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German thrashers Necronomicon, much like their country mates in Assassin, Darkness, Protector or Living Death, have never really reached the same level as Kreator, Destruction or Sodom, success-wise. They are always been left in the shadows of their "big brothers", despite having formed in 1984 and released nine full-length studio albums so far. The band's ninth album is called Unleashed Bastards, and it's a good/very good album compared to the band's discography.

These thrashers from Lörrach, Baden-Württemberg have returned back to their thrash metal roots, after the more heavy metal-rooted Pathfinder ... album, which was a relatively solid release but lacked some of the thrash elements these German pioneers have become known for. This twelve-song effort isn't a 100% thrash metal album all the way through but also offers an ear-friendly package of great melodies, an intriguing selection of variety with enough hooks and sometimes Freddy's ability to sing in a heavy metal-ish way, as well as other musical goodies. The first two songs, "Burn and Fall" and "Leave the Lights on," and the last three, "Religion Live Fast," "Personal Enemy" and "The Nightmare Continues" are the kind of songs that represent them at their best and most entertaining when they decide to use more of their thrash gear.

The album is more than 50 minutes in length, which still feels like there's too much stuff to tackle through. Reducing the number of their songs to 7-9 songs per album would be more optimal and work better for them, I believe. Their last album, Pathfinder ... was almost 70 minutes long, so perhaps I am just complaining in vain now.

Unleashed Bastards is a clear step up from their previous work, Pathfinder ..., so give this a chance if you enjoy your thrash the German way.