Hirax: Faster than Death

US Thrashers Hirax returns with a new album titled Faster than Death. Despite being around since the 80s, Faster than Death is only the band's 6th studio album.

The veteran act has had some lineup changes over the journey, but the constant presence of vocalist Katon W. De Pena has provided the band with a recognizable sound throughout their stop-start career. He doesn't sound a lot like anyone else in isolation, although his style is a nice blend of plenty of the more recognizable names in the genre.

I enjoyed this new album quite a lot. I'm a long-term Thrash metal fan, so it doesn't take much for me to warm to nostalgic thrash with killer riffs. An endearing aspect to the album is that it is only a brief but impactful 21 minutes long. 9 tracks, ranging from 1 minute to 3 minutes in run time is no nonsense stuff...straight to the point, with no waffle. The album's production has a looseness that makes you feel the energy of the musicians playing the parts too. The songs are a mix of traditional Thrash metal and crossover, with 'mosh riffs' for days. You blink and the album is over, yet it feels long enough to make a statement and worthy of being an album release.

Not much else really needs to be said. Faster than Death is killer old-school thrash metal... it's a fun and enjoyable album.

Tracklist
1. Drill into the Brain"
2. "Armageddon"
3. "Drowned Bodies"
4. "Faster than Death"
5. "Psychiatric Ward"
6. "Relentless"
7. "Revenant"
8. "Warlord's Command"
9. "Worlds End"

Added: March 26th 2025
Reviewer: Chris Reid
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 135
Language: english

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