Prong : "State of Emergency"

When I first heard "Beg to Differ" it was clear these guys were taking music in another direction as their staccato stomp was outside of where thrash was. While the opening track of their new album does not take anything in a new direction, it does highlight what they did. The vocals of the title track that follows this finds Tommy Victor's voice sounding as urgent as ever with little wear and tear from the years. It is melodically barked, so he is not belting it out like a Bruce Dickinson but pulls off what he needs to do to sell me on this. This is album thirteen for the band. The last album I heard from these guys was  " X - No Absolutes" which I gave an 8, back in 2016 when it came out. This time around Victor feels a little more inspired. 

"Breaking Point' stomps with more of a hardcore influence. It holds up well given today's musical climate. "Non-existence' uses a method of groove that keeps the album's momentum going. Victor reminds you he knows a thing about hooks. "Light Turns Black " feels like they are going to the well again with the formula that just worked for the previous song. The drumming feels a little more Slayer. You can not say this album is not in your face, in almost to a fault. The point continues to be pounded home with "Who Told Me". It is still effective given the sonic nuances they are thoughtful enough to sprinkle over the proceedings. The sheer weight of the chugged riffs this album is powered by will be enough for some. 

The chug slows to a more deliberate crunch going into "Obeisance".  I can hear more of a Killing Joke influence on this one. The is more atmosphere at the edges of the song to bring this out. Victor sings in a more post-punk manner than his metal bark on "Disconnected". This change of the formula is really all the need, and it makes this song stand out. "Compliant' falls into a head-bobbing groove some where between hardcore and nu-metal, which works better than the more cross-over thrash of "Back". They close the album with a cover of Rush's "Working Man" , they slow it down, and Victor sings an octave lower than Geddy which really only takes inspiration from the riff rather than being a cover of the song. Overall I will give this album a 9, it is way better than expected, they do not have to try very hard to blend into the current metal landscape. This drops October 5th.