Continuing the series of reissued studio discs augmented by a second, corresponding from the live shows in Bochum, Germany last December (New Year’s Eve for this one!), comes "Versus The World". Unlike the previous trio ("The Avenger", "The Crusher" and "Once Sent From The Golden Hall"), there are no bonus (studio, nor live) tracks.

The lead track ‘Death In Fire’ has become a concert staple (check the DVD and any bootleg, not to mention the obvious crowd reaction captured here), to hear it so early in the set is a bit disconcerting, but a killer song rules, regardless of tracklisting. I still envision a box set, culminating all the live sets, with accompanying visuals, but we’ll have to see. Since it was New Year’s Eve and the last of several consecutive dates in the same venue (presumably attended by many of the same fans), ale horn swilling frontman Johan Hegg is a little more talkative than the other nights. Much of this material is Gothenburg thrash oriented, the band still trying to find their unique way. On the verge of something bigger (eventually hitting the mark, thanks to "Fate Of Norms" and constant world touring), ‘Thousand Years Of Oppression’ (one of the few songs where Legg utters a mild obscenity) was already a hint of the melody that would inhabit future punishing tunes (see ‘With Oden On Our Sides’). Some of the good guys in the scene. Support or die.