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I have to be careful with this review. Tonic Breed is a Norwegian Thrash band that plays in the style of the late 80s/early 90s when Groove was starting to get prevalent. The band's second album, Outsold, opens with a straight-up Thrash song in "Strife", a speedy number with sharp riffing and staccato vocals. Along with the next song "Fifth Estate", I thought I was in for a South of Heaven revival. Then "Bad Company" rolls around and the vocals change to a low, emotive rumble worthy of black album-era James Hetfield or Glenn Danzig. The brakes are applied to the tempos and the grooves ramped up. Finally, we get the angry, shouted riffs and a little more speed combined with the grooves and I thought someone had slipped me some outtakes from Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power.

Now for why I have to be careful. I don't like South of Heaven, Metallica or Vulgar Display of Power so I don't really like Outsold. That doesn't mean Tonic Breed are bad musicians or bad at what they do, just that they emulate bad albums. If you like this stuff then be my guest and spin Outsold, just wait until I've left the room.