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Good Thrash Metal can be hard to come by these days. We either get dinosaurs plodding out their latest "Thrash attempts" (Metallica, Slayer, I'm looking at you), or we get bands stabbing chances at reclaiming the feel of the Bay Area glory days. I guess the Germans have a knack to thrashing though; look no further than acts such as Sodom or Destruction, both fantastic acts of the German scene. Paradox follow suit and flat out smoke. Now this is my first taste of Paradox (I know, I know these guys have a history of acclaimed releases), and I have to admit I like what I'm hearing, these guys boast some impressive riffs, both immersive melodic riffs and naughtily heavy. Another plus is that their singer sounds something like James Hetfield would have around 1984 – had he had balls. What I really like is that Paradox sound both undeniably classic and relevant to the scene in the modern day. Really this is damn cool and utterly compelling – Megadeth did a similar thing with their latest release although that shouldn't be seen as a direct comparison, mainly a similarity.

Like all good Thrash albums this pretty much thrashes its way to the finish line, never tripping over any filler or abruptly out of place instrumentals – these guys don't have time for any sissy ballads either. "Suburban Riot Squad" starts as it means to go on, punishing you with a damn fine thrashing. Spewing forth vicious riffs left right and centre "Hollow Peace" opens up with a shit-hot intro, merely a simple thing yet incredibly effective due to an insane guitar tone and excellent production courtesy of vocalist and guitarist Charly Steinhauer. Mixing and mastering comes courtesy of Achim K&oul;hler (Amon Amarth, Accept, and many more releases) so you know you're in good hands on the sound-front. "Riptide" literally rips you apart with one of the meanest riffs I've heard in a good while. Some of my other choice picks from the album include the furious "No Place to Survive", blink and you'll miss it. "Planet Terror" has a nice almost progressive feel to it, some interesting guitar work going on here too.

Overall a great release and something Thrash Metal fans should check out. Ticking all the right boxes Riot Squad should be on every sensible metal heads wish list; aggressive yet melodic at the same time, a sweet sound and some great musicianship. Recommended.