Search - Hirax :: New Age of Terror

Purrs........

Dale Lammers | Grand Prairie, Texas | 10/29/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Straight up, pissed off Bay Area style thrash is the order of the day with the latest effort from Hirax. What sets this band apart is vocalist Katon W. DePena. His vocals are of the clean, clear variety and they possess more rage and wisdom than most any vocalist out there. That alone makes Hirax an acquired taste. Once you've acquired said taste though, you'll have a nice and lethal little package here. No, they're not reinventing the wheel - that was never the point. The title track and "Swords Of Steel" however, purr like a classic Harley that's been loved, polished and respected for years. The New Age Of Terror is the work of seasoned veterans that know how to play to their strengths. Search it out - it'll cure what ails you."

Err... No

C. S. Caps | London, UK | 10/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"[...]The singer for Hirax is known for his unique vocals and it is the defining characteristic of the band. His voice may be descirbed as controversial but not terrible. There have been similar agruments pointed at Joey Belladonna era Anthrax and at Nuclear Assault. It is complete crap.



Look Hirax were a class crossover/thrash act and this CD is a great reurn to form. The music shreds and sound like NA mixed with Discharge and Cryptic Slaughter (though the drums aren't 500 bpm). If you like this sort of music you should goddam love this CD (though their earlier stuff can be found on the Hirax website and is deemed to be the true classic stuff- I am going to pick it up shortly). Maybe try and hear one of the tracks first because the vocals are a case of 'love or hate'. That doesn't make em the worst vocals ever. Personally, I can think of plenty worse, eg. Randy Rampage on Annihilator's Alice in Hell (which is still amazing and the vocals are ok).



Make up your own mind."

Best thrash album of 2004

Blitz Baloff | The Pit | 03/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Katon's contagious vocal lines and inspired singing are complemented ideally by Glen Rogers' catchy and effective riffs and chord progressions. Perhaps more importantly, the album consists of an onslaught of energetic crescendos accented appropriately by relentless drumming and machine gun fire riffing. Aside from the two evocative melodic instrumental interludes, each song is an anthem in which Katon somehow manages to instill mirthfully juvenile lyrics with the most sincere emotion and enthusiasm. On top of all this, the production job is totally clean and organic, as well as simultaneously old-school and up to date. This album does not suffer one bit from the artificial over-the-top over-production that plagues most of today's extreme metal albums. Because The New Age of Terror charges forward relentlessly from beginning to end without a single lull in artistic intensity, it's a better album than the more popular Tempo of the Damned and The System Has Failed, which came out the same year."