There have been many times I kept asking myself if LAMB OF GOD was the last recognisable Groove Thrash Metal band. The legacy of Groove Thrash popularised by PANTERA and then modernised by LAMB OF GOD, has taken a beating in the resent past and though there are still enough Groove / Thrash bands coming out regularly, no band has created a storm. Does Italian quartet BLACKAGE manage to create something noteworthy? Let's see.

With LAMB OF GOD influence all over the album and head bangable juicy riffs created by Simone Mosca and the screaming vocals of Damiano Urgnani (who also adds up as a another guitarist) which remind me of few other Groove Metal vocalists, BLACKAGE does manage to create a very interesting Groove sound with the tuned down guitars, but does sound predictable to the most parts of the album. Cortinovis on drums and Gabriele Savolidi on bass do a commendable job and "Sacrificeline" as a whole brings out a near 40 minutes of Heavy angry Metal. I get a feeling that the bass and the guitars in the album are almost following the drums in whole of the album and give a free flowing feel to it. The backing vocals are really worth mentioning bringing out an anthemic feel to the album, although I would have preferred cleaner vocals for this type of music. Though the album does have a few innovate riffs, but as a whole the riffs in the album get repetitive, even with the solos, and the album as a whole gets predictable after a few songs and is a really big disappointment in my opinion. Take a song like "United 93" - it has got guitar solos all over the song and a few progressive elements too with regards to drumming, but just not enough quality as a whole to convince me. The album has cheesy riffs that are easy to remember on multiple listens. While the lyrics speak about politics and related subjects, which can clearly be heard in the outro in "The Mirror Which Flatters Not" containing a small George Bush's speech, the production is nothing extraordinary. The album doesn't convince me to pick any favourite tracks.

I'm sad to say that the album doesn't meet my expectations, mainly due to its predictability. BLACKAGE looks like they are trying to do too many things in a single album - Groove, Thrash, Progressive, and also even occasional acoustics. They have clearly struggled to find a clear cut distinguishable sound, even if it's of a mixed genre and this being their debut full length release, hope with experience they can bring out more convincing one.