‘Eternal Nightmare’ and ‘Frolic Through The Park’ were my first foray into Bay Area thrash and still easily in my favourite albums list. Perhaps owing to nostalgia, but also because I really enjoyed them. I could bore or regale you with tales of how I spent 5 years trying to find a copy of ‘Nothing To Gain’ and easily three times as long to eventually get a copy of ‘Torture Tactics’, but that would just solidify the fact that this review may be a little biased.
Sure, Sean Killian’s vocals may not be everyone’s come of tea, but I’ve always thought his unique cadences and voice have been a standout feature, as are his lyrics. Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn’s guitar-manship was exemplary and I loved Deen Dell’s clearly audible bass in the mixes along with Perry Stickland managing to keep the weird timing signatures flowing throughout. Robb and Deen have been replaced by Bobby Gustafson and Christian Olde Wolbers in the new line-up and thankfully the latter is still just as audible as his predecessor.
The five track EP opens with “Flesh from Bone”, and it is immediately evident you are listening to Vio-Lence as the quick bass run is accompanied by Phil and Bobby’s guitars and Perry’s impeccable footwork, as well as Sean’s non-standard vocal patterns follow their own trajectory over the verses and choruses, he even adds a couple never before used growls in there.
The extremely fast vocals on “Screaming Always” are accompanied by rapidly changing riffs and punchy drums hits that slow down to flowing rolls over melodic guitars before the pace picks up once more for the lead solos.
“Upon Their Cross” give us a nice and almost gentle chugging rhythm, and Sean’s vocals have a lot more gravel and low tones to their delivery. That doesn’t mean the song doesn’t head for some blistering crescendos during the lead break or that Sean’s vocals don’t hit those high notes, but the song does go for heaviness over speed.
At the other end of the spectrum, “Gato Negro” goes straight for the jugular with Christian’s rapid rumble being pounded over by Perry’s snare before the fast choppy rhythm guitars come in, only to be joined by Sean spitting out his nasal chorus.
The title track, “Let the World Burn” is fast and extremely aggressive, with the vocals keeping their own timing signature rather than always following either the drums or guitars. I’m still in two minds whether I really enjoy or dislike the spoken lyrics over the minimalist guitar but am definitely very happy with the leads when everything comes back in with full force, along with the fact that everything just keeps building until the last bar of the song.
I thoroughly enjoyed this short EP, as if there was any doubt I would, and have had my appetite whet for the follow-up EP they are hoping to record and release by year end.
(9/10 Marco Gaminara)
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