Lazarus A.D.

The Onslaught

Written by: PP on 04/03/2009 15:11:35

If what I've read holds true, Lazarus A.D. had to add the second part to their name due to some copyright issues since the original release of their debut album "The Onslaught" in 2007. The album is a violently modern thrash-assault on the listener's aural apparatus, and that's probably what caught the attention of Metal Blade who then signed the band, and tada, here we are in 2009 with a remastered version of the band's debut album.

While most thrash bands today are of the revivalist type, taking in as much as they can from the 80s bay-area sound, combining it with a pitch-perfect production (Bonded By Blood, Gama Bomb anyone?), Lazarus A.D. throws in some additional elements in the form of tough-guy hardcore and even bits and pieces of metalcore in an attempt to make things interesting. Their vocalist grunts, screams, and yells in a somewhat monotonous voice throughout the record (think any hardcore band from the 'scene', say Throwdown of Bury Your Dead), whilst the instrumentals pounce by at breakneck speed, occasionally diverging in Slayer-inspired shredding and solos. The metalcore reference is perhaps somewhat harder to explain, but the vocalist's gruff, unfriendly voice combined with some of the lead riffs and chords make it an inevitable match to the fans of some harsher, thrash-inspired metalcore; Bleeding Through is the first name that comes into mind here.

Based on the above, the credentials of "The Onslaught" seem to be in order. Unfortunately, the problem lies in the very element that sets Lazarus A.D. apart from other modern thrashcore bands: the mosh-friendly, brusque vocals share every bit of annoyance of the hardcore genre. Consequently, every song sounds the same despite the axe-welder's best attempts of keeping things interesting. Only for thrash maniacs, I guess.

5

Download: Damnation For The Weak, The Onslaught Pt 1
For the fans of: Bury Your Dead, Municipal Waste
Listen: Myspace

Release date 02.03.2009
Metal Blade

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