Hailing from Brazil, it is no surprise that MACHINAGE has had the honor to share a stage with SEPULTURA in the past. In fact, upon listening to the band's latest release "It Makes Us Hate", I am thinking MACHINAGE probably should have been the headliner!

"Rise of the Souls" opens up this album and is more of an intro than an actual song. It is interesting and unique in that it is gloomy and melancholy yet has a strong tribal sound to it as well. I like it. "Next Victim" follows with a full throttle Thrash onslaught that kicks you right in the face. The outstanding whirlwind guitar riffs will start your adrenaline pumping with no let up or mercy. This pretty much defines the entire release. Prepare to be gasping for breath by the end. I can only imagine all the furious head banging that would doubtless ensue at a MACHINAGE live show. All that hair flying, all that sweat flying.

Fabio Delibo's vocals are impressive in their own way. I wouldn't exactly classify him as a 'singer,' yet he can achieve a very natural sounding transition between rough, slightly growly vocals to clean vocals. He makes it sound completely effortless. Joining him are band mates that are absolutely phenomenal in their musicianship. Very clear sounding and sharp as a needle, MACHINAGE is a band that obviously works well together with prolific ability and precision.

Choosing a favorite song here is damn near impossible as they are all excellent. There are no fillers here. But if I was totally forced to choose, then the song entitled "Envy" just might be my pick. There is something about this song that makes me think of DEATH ANGEL in a way. I can't specify a particular song title, but DEATH ANGEL definitely comes to mind. (This is a compliment by the way. I am a huge fan of DEATH ANGEL) While Delibo's vocals do not compare to Mark Osegueda's, they are still somewhat similar in some underlying way. Actually, the more I listen to this, the more I am convinced that Delibo's vocal style sounds like a nice mesh of Osegueda and MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine. I don't know. Listen to it and decide for yourself.

One thing I can say for sure is that I will be listening to this a lot! I cannot stress enough how impressed I am with MACHINAGE. I dare say that this is the best Thrash Metal release that I have had the pleasure of hearing in a very long time. Absolutely fantastic! If you are a fan of bands such as DEATH ANGEL, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT and the like, you will want to add "It Makes Us Hate" to your Thrash Metal collection immediately. Trust me.