After 28 years, Spain's UNBOUNDED TERROR has unleashed its second full-length, "Faith in Chaos." Unlike their 1992 debut that was at least interesting, this release is a songwriting travesty lacking in most substance.

"Hiding from the Light" started the second "Faith in Chaos," the 48-second ambient intro, ended. It started right off the bat with vocals and riffs that did anything but hook the listener. The riffs were so basic and uninteresting that they were repelling rather than welcoming. On top of this, the guitar solo was mediocre and was even repeated later in the track, making it seem lazy and less unique. Outside of one decent riff, the track was a poor way to start.

"Silent Soul" and "Insidious" offered interesting riffs and themes than the first track, making the record seem a little more promising. The former sounded more like their older material with an interesting lyrical structure and nice tremolo riffing. The track was one of the strongest on the record because of this.

"Insidious," on the other hand, was where the record peaked. Showcasing a heavy, punishing riff that progressed and flowed efficiently through the track, there was actual substance. The track went on to showcase mediocre tremolo moments before delving back into the heavy reprise. The drums on this track were at their peak as they offered a smooth groove. Tapping was incorporated into the riffing, and while this was seen on the previous track, it sounded much better here.

After these two tracks, the album went back into the deep end with six songs composed of incoherent riffs, botched melodies, weird time signature experimentation (not the good kind) and riffs that sounded like they were written by a beginner guitarist. "Destroyed from Within" had guitar riffs that sounded like a bad Power Metal band's b-side while "They Will Come from the Pain" was plagued by painful, poorly executed, four-note progressions.

It all boiled down to "Through the Flesh We Will Reach Hell," which was undoubtedly the most annoying song here and a prime example of what was wrong with this band's songwriting abilities. The redundancy of the main riff was gnawingly painful while the riffs went from slow slams and weak pinch harmonics to melodic riffing. None of it strung together in a cohesive manner, making it seem like a pile of random riffs.

The songwriting on this record was very basic. Each track had at least one moment where it felt as if the riffs were placed together without thought. Riffs upon riffs landed on me like drops of water, none of which actually stuck or made an impact. The attempts to be progressive by playing with time signatures were, for lack of better words, pathetic and try-hard.

The band reformed in 2019, and "Faith in Chaos" was just released on Jan. 2. I don't know what the writing process was for the record, whether it was written here and there over the past over the past 28 years of if it was put together after the reunion. Whichever one it was, it felt like the latter, as this record seemed extremely rushed. While the band may have had a career with deep roots, it did not show on their latest album.