MEZZROW is a Thrash Metal band from Sweden, which released a full length in 1990 titled “Then Came The Killing”. Hammerheart Records released a 2 CD edition which includes the full length on CD 1 and three of their demos (“Frozen Soul”, “The Cross of Tormention” and “Demo 1991”) on CD 2. This is completely remastered and restored and frankly sounds kick-ass. MEZZROW takes me immediately to two bands, EXODUS and TESTAMENT. Track # 2 of the album ‘Ancient Terror’ is like a classic EXODUS track with butt-kicking solos and a tight rhythm section. I’m positive when MEZZROW put this out, it got lost within the mountain of Thrash Metal releases back then. No, I wasn’t listening to Metal then, but I can see how such a release can easily get buried. I’m quite glad to be listening to this remastered and re-done version. The instruments have been given their own space. Each track has a set pattern and follows the traditional songwriting approach, there’s a structural approach to the angst here. The vocals are Thrash – perfect, the music is aggressive, your typical 90s Thrash with a good sense of melody across their entire album. As I keep listening to track after track, I realize the band has actually put out a decent full length, the riffs are sharp and quick, the complimentary drumming is perfect (the tone sure is!) and the vocalist fits in like a glove with the aforementioned aspects. Is this the real deal? To me, it sounds like it. More than anything “Then Came The Killing” is the perfect in-car-companion to me. I wish I saw them live back in the day, there’s nothing here to provide any reason for any Thrash fan to discard this, rather, the album gives you plenty of reasons for repeat-playing. I wouldn’t rush and label this generic because MEZZROW doesn’t really change the rules of the game, however, they play the game to perfection here. I quite enjoyed this version released by Hammerheart Records. It gives a complete picture of the band. The first disc establishes the band’s intentions fully and the demos give a good glimpse into the timeline leading to the full length. At the end of the day, the riffs are straightforward but executed brilliantly, the songwriting is more or less straight out of the Thrash Metal handbook. That being said, MEZZROW’s energy and their kickass solos are sufficient reason to play this at full volume. The “Frozen Soul” demo is particularly charming! It is raw and twice as enjoyable. The first two tracks on this demo made it to the full length i.e. ‘Frozen Soul’ and ‘Prevention Necessary’, but the versions here sound better to my ears. Anyway, I quite like this release and kudos to Hammerheart for executing this project perfectly. This is a good middle of the road and enjoyable slab of Thrash Metal. If you haven’t heard MEZZROW earlier, this is the version you must check out. For more information, please visit: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063660608341, www.facebook.com/hammerheartrecords