Title: The New Age of Terror Artist: Hirax Label: Mausoleum Records Release Date: 8/10/04 Rating: 2 Skulls
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Reviewed by Requiem (9/9/05):
I think these guys are trying to thrive off of the fact that they had made somewhat of a name for themselves in the mid '80's, playing with bands like Metallica, Slayer and Exodus. Sure, they may have gained somewhat of a following being one of the first bands of their kind, when the metal world was yearning for almost anything aggressive and fast. But that was then, and this is now. Times have changed, a zillion metal bands have formed since that time, and it really takes a lot to make a difference these days. Hirax and their new album, The New Age of Terror is righteously retro but also very juvenile, stale and just plain forgettable.

Granted, these guys are veterans, but you really have to be stuck in the '80's to be excited about this album. This was actually my first Hirax experience, and despite the fact that I'd heard of them, I could see why they never made it up to the Grade A status of their Bay Area peers. Even the cover gives you a sense of things to come, complete with second-rate artwork and just too retro for it's own good. The band plays that hardcore/metal crossover brand of thrash like Nuclear Assault with Bobby Blitz on vocals. The riffs are pretty much Thrash 101 material, which we've heard a million times before. If it were 1984 all over again, this might be a relevant album, but it's not. It could be time to throw in the towel.

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