"Rise" is the fifth full-length release from the Australian duo known as TERRAPHOBIA. They play a straightforward type of thrash that can be quite infectious. The production on this album was kept raw. I don't think thrash has to be sparkling clean, but I also did not care for the production style on this album.

First off, I enjoyed the hook on "Narcissistic Outcast." The song itself isn't overly dynamic, but the riffing still works. I did, however, find my attention waning at times. It's a solid effort, but nothing too extraordinary.

That's the case for the majority of "Rise." There are certain elements of its twelve tracks that are brilliant, but few entire tracks rise to the top. For instance, "Paralogical Delusions" has some nice blast beats and the vocals toward the song's end really stand out. Earlier, though, the drums overpower the singing in the mix.

"Preach That Hate" works itself up to a fast pace, and then, mid-chorus, the song goes silent for a couple of beats. This doesn't sound intentional. It's like everything just comes to a screeching halt mid-riff and then picks up again as if nothing happened. I've heard plenty of songs that have breaks in them. None of the breaks in those tracks are as abrupt and jarring as the ones in the chorus.

Then there's "Triumph," a short instrumental that begins with a piano and features an isolated guitar solo. This track is pure filler. It's only forty-two seconds long, and it doesn't belong on the album. It's too short and has virtually zero purpose. It should have been left off.

One of the better tracks, "Burden Of Society," has some punishing, jackhammer riffing. The drums compliment the guitars expertly, and the vocals are spot on. Everything just works. There's an apt lead solo chock full of arpeggios too. This and the last track are the best on the album by far. That's not to say that the rest of the album is terrible; it's adequate and makes for good background music.

Next is the album's second instrumental track, "Drowning In Tears." This one is better than "Triumph," but that's simply because the song has room to develop. There's a slow, crying guitar solo and little else. Once again, it's just fluff. It's one minute and fifty-five seconds that just slows down the album.

Now, the album's final track, "Screams From Hell," is the opposite of fluff. It has some serious headbanging potential. The jackhammer riffing of "Burden Of Society" is back again, and this time it brought blast beats. This one has the aggression and sinister vibe of early SLAYER. The lead solo feels a bit out of place, but that doesn't bring the track down much at all. The song also ends with howling winds and screams of agony like a proper hellscape.

With "Rise," TERRAPHOBIA has made a decent album with a couple of high points that would fit in well on an old-school thrash playlist. This album is not without elements of sheer brilliance, but, except for two tracks, those brilliant parts are surrounded by "meh."