Death Radiation

Some more unsavoury radiation coming out of Quebec; the soothsayers are marching again… not very regular their marches are, though, coming and going, sometimes undetected, especially by those who’ve never been exposed to their old school thrash/crossover charm.

The latter cross is surely on display here, but the delivery is a tad more aggressive than on the preceding march, with "Cherareeroad" raging with badly disguised malice, the more complex but equally aggressive “Failure” shattering the senses some more, both cuts firmly on lashing retro thrash ground. The friendlier, crossover-pollinated side of the spectre ("Pouliot et Pouliot", "Jesus Was a Bastard") shows up in time as well, so there’s fine balance achieved, although the call from the musicians’ wilder heart is hard to suppress, with more all-out thrash tunes ("Patience", "Choo Choo") ravaging the neighbourhood, keeping the environment close to the boiling point. "NX2" may be deemed a debatable presence by some, a near-11-min-long extravaganza which takes it easy on the thrash/crossover blend, opting instead for a more optimistic, elevating approach, with heavy and power metal called in for help at various stages throughout.

Nothing overtly pugnacious on this gigantic epitaph, also giving more opportunities to the harsh shouty vocalist to tone it down and try some actual singing. The band have gone up a scale or two in terms of aggression, but being more belligerent has never been a defect, and in their case it works on all counts, without drastically changing the established scenery. Getting exposed to the radiation emitted from this camp can even be a healthy exercise, especially if the troops involved keep churning out such steady classic thrash/crossover tunes, contaminating the horizon with their infectious soothsaying tactics.