MANIAC ABDUCTOR are pretty new on the thrash scene, such as it is in 2019, but they draw their cues from the right sources. A hefty grounding in old-school pummeling mixed with the higher technical bar of modern thrash revivalists join together to unleash a punishingly precise and hook-laden monolith of a record. 'Fooled Again' kicks things off with the classic thrash trope of an acoustic intro, before cutting riffs steamroll through the listener, pausing for a SEPULTURA-like primitive breakdown before the solo.

'Watery Tomb' boasts a galvanizing, marching triplet riff that I couldn't stop myself from headbanging to if I tried, leading into the KREATOR-inspired intensity of the rest of the song; frenetic drumming, speed-laden riffs, and screamed vocals akin to a gravellier WARBRINGER. But the Abductors have a superb understanding of dynamics as well; the action is broken by less-busy choruses and slower sections, particular before and after the solo. The sound effects are a bit over-the-top for me, but I also dislike them in songs generally, not just here.

The band gets a little political with 'First World Disease'-at least, I assume they do, since I can really only make out the title in the lyrics. The music does not suffer for its message, however, as there are still plenty of meaty riffs and lead breaks to be found. 'Evil Brotherhood' starts with a rumbling bass that sounds like there's a punk influence, but when the guitars come in it's all thrash. This is a more mid-paced one, with more room for the vocals to breathe and show through. The vocalist is clearer here than before, though still with a bark full of razors. Around 2 minutes in, the lurching stomp turns into blistering heat as the song intensifies, culminating in the kind of riffs one could find coming from Kill 'Em All-era METALLICA. There's no preamble and no warning for what happens after that, as 'Destroyer of Worlds' bears down with a ferocity that might make it better titled 'Destroyer of Ears'. The open E-pedal never lets up, interwoven with gallops and fleet-fingered single-note lines. The marching triplet riff at the end, matched on top by the drumming, lends incomparable urgency to the whole thing.

Best intro on the album goes to 'Hatebound'; mid-tempo, full of audible basslines, and with an evil edge to it. The slightly non-diatonic licks remind me a little of Jeff Hanneman's writing. In terms of standalone instruments, the drums have the spotlight on this song, from the dexterous stop-starts of the first verse to the bombastic fills as the song speeds up. More than the riffing, the song feels drum-driven, especially when the intro riff is reintroduced underneath a shifting drum groove. As if the rest of the album weren't one already, the band prepares to wrap up their 9-song debut with the second-to-last rager 'Thrash Assault'. Most of these songs had some dynamic shift or slower part, but not this one.  For just over 3 minutes, loud, hard-hitting metal batters at your brain with more exuberance than melody or sophistication.

The actual album closer is 'Troops of Doom', which is one of the fastest things on the album, after the military march of an intro. The syncopated riffing and offbeat gallops help make the song feel like more than straight-ahead bashing. All the hallmarks of a MANIAC ABDUCTOR song are there, despite it only being 2 minutes and 43 seconds long; the slower break, the intro, and even a brief shreddy intermission towards the end. Overall a solid release, and I appreciate that this is a band who understands the importance of dynamics to music.