• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Hubris Inc. is the fourth full-length from California Thrashers Anger As Art. The band plays it old school with energetic and aggressive compositions that hearken back to the heyday of Thrash in the mid 80s. Singer Steve Gaines was the vocalist on Abbatoir's 1985 debut Vicious Attack so there's no arguing with Anger As Art's pedigree. Gaines growls and screams and the rest of the band throw themselves into the songs with reckless abandon. This stuff is tailored for the pit. There are a couple of glaring weaknesses on Hubris Inc. The first is the drum sound. The rest of the instruments sound decent but the drums have that Black Metal "plastic" sound, especially on the faster parts. Then there are a couple of tracks that feature questionable vocals. The "ooooo-ahhh, ooooo-ahhh's" on "Head of the Snake" sounds foolish and the guest vocals of Betsy Weiss, singer of 80s holdover Bitch, on the track "Rage and Retribution," don't fit at all. Betsy's lost a bit over the years and her singing really detracts from what is otherwise a decent song. The flaws are obvious and occasionally painful, but Hubris Inc. doesn't try to be anything that it isn't and that is refreshing.