A thrash band in desperate need of a new name, MOSH-PIT JUSTICEis here with their fourth full-length LP "Fighting The Poison."  I tease, but the Bulgarian band's moniker does sound like it may have been the name for John Stamos' fictional metal band on a lost episode of "Full House." Perhaps it's a translation thing, as they play a distinctly American style of Thrash, Bay Area, to be specific. This is very much "Twisted Into Form"worship, and that's a good thing, as there is a lack of great Power Thrash bands out there that have attempted to hold themselves to so high of a standard.

Right off the bat, you get acquainted with vocalist Georgy Peichev's unique voice.  He operates without any super high-register that you may expect from a band that calls SANCTUARYone of their greatest influences.  That doesn't keep a song like opener "Bound To Decay"from delivering the goods, however.  It starts with an ominous churning of riffs and blasts off with an "Angel of Death"-lite war cry. The sparseness and dark melodic overtones recall FORBIDDENand DEATH ANGEL, with a precise and sufficiently bottom-heavy production engineered by guitarist and drummer Staffa Vasilev.

Both "Feed Me To The Flames"and "God Wills It"have some flavors of CANDLEMASSdoom, similar to how NEVERMOREwould incorporate it into their earlier work.  The latter track, one of the best on the album, contains a guest solo from ex-FORBIDDENguitarist Glen Alvelais.  "The Serpent's Call"is a melodic thrash epic, akin to ICED EARTH, with some acoustic flavoring at the top.  "State of Damnation"shows off the skills of guitarist Vasilevwith some super crispy Jeff Waters-style rhythmic patterns.

The lyrical content touches on religious and apocalyptic themes.  "In The Final Of Days"is a particularly pointed message about environmental destruction that is a stand-out track.  In "Prove Your Faith,"Piechevdoes his best to hit some decent high notes and there's a whammy-infused lead solo that's among the best on the album.  "Forging Our Fate"wraps up the album on a sufficiently sinister note, like a long march through hell with some cool Marty Friedman-esque Spanish guitar mixing things up in the middle.

Not exactly technical enough to be categorized as such, the band is nonetheless skilled, with the advantage of having some great production behind them.  There's a few different melodic flavors, power, thrash and doom, that add to a melting pot of influences.  It's hard to say if they ever rise above being an average of a lot of these inspirations, however.  The vocals certainly add character, but do take a little getting used to.  Overall, despite how you feel about their name (my thoughts are clear), MOSH-PIT JUSTICEplays with a passion for the source material that's infectious.  More power to them.<