If you like your 80s thrash metal (don’t we all!), there have been a slew of bands from the new millennium who play this style. Some call it re-thrash, throwback, retro thrash, and the list includes Havok, Evile, Gama Bomb, Municipal Waste, Warbringer, Bonded By Blood, Toxic Holocaust, Lost Society, to even newer names like Hatchet, Game Over, Dust Bolt, Reign of Fury, Bio-Cancer, Running Death, Ultra Violence, and Thrashback, who all put out an album in 2015. Add Greece’s Suicidal Angels to the list. Yes, I know, you had no idea right? Well, the revival has been going on for many years now. Get on board.

“Division Of Blood” (6th album), sees the guys staying tried and true to their love for the roots of thrash, working from the Exodus/Slayer/Kreator template. The Angels basis to structuring songs around a tight aggressive straight forward delivery, mixing up the tempo and riffs within each song for variety - see the opening ‘Capitol of War’ and those well placed melodic leads. The title track follows and opens with slower a build with this great catchy riff and punchy rhythm section. Great twin lead solo work too. ‘Eternally To Suffer’ kicks up the tempo, loving the Gary Holt inspired whammy bar effects on the solo in ‘Image Of The Serpent’ and ‘Set The Cities On Fire’.

Suicidal Angels are one of the best names from the new generation. Like many of the bands listed above, the music is solid. My (constructive) criticism…all the voices sound too similar, harsh and abrasive. I am not hearing a melodic tone to create an identity for some of these names. Where is another Joey Belladonna (Anthrax), Hetfield, or Chuck Billy (Testament)? Or a uniqueness, like in a Bobby Ellsworth (Overkill), or Dave Mustaine?