The Aussies' "Mayhemic Destruction" ('87) remains one of the finest underappreciated gems of Thrash's golden age: comparisons to raging METALLICA are warranted. By the time they'd signed with Polydor Records, for the "Face Of Despair" follow-up, the sound had been polished too much, basically leading to a break-up that lasted (with aborted starts & stops) until 2002. This is the third release since returning to action, averaging a release every two years since '07. Today, no one would confuse them with Lars Ulrich's crew, nor vice versa, Maurer's throat being closer to EXODUS's late Paul Baloff mixed with TESTAMENT's Chuck Billy. This feels like an old friend, without coming off as a blatant rip-off of anyone in particular, which is no easy feat to pull off.

After a mid-tempo crawl, the opening title track kicks into full-on, heads down thrashing riff: "Chemical imbalanced brain. You're a victim of your pain...". On follow-up "Blood Of My Enemies" the guitars leap from the speakers, recalling the early 80s connection between lightning speed Punk and Thrash. It temporarily retreats to a mid-pace break, before the final flurry. Great drumming to boot. This isn't all about heaviness and speed (although there's plenty of both). Too many newcomers (OK, anyone attempting the style after 1989), still misunderstand. Listen to the groove in "Paralyzed". Any guess what "Down In The Pit" refers to, or how it sounds? If you don't have a clue (you really don't!), probably have no reason to listen to MORTAL SIN in the first place! The closing "Hatred" is the shortest track, at 3:26, just balls out chainsaw riffing. MORTAL SIN (thankfully) didn't try to heavy up their sound for a modern era, remaining true to the original. In fact, at a shade over 42 minutes, the nine songs would fit on one side of an old school cassette.