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It's been a while since I got an album from a band out of Costa Rica. Höwler is yet another band that worships the '80s, and thrash is the name of the game here, the guys obviously praying at the altar of Bay Area thrash from the mid to late '80s - mainly Exodus and Testament - and there's a Canadian influence as well as I hear some Annihilator in there, especially when things get more aggressive. It's often crushingly heavy, maybe heavier than what many if not all of those bands did back then and, while there's a dark and sinister component to their songs, here and there they slip into more of a party-thrash vibe reminiscent of some crossover thrash bands. Just enough to keep things friendly, but really Höwler stick mostly to crushing heaviness, speed and destruction while getting a little technical on occasion. It's a busy album and it didn't grab me right away, but after 3-4 listens I was hooked. Lots of fun and carnage to be had with this one.