DR. LIVING DEAD are a very deceptive bunch. They formed in Sweden in 2007, and yet they sound like they were pulled straight out of the 1980's era Bay Area Thrash scene. They play a very cool brand of Crossover Thrash, and have put out a lot of great material. So far this year, they've released their "TeamxDeadx" EP, which acted as a precursor to their latest record, "Crush The Sublime Gods", which is their first release with Century Media Records. How does this release measure of up to their previous albums? Very well.

The intro track, "Final Broadcast", is a melodic piece that leads into the album proper, and the sound-bites that are used on this track work very well. This leads into the title track of the album, which is, for all intents and purposes, a meat and veg Crossover Thrash song. Likewise, "TEAMxDEADx" which featured on an EP earlier this year, is a fantastic song in the vein of Crossover Thrash legends like ANTHRAX; it's fast, with brilliant riffs and a Punk edge. "Eternal Darkness Of A Fucked Up Mind" promises darker themes and tone, but continues along the more upbeat, Thrash based sound of the genre. It has a genuinely fantastic guitar solo and some really powerful, thick riffs. "Buck$" is another really fast, powerful track with just the right amount of balance between the Thrash and the Punk influences. "Civilised to Death" has some really cool lead guitars hooks which help to make this particular song one of the standout tracks on the record. It has a strong air of SLAYER about it at points, without completely ripping SLAYER off. "Another Life" is more or less a straight forward Thrash track, surging forward with a mid-paced, metallic chug, coupled with some cool vocals. the next song, "Force Fed", opens on a strong, thick Bass riff, before the song becomes a razor sharp, blisteringly fast Thrash song that brings to mind early EVILE, at least to my ears. Likewise, "Scanners" goes down a much faster route, and at some points is so fast that it teeters on the edge of descending into chaos. "Salvation", by contrast, is a lot softer, and is almost, dare I say it, a Crossover Thrash ballad. This melodic, instrumental piece is a great way to ease off the full Metal onslaught that the rest of the album has been up until this point. "No Way Out" picks up this thread once more, and sounds like a much more conventional, old school Metal song, with the sort of kick ass, Punk-esque vocals that you expect from Crossover Thrash. The penultimate track is an all out Thrash song, with cool riffs, gnarly drumming, and a really thick Bass tone that sounds amazing. The final track on this album, "Wake Up...Join The Dead!" is a more mid-paced affair, with some dark, haunting riffs and rhythmic drumming that goes really well with the music. The guitar work on this song helps bring a brilliant album to a close.

This is a really good album. The band have really stepped up their game in terms of song writing on this record, and have made both themselves and their label proud. They've proved that modern day Europeans can play this kind of music just as good as their Bay Area based idols. If you like Crossover Thrash, then this is an album that you should definitely check out.