Guitarist Patrick Hagmann had this to say about the new record: "[We] have always been about diversity, about combining all of our unique musical tastes. ... Expect some more melody, some experimentation, but also some old-school Thrash vibes." A singular microcosm of this is "Accelerate or Die," featuring fellow countrymen Schmier and Mike Sifringer of Destruction. The song looks forward as much as it reflects the past and the whole bloody thing works! Overall the album is well-paced and sonically varied with Jacob Hansen's crystal clear production. Vocals are credited to three men and this explains why there seems to be so many different voices, all of which are solid. A sound akin to the thick, bass-heavy riffing from Load/Reload is also used well.

Nothing too brutal appears in spite of what the press release might suggest, though plentiful but not excessive melodic and atmospheric elements are effective in producing an excellent and complete album. Keyboards appear throughout, courtesy of Anubis Gates' Kim Oelsen (who?), and can be rather distracting ("Gates to Nowhere" invokes 80s European hair metal). This is a minor gripe but we were told there'd be some experimentation so go with it. The instrumental title track is easily the most majestic song present, running a rather full gamut of musical styles and being just as catchy and representative of the album as a whole. Bravo, gentlemen. Interesting, yet again.

written by Tony Belcher

Playing time: 56.56