HARLOTT is a Thrash Metal band, born in 2006 and hailing from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. "Extinction" is the band's third full-length album, and contains twelve tracks. Australia has really been a hot bed for all kinds of Metal lately, so anytime I hear of a band from there I usually am very pleased. Thrash Metal however often has unforgiving boundaries when it comes to purist fans, but I have always maintained that one can follow a tried-and-true genre and still put their own mark upon it. How did HARLOTT fair with their newest release? Let's get to some of the highlights on the album.

The opening title track, "Extinction," is ultra-tight and scorches a path of fire in the earth as it moves along at a rapid pace. Vocally, there is an uncanny resemblance to Steve Souza from EXODUS. Some fans of that band do not like Souza's voice, but I always did. In fact overall, it sounds a lot like early EXODUS. Yet, HARLOTT is tighter and more accomplished as a quartet in my opinion. "The Pentinent" is another strong track, showcasing the band's transitional abilities, as they can jump around in rhythms and keys landing on a dime each time. This is truly a strength of the album and is quite impressive. "Whore" is an interesting track as well; three minutes of unadulterated hate and anger at a no doubt past relationship that did not end well.

The bass guitar thumps heavily in "Conflict Revelation," joined by a machine-gun riff and some outstanding drumming. When you talk about the word "unrelenting," this song surely embodies that definition. "Violent Conspirator" is so fast it almost registers as Punk Music...played well of course. Under two-minutes, you barely have time to catch your breath as fists reign down on your head as if coming from an automated machine. Then there is "And Darkness Brings The Light." This seven-minute plus track is something very unique from the rest of the album. It slows down enough to follow more of a melody, with vocals subdued just enough to separate it from some of the other songs. There is more room for a tale here, more theme. "Epitaph" closes the album, with a dark and evil fury.

Musicianship is key to the success of this band. It is on full display on "Extinction," and is quite impressive. They really know how to stick transitions and do not linger too long on any given passage, bringing some diversity to a genre where it is often lacking. Something is in the water in Australia for sure, because they are bringing us more new fabulous bands every year. I can't imagine a fan of the genre who would not like this album.