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After a long wait from the enjoyable Order Of The Illuminati, Agent Steel strike back with their best album to date. Now three albums into their second life, this California mainstay shows no signs of stopping or even slowing down. Their fifth studio album, Alienigma, fulfills the promise they have been flashing since Omega Conspiracy.

Once more the band arrests with their careening Thrash riffage, heavy-as-fuck guitars, and Bruce Hall's powerful vocals. This is just as hard-hitting as the kinetic Order…, but I think the songwriting on here is much more consistent, with no drop-off in quality after the first half of the disc. "Fashioned From Dust" is a killer opener, and they follow it with more rulage like "Wash The Planet Clean" and "Hybridized". The performances are excellent, with some really ripping leads. Hall has improved even more from the last album, and his clean, hard-edged voice is a highlight of Alienigma.

Fans of the band's vintage works may never be happy, but fans of any sort of metal will find much to like here. Thrash heaviness mixed with Trad Metal hooks and precise playing make Alienigma easily one of the best albums this year. Recommended.