Destruction-D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.
(Candlelight Records, 2008)

While I have been a fan of the albums Destruction has released since their reunion, this latest album from the band seems a bit lackluster to me at times. The opening title track is a complete barn burner with the added bonus of a guest solo by Vinnie Moore. There are definitely some gems throughout the album yet some of the album just seems to be more of the same. There also seems to be a bit less emphasis on speed and to me Destruction has always been at their best when they are playing faster.

Because of the lack of speed a lot of the album takes on an almost hard rock meets thrash feel. That in itself isn't a bad thing, but the midtempo songs don't seem to have the same spark as the fast moments. This is one of those albums where the good song are really good and the rest of the songs are just kind of there. They have their moments yet they don't really stick in your head after they finish. Whether it is due to slightly more cliche riffing styles during these moments or the aforementioned lack of speed, it's tough to say.

This is a solid Destruction album but at the end of the day, it simply is just another Destruction album. For the diehard fans there are definitely songs on here that make the album worth picking up. Give the album a chance, but don't expect to be blow away. Destruction can do better than this and hopefully the next album will return to the solid track to track albums we expect from the band normally.

Holy Moses-Agony of Death
(SPV USA, 2008)

Holy Moses are a band that have been together for a very long time yet they still never get the praise they truly deserve. While bands have been reforming and trying their best to relive their glory years, this long running German band has been kicking ass with hardly a small stumble along the way. This is a thrash band that knows how to play thrash and despite a few modern elements, this is a classic thrash album through and through.

With thrash currently becoming a parody of what it once was and bands adopting the look of the genre but really missing the point musically, a band like Holy Moses really stands out as one of the few bands playing the genre how it was meant to be played, fast and vicious yet with memorable riffs and an exuburant youthful energy. The genre can be fun without having to use ridiculous and cliche lyrics. When did the genre turn into a genre exclusively about mutants, surfing and moshing? This album shows what thrash metal should sound like in 2008.

This is a perfect example of a long running band taking their classic sound adding in a few modern elements and making and an album that destroys 99% of the similar albums released this year thus far. If you are a fan of thrash you need to hear this album.

Behead the Lamb-Messiahlation
(Trip Machine Laboratories/Glacial Records, 2008)

In a time when heavy music is becoming more and more about image and having the right cliches in your music to be "hip", Behead the Lamb is a band that wants absolutely nothing to do with the joke that American death metal is slowly turning into. With a few members of All Out War and Nerve Gas Tragedy in their ranks, it is no suprirse that Behead the Lamb is an aggressive speed driven band, yet this is still quite different than what those two bands are known for.

While shades of metallic hardcore do come through at times, this is a death metal album through and through. The best description I could think of would be a cross between All Out War and Bolt Thrower. The rolling rhythmic riffs and charging drum beats give the music a very Bolt Thrower like sound then the thrash and hardcore influences come in and it just makes the sound even more bulldozing. There was a time when death metal wasn't known for flash and this is an album that recalls that time with flying colors. If your defintion of classic death metal includes mention of the classic album released by Earache , this is definitely an album for you.

It is particularly discouraging for me to compare this to Bolt Thrower when I know the vast majority of the newer death metal fans have next to no idea who Bolt Thrower is and what they did for the death metal genre. Thankfully the members of Behead the Lamb are well versed in the history of death metal and have written a 6 song album that doesn't really take the genre to any new places and for that I commend them. Death metal is about power and aggression, not sweep picking and swoop haircuts.

Those Who Bring the Torture-Tank Gasmask Ammo
(Pulverised Records, 2008)

I'm a huge fan of old school and dirty death metal, so as soon as the first song built up momentum I was already digging this album. Combine Mentally Murdered era Napalm Death with a vicious old school Swedish assault and you basically have Those Who Bring the Torture. There are a few surprises along the way but the majority of the album is built on rapid fire riffing, incredibly thick vocals, and a straight forward yet rock solid rhythm section.

You would think an album of this nature would mostly revolve around speed, yet it doesn't. Don't get me wrong this is a fast album, yet the band isn't afraid to try different tempos and at that even different styles of blasting. A slightly more mid-tempo approach shows itself in a number of songs, with All Hail the Goat being the song that most displays this side of the band. If you want speed it is definitely still here. Riders On the Mushroomcloud is a fast song that shows the bands knack for penning catchy riffs and catchy vocal patterns. It's simplistic in nature but the end result is fantastic.

Tank Gasmask Ammo certainly doesn't take the death metal genre anywhere it hasn't been in the past and whether or not that is a good thing depends on your attitude towards the current state of death metal. For me old school flavored death metal is much more appealing than the vast majority of newer death metal bands. So yes, you have heard similar bands in the past but the band is quite good at what they do and this is an album I could highly recommend to any death metal fan.

Malas-Conquest
(Maldito Records, 2006)

This is an album that has been out for a few years now and while I normally don't review older albums this is just too damn good to not review. Malas are a Chicago based death metal band that draw from the old school of both thrash and death metal. Chugging thrash like riffs butt head with rapid fire death metal riffs, all backed by tremendous energy and barked vocals. Think Slayer meets Celtic Frost with a bit of German thrash thrown in for good measure.

The band keeps the songs rather short and to the point and the 10 song album is over in 26 minutes which is comparable to the same ferocity and length as Reign in Blood. It's been mentioned countless times but Reign in Blood is pretty much the ideal length for a metal album and for me 30 minutes is perfect for an extreme metal album. Anything longer and the songs tend to lose focus and begin to sound the same. This is a fast moving and energetic slab of dark metal that shows a band that truly knows the roots of death metal and focuses on the strengths of the genre.

There are countless albums from unknown bands that are much better than the albums that receive more exposure and that is certainly the case here. This is a band that you probably haven't even heard of, but they have written an album that has a timeless metal feel and is vastly superior to a number of similar bands releasing music on well known metal albums. If you are a fan of thrash and dark old school death metal this is an album that you need to hear.