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A loooong time ago a guy named Tom Gattis was in a band called Tension that released several albums that I have heard good things about, but have never heard. Ballistic is the current project by this guy and his pals, and a more old-school thrash record has not been released since the days when you didn't have to refer to it as "old-school".

Musically this is rock solid thrash with killer riffs and excellent production. You get more crunch than in a box of shredded wheat with this puppy. The musicianship is very good, and the leads are first rate. I have some issues with the vocals on this CD though. They aren't bad, but they are a little yammery – like a cross between Sean Killian (of Vio-Lence) and Steve Souza (Exodus). On some songs the vocals are more harsh and shouted, and these sound better, but when he sings…uhhhh. He doesn't sound too good. Mostly my gripe is that the vocals are not usually as aggressive as the music, and sometimes sound silly. I don't want to give the impression that they ruin the album, because they don't, but vocal nitpickers will not care for them. The lyrics are pretty universally stupid, as you can probably tell from the song titles, it's a fun kind of stupid though.

This may not be a classic for the ages, but it is a lot of fun, and will keep your head banging like few other albums can these days. If you miss the old days of Vio-Lence, Testament and Exodus, then this CD is something you need to get. You may not respect yourself in the morning, but you'll bang your head like a mongoloid while this is cranked.