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FRONTAL ASSAULT
Hazardous To All

Hall (2022)
Rating: 6.5/10

This young Cedar Rapids trio is at our throats with one of the shortest debut albums around, running at just over 24 minutes and boasting a strong, menacing Slayer vibe.

I wasn’t sure if these guys were going to succumb to cartoony thrash trends or attempt something serious, but in spite of its flaws (mainly the production) this is a straight-down the line aggressive eight-track affair that snaps in all the right places.

Hazardous To All comes across more as a Teutonic speed-fest whereby the vocals drift between vicious spits and deeper growls. This is down to the shared vocal duties of bassist William Hall and guitarist Anthony Thomas.

The axe work is sturdy enough, but lacks a bit of weight and tweaking at times, particularly on the title track. However, there’s still that Slayer vibe going on mixed with more Germanic origin, i.e. Kreator and Sodom, with deathlier flashes.

While the album is short, it does become a tad generic at times but that’s understandable as it’s clear that its youthful creators are more than happy to pay homage to the Gods of the scene. However, there’s still much face-ripping mayhem to savour here whether it’s the explosive ‘Matter Of Time’ with its high speed galloping and tough tone, the manic ‘Bong-Rip Suicide’, or the equally hostile ‘Mandate The Mind’.

Solid thrash is where we’re at here – snappy, boisterous and belligerent, just the way us moshers like it.

Neil Arnold

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