IMMORTAL SYNN is a Thrash metal band with melodic tendencies. They hearken from the mile high city of Denver, Colorado where they formed in 2004. Persevering multiple lineup changes, they have two EPs and two full-length albums to their credit. Their sophomore full-length album, "Force of Habit," is due for release on May 7, 2021.

While the cover art suggests the album will be a diatribe against the perversions of organized religion, the gamut of themes cover more traditional Thrash content-e.g., critiques of society, current events, and the government. There are also a few party songs, so, yeah, Thrash. Mixing and mastering are on the high end, with clear separation of all instruments and vocals. Vocals are clean with that classic Thrash/Punk inflection that sounds like an angry, earnest Californian punched up with chants of protestation and general pissed-offness.

All ten tracks are very even keeled, so standouts are hard for me to pin down. My first pick is the first track, "Anamnesis," which is probably the most unique track on the album. The band notes that it's polished for radio. Radio doesn't really exist anymore, so I'm not sure what that actually means except maybe that it's less aggressive than other tracks . . . but it isn't. Anyway, in the band's words, the track was "composed entirely, both lyrically and musically, by the band's drummer, Axel Berrios. Lyrically, the song tells the story of a man experiencing nightmares after the death of his lover and creating a fantasy world in order to cope with the loss." Verdict: Lyrically mature and musically well executed, so high ranks there.

Second on my list is the title track, "Force of Habit," which features a nice acoustic interlude with a stunning guitar solo. Third is a tie between "Fight the Prince" and "Nuclear Terror" which are both classic sounding Thrash tracks. I should also give a shout out to "The Ballad of Marvin Heemeyer." For the unschooled, on June 4, 2004 Marvin Heemeyer took a modified bulldozer (aka, killdozer) that he built and demolished the Granby, Colorado town hall, the mayor's house, the newspaper editorial office, and several other buildings. Motivation? Zoning dispute, the man, and, of course, being commissioned by god for this specific duty. If you don't know this story, you need to look it up.

Back to the album, the only regret for me was the final track, "Whiskey II: The Wrath of Corn," which has that pirate tempo that apparently some people love. Personally, I find it excessively annoying. In the band's defense, the song is clearly a tongue-in-cheek shanty, so maybe I need to just need calm the hell down.

"Force of Habit" isn't going to win any awards for most original or innovative Thrash album of the year. It's not as gritty as a lot of bands leading the new wave of thrash metal, and it is nowhere near as brutal as the Thrash coming out of South America . . .  but it is very consistent, and it is good. Definitely worth a listen. If you are anywhere near the Denver/Boulder area, and if that locale opens up for live music anytime soon, this seems like a band that would completely ignite the stage.