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Massacre is a name that should be familiar to most Death Metal fans, as they've been around since the very start and have a history as storied as it is messy. They've had a flurry of breakups and comebacks over the decades, and the fittingly titled Resurgence is the result of their latest return. Thankfully, it also serves as a return to form for one of the oldest Death Metal acts still working.

Despite featuring only two members of the original lineup (Kam Lee on vocals and Mike Borders on bass), Resurgence sees the band sticking to their old formula of brutal, ancient Death Metal equipped with a crisp, heavy guitar tone and Kam's distinctive growls, only the guitar work in particular contains more melody and depth than before. The real selling point, of course, is Kam's return to the helm, and his presence makes this sound more like a proper Massacre reunion than Back from Beyond. That's not to say Edwin Webb did a poor job, far from it, he's just not the proper fit for this band and, really, how do you compete with the guy who basically invented the death growl?

Having the basic Massacre sound back wouldn't mean much if they were phoning it in, but this album is full of songs that remind you what made this band so great. Album opener "Eldritch Prophecy" sets the tone with a haunting intro that gives way to crushing heaviness, Kam's ghoulish vocals, and some surprisingly melodic solo work to top it off. Other standouts include the mind shattering "Ruins of R'Lyeh" and the creepy album highlight "Book of the Dead", featuring a guest appearance from Morgoth singer Marc Grewe and being elevated in quality because of it. But honestly, there aren't any weak tracks to be found on here, and every single one proves that even if they can't quite match their glory days, Massacre can still kick your ass down a vortex of blood and death with the best of them. Mandatory for any fan of this legendary Death Metal act.