Nice little pun with the title and the Bay Area thrashers’ new label. A lot has changed since the 2008 Awaiting Evil debut, including a complete line-up alternation, with lone remaining member / lead guitarist Julz Ramos doing double duty on vocals, for the departed Marcus Kirchen. Surprisingly, of all the acts from the vaunted thrash environs, HATCHET sound closest to classic EXODUS, especially the untamed nature of Ramos’ spoken (as opposed to sung) vocals and the wild solos (minus the vintage guitar tones) within the aggressive attack. That said, you can hear fingers slide across the acoustic strings of the instrumental ‘Revelations Of Good And Evil’, an unveiled, rip-off of the intro to METALLICA’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’. ‘Signals Of Infection’ utilizes gang vocals on the chorus, while the title cut is slower, with a real melodic groove. Although it too begins rather restrained, ‘Vanishing Point’ turns into a real stormer! Only the opening ‘Silenced By Death’ competes with it, for the album’s standout track. Given all the obstacles to making a good record, it’s amazing HATCHET have not only survived but not really lost any momentum.
