HATRIOT "From Days Unto Darkness"

HATRIOT

“From Days Unto Darkness”

If any band has the right to clone EXODUS, it has to be HATRIOT. The Sons of Souza are continuing to march on their path of destruction despite the loss of dear old Dad Zetro, who has rejoined EXODUS full time. The boys do a remarkable job of keeping the hate flowing here, as “From Days Unto Darkness” is one vicious slab of Bay Area inspired thrash.

This could easily pass for a new EXODUS album. Bassist and singer Cody Souza does a pretty admirable job of stepping into Dad’s shoes here...he has that same snarling pit bull attack with emphasis on the nasal side of the vocals. They toss in some deeper, gruffer death growls to keep things on the extreme side. There are no ballads or atmospheric tunes here. Every track is balls to the wall and mean. There are times when they let a song go too long...it’s very hard to sustain intensity in 7 plus minute songs, which ironically EXODUS itself also needs to learn.

But this is super angry and ripping stuff. My favorite tunes actually come towards the end of the album, as “Delete” is a bit catchier and moshable and “Ethereal Nightmare” has the best riffs and lead guitar work on the album. But you’ll still find worthy tunes earlier on, like “Daze Into Darkness” and “Organic Remains”. HATRIOT does a good job of keeping the thrash flag flying high and this will definitely tide you over until the next EXODUS album hits the streets.

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HATRIOT