Band: World Lost Album: A Lesson In Brutality Label: Independent Rating: 8.5/10 Website: http://www.myspace.com /worldlost BUY NOW!

Ah, yet another addition to the thrash revolution. It appears that about half of the new releases this year are from fresh ‘Slayer’ wannabe’s! Many of them bare much the same stylistic attitude to thrash, a new sound formed by the likes of Municipal Waste, a sort of mix between classic thrash and hardcore. 4-piece self-proclaimed thrash outfit World Lost hailing from Delaware in the good ol’ US of A have recently released an album which I believe presents a slightly different outlook on the thrash rebellion, ‘A Lesson In Brutality’. Although their album title more befits that of an underground death metal band, the release takes many of its influences from somewhere other than ‘Municipal Waste’ and ‘Evile’ and, while sharing many attributes with these bands and others like them, to me their music is much more intense and a great deal better to listen to. Having already made a name for themselves in the States in fixing a spot on the recent tour headlined by Throwdown and Soilwork, I found myself very interested in finding out what the fuss was about... When the first song, ‘Almost God’, began I thought I was listening to an extreme metal band. The dark riff would fit better on the beginning of a Sepultura album but it was interesting nonetheless. I enjoyed the pounding drums which accompanied the riff although as I say, I find it a little strange at the start of an album which by and large, is no less than a pure mix of ‘Slayer’ and ‘Pantera’! Anyhow, the progression that follows the unusual introduction is one of those straightforward melodies that on first listening sound rather over simplistic, but by the third running have you sliding your fingers around on that air guitar of yours like no tomorrow! It is one of those riffs which have the unique ability to crawl into your head and stay there for several days! This song, however, is a mere formality compared to its successor, ‘Psalms Of Temptation’. The intro is basically three low, thumping chords followed by a squeal, but for all its minimalism the desired effect is instant. About half way through the track, all of the music halts except for an almost comical jazz drum beat which is replaced shortly after by an entirely new, but just as awesome, riff which is equally effective at getting the toes tapping. One thing I notice about the music is the way that the bass, guitar and vocals harmonise together at some point in almost every song. The vocals compliment the music perfectly although occasionally the backing singing gets a bit annoying but at least without seriously detracting from the quality of the music beneath. Overall...there is only one question that still remains in my mind; why are these guys not huge yet?! Admittedly the second half of the album is not quite as stylistically shifting in the same way the first is but all the same this album deserves a lot of credit for what it is. At times the production can be a little rough but this still does not diminish musical achievement of the band. Needless to say, a great album with few faults, a definite one to pick up from a band that you should keep an eye on in the future! Lewis Klein Back to Reviews