Hailing from Berkshire, England, the quintet DIVINE CHAOS have been around since 2006 and only released one EP "Every Empire Shall Fall" 7 years ago prior to this debut full length album. What we have here is a 9 song effort that straddles the lines of Melodic Death, Thrash, and possibly a little bit of Modern elements to create a very potent musical cocktail.

Right from the start the point/ counterpoint riffing and harmonies guitarists Matt Gilmour and Chris O'Toole employ out of the gate on "Last Confession" become a major feather in the band's cap - rivalling a lot of the best work you hear from NEVERMORE, DARKANE, or a slightly more controlled REVOCATION as you just feel spasmodic, spontaneous convulsions elevate from all parts of your body. The follow up "Death Toll Rising" has a lot of the Bay Area thrash thump plus back and forth crunch/ groove factor that makes for exciting windmill action, the solo break worthy of Alex Skolnick's attention for his TESTAMENT catalog through the years.

Vocally Ben Friston employs an extreme voice throughout, straddling the fringes of death, thrash, and black metal - giving DIVINE CHAOS that extra underground heaviness edge on cuts like "The Myth of Human Progress" and "Rivers of Blood" similar to ARCH ENEMY if done by a male. Thick production values, tight stop/start action in terms of the riff construction and great tones = an exciting top to bottom experience.

DIVINE CHAOS possess all the right elements to attain serious attention from record labels and festival organizers. Those of you who enjoy cross-pollenated metal without being too left field will find "A New Dawn in the Age of War" incredible.