Letting loose with a barrage of suitably aggressive Thrash Metal balanced by just the proper amount of progressively-themed shredding, Canada's Mastery delivers an adept, commanding EP that will leave thrashsters wanting more. A brief intro and five blazing cuts form this instrumental release, which should be noted as being most interesting to fans of technical, yet melodic guitar work.
Guitarist Markus Armellini masterminded the group, recruiting fretboard burner Jeff Dormer, drummer (and producer) Keavan Roy and bass guitarist Anthony Ristovski to round out the band's lineup. When a suitable vocalist could not be found to front the project, the quartet decided to forge ahead as sans-frontman, heading into Fifth Dimension Studios to create Lethal Legacy.
Armellini and Dormer show off an impressive array of chops right through the mini-album, whether forming spiderwebbing licks as they do on the intro cut Behold or opting for honed, galloping chugging as on Power Race and No Tomorrow. Dormer's inspired, ripping leads are appropriately scattered amongst bushels of blazing rhythms, revealing an aura that's quite similar to that of Death Angel and at times, Megadeth.
Roy's smart production starts with excellent tones. From there the mix is a breeze, with each of the instruments packing a major punch. It's obvious that a great deal of effort went into the production of these six tracks, from the sharp, slicing lead tones to the perfectly compressed drumming, everything about the overall sound quality of Lethal Legacy is top-notch.
Creating a very solid foundation for the axe-duo to expand upon, Ristovski and Roy flail away at measurably domineering undergrooves, locking in as tightly as a closed vice during the hair-whipper Numeration. Pinpoint precision accents by Roy further the technical aspect of the record, while Ristovski's wide-open thunder provides for a suitable anchor, giving a powerful backbone from which to build upon, while including enough of his own blistering fretboard runs to be recognized as a highly competent technical player in his own right.
Sure to score big with those who appreciate the more intense aspects inherent in the Bay-area sound, Mastery delivers metal that is sometimes awe-inspiring and often all the excuse that you need to bring about a self-inflicted case of whiplash.