Mainstream or not, this band is one of the premier thrash metal bands out there. Very moshy parts, and lots of atmosphere despite the slightly simpler verse chorus structure. This band is fuelled by energy, as can be inferred by the vocals. Track 3, No Sympathy (For the Devil) has a satirical part from about half way through until the end where a religious evangelist is talking about sinning. It's actually very catchy. The album seems like a good stepping stone for getting someone away from mainstream rock and into real metal, as this album has some of the simpler, moshy elements of "poser metal," but also has much of the atmosphere that we associate with metal in general, plus some great guitar solos. The production is absolutely killer, and really seems to help the music attain it's crushing sound. Before you bag this band for being mainstream, have a listen to them.

This review is credited to:
Julian Forbes