{"id":18086,"date":"2014-02-24T00:00:13","date_gmt":"2014-02-24T00:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=18086"},"modified":"2014-03-18T22:54:07","modified_gmt":"2014-03-18T22:54:07","slug":"album-review-hirax-immortal-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-hirax-immortal-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"HIRAX – Immortal Legacy (2014) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

HIRAX
Immortal Legacy<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nSteamhammer (2014)<\/span>
Rating: 9\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Hirax; now here\u2019s a cult thrash band if ever I saw \/ heard one! These guys have been around for seemingly aeons, beginning life back in the early 80s as L.A. Kaos before changing their name to Hirax. Hirax were responsible for some of thrash metal\u2019s most fearsome records, including the scintillating debut Raging Violence<\/em> (1985), which has to boast one of the strangest album covers in the history of the scene! <\/p>\n

Although Hate, Fear And Power<\/em> (1986) was a decent thrash assault, the band wouldn\u2019t release another studio album until 2004 with The New Age Of Terror<\/em>. That was then followed five years later by 2009\u2019s El Rostro de la Muerte<\/em>, which in my opinion wasn\u2019t up to scratch. And so, after another five-year gap, we reach album number five for the Californian thrashers.<\/p>\n

Of course, since that cult debut platter the band have suffered numerous lows with only vocalist Katon W. De Pena remaining from the original line-up. As with the last album, the frontman is joined by Lance Harrison on guitar, Harrison\u2019s younger brother Steve on bass, and Jorge Iacobellis on drums. There are also guest contributions from guitarists Jim Durkin (Dark Angel), Juan Garcia (Agent Steel, Evildead) and Rocky George (Suicidal Tendencies, Fishbone).<\/p>\n

Immortal Legacy<\/em> features 12 tracks, two of these being instrumentals. The platter kicks off with the powerful charge of \u2018Black Smoke\u2019, which comes across as the bastard offspring of Exodus and Slayer<\/a> in their prime. Katon W. De Pena\u2019s vocals are intense as he punches his words in cohorts with the maniacal drums and explosive guitars, which chug along at a healthy pace. Immediately I\u2019m energised, and feeling the electricity that the last record seemed bereft of. The track also boasts a killer mid-section of wailing sirens and doom-laden drums accompanied by another fearsome trudge. \u2018Black Smoke\u2019 is the perfect track to bring Hirax into 2014. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s followed by the superb \u2018Hellion Rising\u2019, which again has a whiff of Slayer about it in its menace, but is separated from those titans by Katon\u2019s impressive choppy rasps. The frontman barks, \u201cMasters will fall and slaves will rise, Immortal, he shakes the earth, Hellbringer of death and destruction, To the damned\u201d<\/em> in masterful fashion as the drums gather pace, bouncing in tandem with that shuddering bass. Hirax are a pure old school thrash act; their legendary cult status is confirmed by the guzzling menace of \u2018Victims Of The Dead\u2019, a short and sharp number where Katon shows his vocal diversity and the guitars paste the amour on thick. <\/p>\n

Riff-wise Immortal Legacy<\/em> is extremely weighty, and when they come the solos pierce the blackness like streaks of thrash metal lightning. Hirax have finally come to realise they are a true force, and have you ever read a better track title than \u2018Thunder Roar, The Conquest, La Boca de la Bestia – The Mouth Of The Beast\u2019, which features a snaking lead to start with before the drums come booming into the ears? Arguably the best track on the album, it builds its menace slowly before showcasing a classic thrash chug prior to Katon\u2019s battle cry of \u201cHey!\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n

Immortal Legacy<\/em> is the sort of thrash record that really spoils the listener, because there are so many good songs on it. Pluck any from a hat, and you\u2019ll be enchanted, entertained. Above all, you\u2019ll be enthralled by the thrashing mayhem of \u2018Tied To The Gallows Pole\u2019 which flirts with old school Metallica, while the title track just rains in its punches early with fierce drums and wild solos. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s no real shock that Hirax have somehow dragged that 80s style screaming into the modern; they have enlisted legendary producer Bill Metoyer in to twiddle the knobs, while the classy cover art is from Philip Lawvere \u2013 who was responsible those many decades ago for Kreator\u2019s Pleasure To Kill<\/em> cover (1986), among others. So, believe me, when you\u2019ve got the best producer and classic cover art to match you just know that the sound within is going to be deadly. Hirax have come out fighting, forcing the likes of \u2018Violence Of Action\u2019 onto the listener, who will find themselves thrashing around in a saliva-soaked frenzy until the record finally decides to give up the ghost.<\/p>\n

This is an important thrash metal album; one of the best over the last 20 years, and a record only rivalled so far by Hatriot\u2019s efforts. Proof that speed still kills!<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HIRAXImmortal Legacy Steamhammer (2014)Rating: 9\/10 Hirax; now here\u2019s a cult thrash band if ever I saw \/ heard one! These guys have been around for seemingly aeons, beginning life back in the early 80s as L.A. Kaos before changing their name to Hirax. Hirax were responsible for some of thrash metal\u2019s most fearsome records, including […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,1137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-hirax"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18086"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18090,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18086\/revisions\/18090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}