HOLY MOSES hailing from Aachen, Germany is one of the longest serving Thrash Metal bands to date. Formed in 1980, they will be calling it a day in 2023 after 43 successful years. Of course, they had their ups and downs as many others, with having a break after the controversial album "No Matter What's The Cause" in 1994. The restart followed in 2000, and their 13^th full-length album is going to be the last one. "Invisible Queen" has a length of 47 minutes, and it come in several formats. Among them is a digipac version where every song is performed by a different guest vocalist, among them Bobby Ellsworth (OVERKILL), Diva Satanica (BLOODHUNTER), and Tom Angelripper (SODOM). The album was released via German Heavy, Speed, and Thrash Metal specialists Fireflash Records.

HOLY MOSES have always been ahead of their time. They started with Speed and Thrash Metal long before the genres were established. Their very first demo "Black Metal Masters" was released in 1980, long before the term Black Metal defined a genre and long before VENOM's iconic album "Black Metal" was released. With Sabina Classen, they had a harsh/growling vocalist, long before the Metal scene knew about growling female vocals. HOLY MOSES has probably also been the first female-fronted Metal band, long before Doro Pesch's WARLOCK (I am not counting the all-female Metal band GIRLSCHOOL here).

The final album starts with a dark intro building up tension, transitioning into a track at insane speed. "Downfall Of Mankind" has all the ingredients of a great Thrash Metal song: the tight and staccato-type of guitar riffing, the crushing bass lines, the aggression in the sound and the vocals, and the contributing lead guitar solo. The break for the lead guitar solo consists of two parts, a mid-tempo part followed by continuing the solo at high pace. The solo is very playful and has a few neoclassical vibes. "Cult Of The Machine" continues with the Thrash attack. It is a mixture of mid-tempo for the verse parts and high speed for the chorus parts. The vocals are pretty versatile by adding a few higher pitched screams to the medium range growls. The riffing is quite interesting as it contains a few progressive elements. "Cult Of The Machine" is the official video release, and the YouTube link is given below. The progressive elements in the riffing continue to blossom in "Order Out Of Chaos" and it reminds me at times on the early songs from VOIVOD. The track has a lot of complexity in the textures, with a few twists in tempo and rhythm. Highlight of the track is the extended lead guitar solo, again consisting of a mid-tempo and of highly paced part.

The title song starts with powerful and aggressive riffing at mid-tempo. "Invisible Queen" is a mixture of blistering pace and mid-tempo with the verse parts being played at high speed while the choruses are the mid-tempo parts. The title song is not the classical Thrash song, it contains a lot of elements across genres. "Alternative Reality" has a grim start with the guitars transitioning into Thrash Metal riffing at mid-tempo for the verse parts with crunching bass lines. The song is a mid-tempo track with spine-chilling melodies, plenty of double-bass drumming, and a very contributing lead guitar solo. For me, "Alternative Reality" is one of the best tracks on the album. "The New Norm" is one of those tracks including progressive elements in the guitars with a few MESHUGGAH vibes being included. It is overall still a Thrash Metal track, but without the simplicity of the traditional genre setters. There are a lot of rhythm changes going back and forth between mid-tempo and high pace, making "The New Norm" not straightforward to listen to.

"Visions In Red" starts with extended epic guitar part and then transitions into a verse part at frantic pace. The song is direct and aggressive, simply a kick-in-your-face track. It is also a very technical song with the riffing and the drumming, while most of the aggression comes with the vocals. Highlight is once again the lead guitar solo and "Visions In Red" is another banger of the album. "Outcasts" is a mixture between fast pace and mid-tempo with a lot of twists in rhythm. The vocals come with a lot of background support for the chorus. The song is one of those with some complexity is the structure and highlight for me is the drumming of Gerd Lücking, who drives the track and keeps it excellently together. "Forces Great And Hidden" starts with powerful and direct riffing at mid-tempo. As the song continues, the riffing becomes more complex and there are also a few twists in rhythm throughout. "Forces Great And Hidden" develops into a track that is not easy to listen to due to its complexity, but it is still a great song.

"Too Far Gone" is a mid-tempo track with thunderous riffing and lots of aggression in the guitars and vocals. The crushing bass lines lead the track forward with the drumming including plenty of double-bass. The melodies are blood-freezing throughout the track. There is a break at blistering pace, which contains progressive elements in the riffing, but overall "Too Far Gone" is one of the more direct tracks on the album. "Depersonalized" is a mid-tempo track and verse and chorus parts have the traditional Thrash Metal vibes. Simple and direct in structure with some added complexity in the riffing for the chorus. Similarly, as in "Too Far Gone", the break adds a bit more progressive inspirations, but it is one of the direct tracks on the album. "Invisible Queen" finishes with "Through The Veils Of Sleep". After an atmospheric mid-tempo opening, the track transitions into a highly paced verse part, while the chorus parts and the break for the lead guitar solo is at mid-tempo. The melodies are grim, almost doom-laden and highlight of the track is the lead guitar solo. It is a good way to end the album.

HOLY MOSES leave the stage with a bang. "Invisible Queen" is an excellent album from the top to the bottom. It is not the traditional Thrash Metal album, it is still Thrash Metal at its core, but with a lot of progressive elements. It is a very technical album and many of the songs have a complexity way beyond classical Thrash Metal. That keeps the album fresh and dynamic and is evidence for excellent songwriting. The album is well produced. "Invisible Queen" shows how much have HOLY MOSES still left in their locker. The album may arguably their best at least since the restart and they will go out on top of their game. "Invisible Queen" also shows what might be in the future, but time will tell whether that is really the final year for HOLY MOSES. They surely will be missed.