|
|
|
|
Pushing almost twenty years without releasing an album, and having only two full length releases under their belt, Heathen have returned with their third full-length release The Evolution Of Chaos. The band claims to have spent years crafting the music on this album, and it really shows, as this release is [at the time of this review] an album that could easily be placed as a contendor for album of the year. The music on this album is spectacular and captures everything that Thrash is and should be about, with pounding songs that have no set time limit and are as fresh to listen to no matter how many times the album is spun.
Right from the start, The Evolution Of Chaos will have you holding on for dear life once "Dying Season" kicks in from the very suiting "Intro" that gives a bit of an Egyptian feel right before it bleeds into pure madness. The band has clearly put a lot of effort into the music, as each song on here is just a nonstop thrill ride with spectacular guitars and drumming, and a very impressive vocal performance that puts many of today's releases in this style to shame, much like what appears on the aforementioned "Dying Season." Aside from that, the band also throws some slower material into the mix, like the track "No Stone Unturnned," which allows you to start taking a few breaths.
At that point is when the album starts to slow its pace down for a bit, which luckily is not a bad thing. Matter of fact, these tracks hold as much of an impact as the faster paced tracks since the band really homes in on making these stick out more for the heaviness involved, as well as overall atmosphere, then just speed and intensity. The only track here on the whole release that will start to get a little old is "Fade Away," which just comes off a bit too light and generic. "A Hero's Welcome," however, greatly makes up for it and is absolutely fantastic thanks to the middle ages feel you get courtesy of the guitar riffs used, making it seem like you're a knight looking out at an inevitable battle field. But, that's not the only track. "Red Tears of Disgrace" does the same thing, except instead of a medieval feel, you get a feeling of remorse and war.
Heathen may have disappeared for a while, but there's no rust on the metal here. The Evolution Of Chaos is easily one of the best Thrash albums released as of late, falling just short of perfection due to one song that is still enjoyable, just not quite as good as the rest of the album. Clearly the down time and extra long production schedule for this release was well worth it. With a good mixture of heaviness, atmosphere, and sheer intensity, this is a must own release for any person who calls themself a Metal fan.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Intro |
| 2. Dying Season |
| 3. Control by Chaos |
| 4. No Stone Unturned |
| 5. Arrows of Agony |
| 6. Fade Away |
| 7. A Hero's Welcome |
| 8. Undone |
| 9. Bloodkult |
| 10. Red Tears of Disgrace |
| 11. Silent Nothingness |
: 1:08:34
| Buy other Heathen albums |
