San Francisco Bay Area thrashers HATRIOT, which features former EXODUS frontman Steve “Zetro” Souza in its lineup, have released their debut album entitled Heroes Of Origin, officially throwing their hat into the thrash metal ring. Packed with ten songs aimed to crush its listener into submission, the album was produced by Juan Urteaga (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS, TESTAMENT) and includes guest appearances by none other than TESTAMENT’s Chuck Billy and MACHINE HEAD’s guitar shredder Phil Demmel.
I have always been a big an of Zetro from his days in EXODUS. To me, he’s always had one of the most underrated voices in thrash and though this material definitely hits close to the Fabulous Disaster era at times, it’s nonetheless cool to hear him deep in his element once again. Beyond enjoying the intensity of his raspy, Bon Scott of thrash vocal delivery the band itself is not chopped liver either. The guitar attack of Kosta Varvatakis and Miguel Esparza kicks some serious ass in a heroic manner for sure. The first three tracks “Suicide Run”, “Weapons Of Class Destruction” and “Murder American Style” are peppered with heart-racing tempos and a steady as Captain American rhythm section deliverd by none other than Zetro’s own real life sons. The blast-beat drumming by Nicholas Souza is on par with anyone else playing on the scene today and the bass handled by Cody Souza anchors it all down perfectly for me. I must admit that hearing an old timer like Zetro throw it down with his own two boys increases the cool factor for me quite a bit.
In the end, I test an album on whether or not I can put it on from start to finish a few times in the first day and then be able to do more listens the next without skipping songs. Heroes of Origin passes that test with no problem. The highlight of the record for me is “The Violent Time Of My Dark Passenger”. Totally brutal and without a doubt Zetro’s vocal ferocity has not dimmed in the slightest. I think old fans of EXODUS will be pleased with the output here, and the new generation of thrash listeners will be blown away by thrash done properly.
ROCKET REVIEW: HATRIOT
[starreview tpl=16]
“Heroes of Origin” (CD)
(Massacre Records/2013)
1. Suicide Run
2. Weapons Of Class Destruction
3. Murder American Style
4. Blood Stained Wings
5. The Violent Time Of My Dark Passenger
6. Globicidal
7. And Your Children To Be Damned
8. The Mechanics Of Annihilation
9. Shadows Of The Buried
10. Heroes Of Origin
http://www.hatriotmetal.com/
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