Protector put out sweatshop Thrash, efficiently producing quality widgets of roughly the same size, feel, and shape, then running them up the conveyor belt. In spite of this assembly line feel, though, the songs are each finely tuned and hand-crafted with a guarantee to rattle your head.

They don’t fuck around or meander; the songs are all 5 minutes and under in length, and each maintains the aggressive, bludgeoning tone from start to the finish. As with any good sweatshop, consistency is paramount, and these guys hit the same goals on each of the 10 songs here. Think a streamlined take on Kreator, At the Gates, and Sepultura, with some components of Dust Bolt, Exodus, and S.O.D.
While the mission statement and the songs on “Summon the Hordes” are simple, especially in “Glove of Love” (cough), you can still get a bit Roman military history in some of the lyrics, if you’re not careful. Check out “Three Legions” for Bruce Dickinson-style education. This is also my personal favorite on the record. Other standout tracks are “The Celtic Hammer” (not about Larry Bird, as far as I can tell) and “Stillwell Avenue.”