From their EPK, “The invincible force of Pittsburgh Prog cosmics HEMOTOXIN is once again avowed in a deluge of intricate fretboard finesse on their unstoppable fourth full-length “When Time Becomes Loss.”  Discordant in euphonious harmony yet ruminative in essence, riff-mogul Michael Chavez inflict a gaping wound that perfectly intersect forward-thinking Thrash and Prog Metal. With four years worth of revitalized power, “When Time Becomes Loss” is a fervent flame of victorious Metal that never blows out.”

“Morbid Reflections” is the first song. What hits me first are a few things…is the production is a bit muted, the bass notes are energetic and animated, the band clearly has talent, there are more whammy bar dives than you can count, and it’s a bit of an old school Death/Thrash Metal sound. “Call from the Abyss” hears the drums and guitars kick into overdrive mode, with notes so fast, you can’t count them if you wanted to. It’s pedal to the metal, balls to the wall Heavy Metal. “Malediction” is another song that burns hot and leaves the ground scorched behind it for days. There are some slower parts where things click into gear and you can really hear the well-oiled machine that is HEMOTOXIN.

“Abstract Commands” hears the blistering pace continue, and the band seems to have only a binary switch in their music, and it’s firmly in the on position. “Conscious Descent” brings a little variety to the table after the first four scorchers, with a clean guitar into, but as the title suggests, it descends fairly quickly. The bass notes are so high at times, it mimics a brass instrument for me. “Reborn in Tragedy” has a more classic Thrash and Death Metal sound. The Progressive elements are there, perhaps more technical than Progressive per se, but the backbone of the album is quite aggressive. The title track closes the album, and it lives up to its reputation as “a fervent flame of Metal that never blows out.”

A few things are clear for me after listening to this album. First, the band goes to 11 out of the gate and stays there throughout, uncompromisingly. Second, they clearly have talent, as evidenced by the super-tight musical arrangements. Finally, it’s an ode to some of the forefather of Metal with some modern elements.