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Well, this was a bit of a surprise. I let this one rot a bit because the name made me think more of a Gothic or other symphonic female-fronted band, but this is actually old school Thrash – not just that, but this band formed way back in 1993, though their first album came out in 1999.

Bay Area meets German Thrash here. I hear hints of Metallica, Slayer and Kreator on this, never really ripping off anyone but rather blending all of those and throwing their own little signature into the mix. Is this original? Not really. This is mid-80s Thrash just the way I like it: Raw, simple, unpretentious, and it just plain kicks ass. Forget about any "modern" influences here – unlike many older bands releasing Thrash albums today, Fatal Embrace have steered clear of the "groove Thrash" stuff and other annoyances and really just stuck to the sound of the early days of Thrash. This is one of those albums that wouldn't have felt out of place if it had been released in 1985.

Some songs are downright fast and aggressive, a headbanger's dream come true, some are more on the catchy side while steering clear of a commercial sound, and of course you have the little acoustic-style, slow melodic passages that you could expect from the likes of Metallica back in the days (before they started sucking.) So no surprises here, just some well-played old school Thrash for those who want (need?) to hear it from a band formed more than five years ago. The album ends with a pretty cool cover of Iron Maiden's "Killers" served with a slightly Thrash sauce, but still recognizable. Now if you'll excuse me, my head's banging by itself again.