• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Ever since he left Tad Morose over seven years ago, frontman Urban Breed has been looking for just the right new venue for his talents. He's turned up on a few Bloodbound albums, joined Pyramaze (without yet recording anything with them), and in general seemed to be a wandering vocal hero. No one can deny that his powerful voice and inimitable talent for vocal melodies were highlights of every recording he has graced, and I have been impatiently waiting for him to find the right vehicle for them.

Trail of Murder seems to be a project put together to do just that. Featuring Breed on vocals, as well as some old compatriots from Bloodbound and Tad Morose, this surprise is twelve full tracks of exactly what this man does best – heavy, catchy metal with his signature vocal hooks and lyrical complexity. If you love albums like Tabula Rasa and Modus Vivendi then this is an unlooked-for and unreserved pleasure from beginning to end. Without having to adapt his style to an existing band, Breed is able to stretch out and do his thing without anything else in the way.

That said, this does not quite hit the highs of some of his old work, and there is nothing here to match the complex delights of songs like "Take on the World" or "Afraid to Die", though prime cuts like "Carnivore" and "Your Silence" come pretty close. Too much of this album plays it too safely, with verse/chorus structures and not enough density to the compositions to really highlight the clarity of the vocals. Part of what made Breed's work with Tad Morose so compelling was the interplay of dense, heavy music with his clean, sharp vocal lines. This album follows the vocals, and that leads to a slightly weaker overall album. Still, a highly listenable debut, and I hope this isn't just a one-off.