DARKNESS belongs to the Thrash Metal bands from Germany that were good but were in the shadow of the big 3. They were for me on the level of DEATHROW, ASSASSIN or PROTECTOR. I really like their debut album and the follow-up a lot . Then, something happened and their album “Conclusion & Revival” was really a let down. Also I could not take the change in vocalist. That album was a reason the band faded into obscurity for a long time. Then they appeared with changed name and even released an album with that new name of EURE ERBEN in 2010. Again, this passed out of many Thrashers radar. Then, as it is happening with many old Thrash bands, they decided it was time to revive the band. Basically only two band members of the old days and a couple of new guys to fill in. They recorded an EP to tease the waters, and I recall hearing the reworked version for one of my fave songs, ‘Burial At Sea’. And what I heard was good. Then it was time for them to do a new album, so we have it here. “The Gasoline Solution” is actually more what I was expecting after “Defenders Of Justice” although some 28 years later. I still have some issues with the new vocalist as I miss Olli’s (RIP) style of growling, but he tries to keep a similar style. Music wise, they are a very competent Thrash Metal band, they know to keep it fast and attractive at the same time, and even if what is presented here has been done to the death, they still deliver it with conviction and easily is a lot better than most Thrash Metal bands releasing things today (SLAYER, KREATOR, DESTRUCTION and all retro Thrash bands). Compared to some of the bands of the same time that have been resurrected like EXUMER or ASSASSIN, this is way superior. The cover art shows a cartoony drawing that might suggest more of a party Thrash band, but no, they are covering more social issues than beer drinking heroics. A very good return, comparable with the return of PROTECTOR who also did it right. www.facebook.com/darknessdeathsquad, www.hrrecords.de