RELENTLESS is a Metal band from Chicago, Illinois. Following up on their 2013 debut "Souls of Charon," the band return with a new attitude and a fresh set of driving rockers on their latest release, "Night Terrors."

This album marks a slight stylistic change for the band, who started out playing more Doom-influenced music. "Night Terrors" feels substantially more upbeat than its predecessor, a result of the band's emphasis on faster, more anthemic songs. The subject matter is still plenty heavy, but while "Souls" felt ominous and foreboding, "Night Terrors" eases its stance in order to diversify their attack. It's a good idea in theory, and it does do the band well to show off their many talents. Carlee Jackson has a commanding voice full of fire and fight on songs like the title track and "Point Of No Return." Dan Klein and Tim Pearson are no slouches on their respective instruments, either, and the trio bring an edge and enthusiasm to their craft that is very refreshing. "Slave To The Riff" screams "NWOBHM" as loudly as Jackson hails the virtues of said music, while "Armed To The Teeth" has this dirty, slow-rolling groove that reminds me of "Join The Army" by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.

On the other hand, however, the band's more streamlined approach threatens to bring some songs into 'generic Metal' territory. "Dawn Of The Night" is a solid opening song, but it feels positively tame compared to some of the songs that follow, and while "Eye Of The Storm" starts off promising enough, I was hoping for something a little less predictable as late as it appears in the album. The same can be said of "Path Of Fire," which more like a medley of two separate songs than a true, 8-minute epic.

Despite its flaws, at the end of the day, "Night Terrors" is a satisfying record with its catchy songs and high-energy performances. Though they might do well to get into more adventurous territory musically, this record proves that RELENTLESS are Heavy Metal warriors in every sense of the phrase. Anyone looking for some no-frills Metal to have a good time to should check these guys out.