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At last a first full-length for these Canadian thrashers who have also been busy on the road these past couple of years. I saw them for the second time this past April and their live performance – which was already good when I first saw them back in 2008 – is more professional, tighter and energetic as hell. This also applies to this first album when compared to their two EPs. Of course the sound is better here, and this includes a few songs that made it here from the EPs. The new compositions are in the same vein as their previous material, but with more mature songwriting without sacrificing the band's raw, crossover-style sound with its charming slight "garage band" vibe. The vocals are kind of crossover-ish, but if crossover-style vocals turn you off then don't run away just yet as the style is thrashy enough. Some vocal passages are so-so, but overall quite good. Their style is quite basic – nothing fancy, no showing off, just plain raw headbangable Thrash. Mid-80s crossover Thrash is where these guys are at, though they have their own little thing going and this doesn't sound like rehashed stuff either.

Overall, a very good debut and hopefully the first of many for Rusted Dawn. I wish this was all new songs, but at least they picked some of the best stuff. Simple, raw, non-overloaded Thrash for those who prefer it that way.