Genre : Thrash Death Hybrid
Label : PATAC Records
Origin : United States
Rating : 9.5 / 10

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If there is one singular aspect to extreme metal that can not be mimicked without the attempt at trickery becoming obvious, it is authenticity. Veteran stillness eradication squad Deceased brings to you such level of authentically, inventively and relentlessly berserk style of sonic nuke parade that the resultant stimuli reigns way beyond the harshly limited capacity of the tools calibrated to deliver an even remotely rational and/or necessary criticism. Here is the thing : you WANT to hear this, or you really DON'T want to. There is no need for rationality here, as Deceased's Surreal Overdose employs both the masterfully operated will and skill to make the music roar in oh!, so many flamboyant and so effective ways, serving a - well - overdose of irresistible and surprising compliments directed towards the infinite faces of delicately complex-, yet, at the same time, truly manic and berserk level thrashing.

Good news galore! Deceased's fatigueless carnage mode, contrary to what you may frequently hear in the - logically enough - respective performances of other bands, has a clear agenda and the consorting musical shape for it all the time. A constant sense of larger than life, rational and smart rabidness AND a commitment to keep to it is superbly revealed, a key element that elevates this declaration to the top of the heat simply by the size and the sharpness of the teeth it chases your ass with. It seems safe to say that the intricately stacked, luscious silence massacre contained on this spin has all the bearings of an immediate benchmark, simply because this release does not try to be a supremely badass thrash/death album. Instead, it "simply" shatters your definition of the aforementioned terms via thrusting you proper into the nearest possible wall, keeping you from falling to the floor, courtesy of the incoming sonic mayhem roaring into your face. Read on to find out more about the feel of this exquisite contribution.


The absolute least you can say about Surreal Overdose is that it is an exceptionally special and serious delivery, because the music contained on it, simply does not do the regular extreme - ouch - things you are accustomed to hear. Deceased does not bow down to anything, not for the groove, not for the riff, not for the noise, not for any comfortably identifiable patterns. Music itself gets brutally abused herein via getting constantly executed and revived, just to be executed again in another hilarious manner, but hell, let me tell you that music has a whoooole lot of fun in this process. Rare are the times when you are subjected to sonic data that deliberately exiles the timelessly traditional elements of music, - including in this class the extremities of it - AND still emerges as something deeply significant and exquisitely special, nevertheless. It is easy to generate at heart pointless fusions of autonomous sonic entities and be relatively delighted about the necessary legitimacy of the emerging pattern, but Deceased truly worships and rapes the soul of extreme music, and not for a single second it takes a compromise with anything you might be accustomed to hear that supposed to be : "extreme".

As noted, these musicians think and operate way beyond the categories of riffs and grooves and noise-rampant, and they are seeking for the Source of grooves and riffs and the extreme instead. They are projecting magnificent lights on the surface of this vast Source, going for the touch upon all the rabid interceptions of locations and patterns of interest the record itself is a robust testament of. The Source of the extreme itself is touched upon by the spin, and it sounds to be rather happy about it.

This beyond all sane and insane doubts is an immediate masterpiece that brings with itself that extremely rare capacity to ruthlessly find-, touch-, and celebrate the mere meaning of extreme music, as opposed of addressing its skin details without end for the sake of addressing it. Deceased's Surreal Overdose is the record a young thrash band collectively, happily and immediately jumps into a pool of gasoline with an ignited joint in hand for. This is high definition sci-fi music. If you did not catch the drift yet here, then let me give you a final hint on the matter : Deceased's Surreal Overdose is one profoundly magical spin, and you want to hear it. And yes, your neighbor wants to, too.

Rating : 9.5 / 10

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Deathraiser - Violent Aggression review

Year : 2011
Genre : Thrash Metal
Label : Independent
Origin : Brazil
Rating : 6.0 / 10

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Brazilian Deathraiser's efficiency reaches its constant and quite limited peak through the band's insatiable desire to engage full power weaponry right away. This musical intent to kill on sight, while super-similar to recent delivery Toxic Holocaust's Conjure and Command in nature, now comes to you in an even more pronounced form. THAT would be something to say. A record coming to you with such charming of a title as "Violent Aggression", surely must be violent and aggressive, as violence doesn't tend to be peaceful, does it? Attempting to channel radical emotional energy via relentlessly intense playing being committed against nearby musical instruments is legit, yes, but!

When 75% of your 27 minutes record is based on the same fucking riff being chased around on a single guitar string, then you can sell your first three songs maybe, before putting your audience to sleep. You play for sleeping people from then on, which is a rather perplexing sight, considering the style's spiritual mission. Read on to know more about this otherwise quite charismatic and vile Brazilian sleep deprivation experiment.


Deathraiser gives ALL for the considerable joy of controlled inner destruction, and, luckily, the band has a very fine and profound - behold or kill the beauty of the paradox - sense of balance as far as presentation and production "needs". As noted, this album sounds filthy and vile, as a thrash album probably should. But it does not do anything else than accomplishing its goal of sounding filthy and vile right from its first second. The riffs, though showing the capacity to exist with a function, are very rudimentary and lack any form of elegance, and are born without exception from the mere intent to demand something out of those musical instruments by sheer muscle power. Sure, they will submit and give out to you some weird sonic entities reigning in a place between noise and music, but the pulse of the record is an entirely different matter, and also one this release shows extremely limited capacities at.

The plan on this here spin is to summon the same intense feel, but it has no more than two faces on this LP. Yes, I counted it. Twice. You have a speedy tempo, and a mid tempo. In the middle? In the middle you have the Magical Naked Guitar Riff, that shows itself around for half a bar or two, bowing down to the golden tradition of thrash. The vocalist is decent, his pitch-lacking spouting is swimming in the mix JUST at the right height, and, funnily enough, the solid, raw guitar solos tend to intercept you in an intentionally monumental fashion. Whenever they arrive, they command everything in the background, and then they state their respective verdicts.

The music, on the other hand, is so profoundly limited that the occasional tempo changes it shows some level of mercy with, all feel like a woman's touch after years in Hell's most imaginative prison. If very limited thrash is your cup of tea, then bring a gasoline can with you and fill it with this. If very limited thrash is not your cup of tea, then still give it a listen, because the sound of the album is pretty legit. All other stuff on it is : uhuh, thank you, come again.

Rating : 6.0 / 10

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Hokum - The Creation of Pain review

Year : 2011
Genre : Groove Thrash Metalcore
Label : GoodDamn Records
Origin : Germany
Rating : 6.0 / 10

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Though confusing it may sound, - pun just might be intended - German group Hokum thrashes emo metalcore with a groove. The record, though presenting the results of this experiment with such intense of a stare fixed on its own body that it very well could destruct a statue in a staredown contest, finds itself in a more and more difficult position to bring you elements worth scrutinizing as the spin approaches its middle grounds, having shown everything by that point that it is capable to show. Having shown everything it aspires to show.

Based on initial impressions you could form by watching the group's earlier - and great - work, one must suspect that the this time around extremely slimy metalcore component of this outing is incorporated into this otherwise gritty fabric to appeal to a wider audience, one fond at feeding on romantic angst, bitterness-comfort and routine-disillusionment, but the emo screaming and song structures demand a steep price now. They arrive and afflict, and tend to smuggle a bad taste in the mouth of the follow up full-paua groove that attempts to kick nearby asses nice and proper. With an introductory ado, this here record sounds to be tainted with over-emoted elements seeking to bow down to shortcuts not necessarily worth bowing down to. Read on to find more about the operational field of this relatively compromised, but doubtlessly decently presented delivery.



Hokum takes a Philip Anselmo mimicry, puts a pepperoni rocket in his ass, ignites the thing, and makes the host scream on top of well thought out and solidly presented grooves, riffs and whatnot. Grooves and riffs that, unfortunately, sound to have little connection with each other, a flaw that sounds to haunt this record persistently. The Creation of Pain indeed is worthy of its name, as you are forced to attempt to put a cautious foot on the musical fabric that does not sound to have any more agenda than to address its own urge to exhibit constant fluctuation. Your awareness is subjected to persistent bribery throughout this effort, as the band shoots doubtlessly well constructed, but, at heart, random musical stuff after random musical stuff at you, yet exceptionally strong riffs or grooves are nowhere to be found. They are not invited. All is administered so it is suitable to scream lines on top of, yet the one particular feeling the tracks are excelling masterfully at invoking, is that of a quiet state of secretive, bored confusion : one that makes you wonder what should you do with the well presented, but directionless masses of grooves and riffs that have no other evident function than to connect two emo sequences, while the exact, "verbatim", copied Philip Anselmo melodic lines are echoing in your head. Because you just have heard them being stolen. Again. Note-to-note, bend-to-bend theft, dude.

Groove gets traded for a riff, a riff gets squashed by a groove, then a slimy pile of emo metalcore snot-covered ball of contagious radioactive urine - which is not good for your health at all, mind you - bitchslaps you silly and you are forced to reset your awareness before reaching the point of no return. The instrumental elements easily are the best aspects of this spin, as the record produces a wide, weighty sound, and the riffs and grooves have the noticeable will to try and render life, but they do not know each other, and, as such, they remain riffs and grooves with autonomous, respective charisma and dignity, seeking partners, but they never quite seem to find one, on this spin. Hokum gives you musical idea on top of musical idea, and the common denominator of these is NOT a well structured conception to connect those, but Philip Anselmo's mimicry, addressing his favorite frustrations to date. Not a bad album. Worse : mediocre.

Rating : 6.0 / 10

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