ROCKET REVIEW: LAZARUS A.D. – The Onslaught (CD)

Lazarus A.D.

We are in the midst of a new modern force in heavy metal music. Southeastern Wisconsin Thrash act Lazarus A.D. has released a perfectly explosive debut album via Metal Blade Records entitled The Onslaught, having been mixed by legendary producer James Murphy of Testament fame, and contains ten seriously rocking songs, overlaid with shred-style lead guitar work, that are clearly trying to out do the previous tracks in full-frenzied chaos. Lazarus A.D. effectively proves with a sledge hammer slug to your head why they are a clear harken back to a young Metallica, before Cliff Burton perished and true Thrash metal as we knew and loved it ended. This is just one of those rare albums that gets your head banging uncontrollably, from the grooving like a twister opener “Last Breath” to the final note of the miraculous “Thou Shall Not Fear”. What I find even more compelling is that they can go from sounding Progressive to Death Metal back to Classic Thrash without making it all a mess. In terms of the overall songwriting, these guys know what they are doing and hit hard with every riff and beat. “The Onslaught Pt. 2 – Rebirth” and “Lust” are the highlights, finally bringing back some old school sounding Thrash/Groove to my speakers. After listening to The Onslaught, I really feel in my gut that this is a special band, mainly because this studio record reminds me so much of the killer tunes I grew up on from way back in the early days.