Not exactly a new release as it was issued in Australia back in 2000, but due to the fact that the band is currently putting the final touches to their forthcoming album (on Barbarian Wrath Records in Germany) and considering the quality of the music, I had no choice but to write about this one. SITHLORD hail from Australia, the land of Metal without compromises, far away from trends. No surprise then that “Labyrinth To The Gods” turned out to be so godly. In fact, if you are a fan of old DESTRUCTION and KREATOR, you better stop reading this and go buy the album without delay, because SITHLORD resurrect with success the golden age when these two German bands ruled supreme over the Euro-Thrash kingdom. No wonder then that the Aussies borrow some characteristics from the ancient Metal Gods, for instance their logo resemble very much to the DESTRUCTION one (I mean, the typesetting is the same), and the title track made me heavily think about the song ‘Death Trap’, included in the “Infernal Overkill” classic album. Add to this the voice of guitarist / vocalist Saundies (also involved in ATOMIZER), which shares strong similarities with those of Mille Petrozza and Schmier, and I guess you will understand fairly well what SITHLORD are about. “Labyrinth To The Gods” is more a MCD than anything else, because it only offers five real tracks (including the rough mix of a song from their new album, out in July 2002 if all goes well), but what excellent ones they are! SITHLORD have a way to write catchy songs, and you can easily forget the over hyped Swedish Neo-Thrash because SITHLORD are the real thing you know. The music let out menacing overtones like in the days Death Metal was still an mere extension of Thrash. Don’t hesitate to listen to SITHLORD, they made my day and they could make yours too, no joke! This is an essential release, and be sure I will keep you posted on the new one as soon as possible! Meanwhile, contact Barbarian Wrath Records at www.barbarianwrath.org to order this CD and also to visit one of the most interesting label websites I have seen until now, simply because it is less about selling stuff than to share a devouring passion for music. You will be welcomed by the Barbarian himself, Blackgoat, who is a fast and reliable bloke, and above all a true fan of pure Metal.