Right off the bat, you gotta love the cover artwork via ‘Rok’. It fits stylistically with the music contained in this, the latest release from ARCHAIC THORN. Immediately, you will hear plenty of GOSPEL OF HORNS and perhaps DESTROYER 666. Another positive element is that vocalist ‘M.F.’ has a prominent Tom Warrior growl, but with a much more pronounced delivery. With that being said, you really gotta dig the songwriting here. As a three-piece band, you know that you have to fill the space sound-wise, and each member puts in a dynamic effort. Take the time to absorb each song, including the vocal delivery, the bass with just a hint of twang to be noticed, and the drummer, who has plenty to say on this matter. Besides me being happy about the bass guitar being heard, I feel the drummer gets the accolades. The album as a whole is pretty relentless, not pure speed, but a heavy Death Metal speed. On Metal Archives, they are listed as Death Metal, but you will hear a Thrash element with touches of Black Metal as well. So you are getting a varied assault for your hard-earned money. The production is solid and allows all the instruments to shine. I took the time to listen to their prior full-length, and while stylistically they are the same, the production and songwriting have been upped a notch for their latest endeavor. If I do have one negative to speak of is that three of the songs are over six minutes and can drag ever so slightly. The vocalist is not particularly varied in his approach, so maybe with some trimming of the fat, a more impactful delivery can be achieved. So while not a deal-breaker by any means, I’m sure I will find this on my rotation more often than not. Take a look for yourselves. www.archaicthorn.de, www.facebook.com/hrrecords