Not sure of its value on the current market, but the principles behind the final two Defiance albums (namely Skinlab singer Steve Esquivel, guitarist Jim Adams and bassist Mike Kaufmann) release their first album in 17 years. As such, the ten songs and short (1:12) ‘Eschaton’ guitar instrumental recall the old days, in terms of brevity as well, the entire 40:18 capable of fitting on one side of a cassette.

Actually, Bay Area thrash brethren Testament are the obvious focal point, especially the multi-tempo, break for actual singing title track. ‘Bastard Son’ takes a moment (albeit brief) to stop the madness, ultimately returning to the shred of yore. The shouted vocals of ‘The War Inside’ walk the line between call and response subtlety and true grit, although too much hardcore/nu metal Skinlab is evident for my taste. Apart from the guitarwork, ‘Fuel The Fire’ is pretty pedestrian, but ‘Desert Sands’ might be the gem of the bunch.