DUST BOLT are four talented young dudes from a small, picturesque town in Bavaria who debuted in 2012, when they've already signed a contract with Napalm Records. They are part of the Thrash/Crossover revival started by bands like MUNICIPAL WASTE, GAMA BOMB, or WARBRINGER. DUST BOLT's sound is rooted in the sound of 80s US Thrash bands, but as opposed to some Re-Thrash bands that tend to be a bit gimmicky and over the top (silly music videos, goofy self-presentation, brain-dead lyrics about booze and partying), DUST BOLT have a more unironic take on Thrash Metal. Their previous discography - they released three LPs so far - is all just honest, straight-forward, 80s-style Thrash. With the new release "Trapped in Chaos," DUST BOLT are expanding their sound and entering a new chapter in their musical development.

"The First Strike" opens with a bad-ass melodic guitar lead followed an aggressive, SLAYER-like bridging riff that precedes the verse. In the verse Lenny delivers his lines with the typical choppy cadence, the chorus on the other hand is bubbly and melodic. It's a memorable song where the bands shows good songwriting skills - great opening for an album. "Dead Inside" has a groovy, mid-tempo(ish) verse and a more up-tempo chorus; they are nicely connected with a stripped-down pre-chorus (with the guitar playing power riffs) that gives the song space to breath. The third song "The Bad Ad" is aggressive and evil (do I sense some KREATOR influence here?), but in contrast to it the melodic chorus has some METALLICA vibes to it.

"Bloody Rain" the turn towards a more modern Thrash sound is apparent. The song has a bit of a "...And Justice For All" and "S/T" era METALLICA swag and a big melodic chorus, but interestingly enough the song takes a dark turn in the last third, where Bene delivers raspy screams a heavy, mid-tempo riff. The following song "Rhythm to My Madness" is a crowd-pleasing banger: it has and aggressive verse and a high-energy, memorable chorus. It also has a quite long bridging section with a slow buildup before the return of the explosive chorus. I obviously have to mention the title song, which is track number eight on the album. It has a groovy verse and a quite simple hook in the chorus. It's a comparatively straightforward song, but it doesn't have an 80s Trash vibe - it's that "METALLICA swag" again I guess. The album ends with a METALLICA-esque Southern Rock ballad, that is not out of place given the sound of the album and brings the album to a conclusion nicely.

DUST BOLT is trying to expand their sound and break out of the Thrash/Crossover mold. This album is more serious than the previous ones - on which, as I've mentioned, they weren't goofing around either - and the band is capable enough to pull it off without sounding over-serious or pretentious. This is a quality Thrash release, if you know about any new Thrash releases this good please send them my way.