Looking out the window at a the gloomy leaden sky, waiting for the next deluge, and perhaps some lightning and thunder, this, the 2^nd long player from these Thrashers from the Heavy Metal town that is Slough in the UK (sorry guys, as a native of Reading, I could not resist the dig!), feels decidedly appropriate soundtrack to this day.

DIVINE CHAOS have taken the 80s and early 90s playbook of bands such as EXODUS, SLAYER, DEATH, SEPULTURA and even some "Puppets"-era METALLICA, shredded it with a chainsaw and stuck it back together with their own 2000s spin on this deliciously old school Thrash.  Definitely sounding more Bay Area than Berkshire.

Opening track "Suicide Salvation" has that old school 'TALLICA sonics in the opening bars, and then the drums kick in properly, and it is hats off to Drummer James Stuart (VADER, DECAPITATED) throughout the album the drumming is as it should be the bedrock of the tunes. You can really hear this a human and not a computer.  But that's not to take anything away from the rest of the band.  These guys are tight an on point.  For a band who have only been together since 2006, they play like they have been together since the early 90s and have been playing this stuff ever since.

"Upon The Shrine", rages on in a similar vein, but is all about the guitars, the riffage is immense and the solo starts low and menacing, building to a wail, but the crowning glory being Tabor's vocals, especially the snarled "no one is left behind"!

"Murder For Sale" is simply a classic banging Heavy Metal song, 'nuff said. My pick of the album.  If MAIDEN made a Thrash album, they would sound like this, and Jut would have to do the vocals.

The songs keep coming thick and, most importantly FAST. "Serpent Words" again the drumming!, the guitars!, the vocals! A master class in melodic manic metal!
"The Way To Oblivion", the slamming title track is going to get the pit moshing like a demon (remember kids, respect and protect your fellow lads and ladies in the pit, have fun, don't get hurt). Oh my the solos on this one are amazing.

And the quality is kept up right to the end "Decivilise" has some particularly impressive growling and riffs. "Angel Of Misery" has a more Death-y feel to it, pounding drums, chuggy riffs and the vocals scared the shit out of me.  Finishing with the short sharp shock of "Nations Damnation", a real neck breaker to finish you off, leaving you sweaty, probably a little bloody, but happy.

All in all a fantastic slab of properly delivered Thrash.  Done with musicality, melody, but with power and aggressiveness.  It doesn't have to be a total wall of noise to be angry, the growling vocals don't have to be unintelligible to sound menacing.  The drumming doesn't have to sound like a machine for it to be relentless.

This will be joining the list of bands where I will be putting my hand in my pocket after reviewing the band to buy their CD, and quite possibly a tee shirt, as the album cover is amazing.  It looks like a Dr Who creature on acid!!!