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Legendary Bay-area Thrash vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza's Hatriot is back with their second full-length album, Dawn of the New Centurion, barely a year after the debut, Heroes of Origin, was released in January 2013. Apparently the quick turnaround time can be partly attributed to a lack of touring opportunities in 2013, something you can read about in Souza's second interview with our own Luxi Lahtinen. Rather than sit around waiting for things to happen, Souza gathered the band back in the studio for a new record as way to keep the momentum going for the band.

Dawn of the New Centurion, understandably, picks up where Heroes of Origin left off; classic Bay-area Thrash Metal with absolutely no groove bullshit. It is, once again, hardly a surprise that Hatriot sounds a lot like 80s-era Exodus, from the punishing riffs to the blistering solos and socially-themed lyrics. Souza sounds as good as ever and the man actually seems to be getting better with age. Tracks like "Silence in the House of the Lord," "Dawn of the New Centurion" and the tongue-twisting "Superkillafragsadisticactsaresoatrocious" have the sort of catchy choruses, to go along with their pounding rhythms, that made 80s Thrash so popular. Like Heroes of Origin, and maybe a bit more so due to the short amount of time for writing, Dawn of the New Centurion can get a bit monotonous and the songs start to blend together after a few listens. This makes it a little less impactful than the debut but with Thrash this good, it's a minor beef.

Now with two strong Hatriot records under his belt, I guess it is no surprise that, as of this writing, Souza is back in Exodus for a third tour. According to the reports, Hatriot will continue and maybe we'll end up with two solid Thrash bands for the price of one. Either way, throw on your Pleasures of the Flesh t-shirt and give Dawn of the New Centurion a spin.