I am very excited about the new WARBEAST album ''Destroy" coming in early April. I recently saw them with DOWN, and I even spoke with Bruce Corbitt for a forthcoming interview to be published here very soon.

This is a simple two-band split release on Phil's label to whet the appetite. "Birth Of A Psycho" is a heavy and critical offering for fans of newer thrash. Vocally Corbitt imitates Oderus of GWAR, but he does not like it when I make this comparison. I would clarify that he only sounds like Dave Murray or Brockie from the first two GWAR albums, and not any others. I guess when WARBEAST tours with GWAR next month, they can hash all this out, and decide for themselves.

Corbitt claims he is also linked with Phil Rind of SACRED REICH in other reviews, which I did not notice until I heard this track. However, the reference is tenable at best. The new material which I heard live has much more speed, and the re-animated vocals are very much Corbitt's foaming at the mouth style; especially as evidenced by his vicious attack on the debut by RIGOR MORTIS.

"It" is more merciless and Corbitt claims it is all about Golem, but not Tolkien's Gollum. Germany's PROTECTOR sang about this creature on the album of the same name. I am sure J.R.R. based his duplicitous and precious Smeagol's alter-ego character on some derivation of the original folklore mixed with Beowulf's Grendel. Either way, this song sounds like where the newer material is headed.

Corbitt likes to take time with his lyrics, but the title of "It" is itself a reference to how many time he uses this pronoun in the song. Either way, the guitar work is a blast from the GAMMACIDAL past. If you have the debut "Krush The Enemy", and you relish songs like "We Are The Vultures" and "Scorched Earth Policy", then you know what to expect here. Heads will roll!

I always celebrated the unique "Hummingbird" shred merchant mandate of the late Mike Scaccia, who was by far the best guitarist out of Texas, before DimeBag's undeserved legend began to rise. Either way, Phil Anselmo And The Illegals desperately attempt to distance themselves from both the overrated PANTERA and somehow successful DOWN.

These two tracks of familiar fuckin' hostile inner conflict are more Punk and punishing, than what I had anticipated. While creating these angry and menacing memories, Phil mixes what he did with NECROPHAGIA with some of his earlier and tattooed or patch-sewed-on on personal influences, such as AGNOSTIC FRONT, COC, and MAYHEM. In fact, if you were to take the skin art and wardrobe off Phil and pay heed to his worthy idols, you would have in a nut shell what sound he has created here. This is not bad at all, and if it were not on the "War Of The Gargantuans" split, then I would not even know it was Phil Anselmo performing and screaming.

I do want to give Phil proper credit for penning WARBEAST's logo which is a amalgam of Metal and Rock references. Also a shout out to him, for taking the reins and turning the knobs at Housecore and giving bands like WARBEAST the chance they deserve.