Since the Metal family started to take shape out of England, countless bands were influenced by the lyrical/epic themes of RAINBOW and IRON MAIDEN while a same portion looked to the legacy of JUDAS PRIEST and SAXON, not leaving behind the ones paying tribute to the archetypal mode of BLACK SABBATH. Well, dressed in filth, some respected amount of drifters took ideas from the noisy, chaotic sins of - let's say - MOTORHEAD, TANK and VENOM. Whoever's more than 35 years old surely recalls Italy's BULLDOZER hailing amongst this piercing clan.
With a filthy career spanning from 1984 (the Fallen Angel infamous single) until 1990 (the controversial Alive...In Poland tour album), the misty figures of AC Wild and Co. showed plenty of power in performing some rather messy Speed/Thrash/Heavy Metal music - enough 'dirty' Black/Death Metal bands honor BULLDOZER among their godfathers, too - that surely raised questions by metalheads grown in more self-discipline standards but, on the other hand, confirmed the seed of Lemmy and Cronos was now finding fertile ground in both Europe and America (e.g. WARFARE, RAZOR, PILEDRIVER, SODOM, FLAMES, POSSESSED, Japan's SABBAT etc) for fans of the horny amplitude of pure chaos. Again said, BULLDOZER donated their own thing in the shape of a certain part of the Death/Black Metal scene, too, even till these last years.
Listening again to the The Day Of Wrath (1985 - produced by TANK's Algy Ward) and IX (1987) landmark LPs by the Milan-based trio (see whatcha mean?), it's rather impressive - or weird; you decide - how harsh the impact of time stings our personality/beliefs while the same time some vinyl grooves keep the candid innocence of untainted Metal music safe and attractive, provided the listener/owner can de(i)cide to retrieve long gone but not forgotten bonny memories. BULLDOZER were rather furious in the mid-80s, their music was simply called Thrash because that was the extent Metal has gotten to till then (now many can confirm/recall BULLDOZER was way more much than just a Speed Metal freak...just listen to 1988's Neurodeliri avant-garde sequel) plus - thankfully - Roadrunner's distribution fostered the band's need to be heard outside the Italian borders (Italian Metal was not in everyone's shopping basket back in the 80s for the rest of the world).
The good question, of course, regarding this one more reunion, is whether its worth the money/time or not. Well, I personally came to the conclusion that I originally expected: that...70% yes!. Unexpected Fate really is - or, at least, sounds this dozen of times I've already spent time with - quite impalpable. With 37 minutes including ten songs - a BULLDOZER standard time - with enough pieces of music/performance/singing shining on the band's badge, there's a wide impression BULLDOZER try to also focus on the natural procession of music-making after nearly 20 years (e.g. the guitars leads or the acoustic guitar arts). Well, don't expect anything modern or 'aggressive' or jump-around from a lunatic like AC Wild, by any means; instead, musical pieces varying at most of the tracks show...well...lunacy and concrete thought at the edge of sanity. Of course, the speed is here, AC Wild's singing is rather ruthless when it applies to the melodies built, new drummer Manu (DEATH MECHANISM) shows wrath and dominance and, for a band owning its legacy in the Metal map, Unexpected Fate is...dunno...persuasive in its own way.
Reading 'bout the guest appearance of Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson's touring guitarist), Kiko Loureiro (ANGRA), Billy Sheehan (TALAS, David Lee Roth, Mr. BIG), Olaf Thorsen (LABYRINTH, VISION DIVINE) and Anders Rain (LABYRINTH) in this album, then listening to the blastbeatin' parade in the opening cut while thrashin' around with Micro Vip's leading melodies, later on jumping forward to the haunting madcap poetry of Buried Alive By Trash and In The Name, the verdict is quite clear: there's no verdict, haha, it's just BULLDOZER after 25 years having passed. Of course, songs like Aces Of Blasphemy, Salvation For Sale or Bastards will be more familiar to the old-school fans of the band. Speed 'n' chaos 'n' sex 'n' shellshock...
Devoted fans of BULLDOZER surely drink to the Italian trio's new release after all these years, even if they have not yet purchased the album. Younger metalheads may have skipped class during the Extreme Metal Godfathers course but if you dig post-80s bands like e.g. TRENCH HELL, ASSAULTER, BAPHOMET'S BLOOD, TOXIC HOLOCAUST and DESASTER, be sure these furious hounds are one good reason for your favorite bands being around.

P.S.: The Fallen Angel single shares the 'honor' - along with HELLHAMMER's Apocalyptic Raids EP - of being rated  as the worst record of all times by British magazine Kerrang!. We all know what content this Metal(?) mag deals with the last few years, the same time that at least HELLHAMMER has long gone been certified as one of the originators of extreme Metal. Some time will tell trivia is good not to be neglected...