Classic old school Thrash is the first thing that comes to mind when listening to "Reborn", the new release from THE CLOCKWORK. Formed in 2002, this five-piece band calls Hamburg, Germany their home but sound like they could have been schooled on the mean streets of Southern California. Consisting of Rown (ex-INFERNOISE) on vocals, Javi (ex-SOZIEDAD ALKOHOLIKA, ex-BEER MOSH) on guitar, Alfred (ex-DISTANCE) on guitar, Kheryon (ex-ETERNAL STORM) on bass, and Nitro (ex-INFERNOISE, ex-Omerthà) on drums, these guys bring a lot of prior experience to this powerful, relatively new band and have become a big name on the European Metal scene since their breakout EP, "Dawn for a New Breed". But now, with the release of "Reborn" they hope to widen their presence, luring back fans around the world of old school thrash metal. Reminiscent of classic METALLICA, TESTAMENT, and KREATOR, they hope to buck the trend of the more progressive, speed metal bands that, while originally drawing insight from some those early influential bands, somewhere along the way lost the grit and angst of a struggling garage band.

That old classic sound is not the norm these days as most bands try to cash in on the trendy Metalcore / Nu Metal sound that has evolved over time to dominate the ever-changing Heavy Metal scene. THE CLOCKWORK have masterfully brought this sound full circle, back to the early 80's when Thrash was still in it's infancy and METALLICA's "Ride the Lightning" had the rebellious Metalhead bragging about this, their new favorite band. Songwriting is definitely not a shortcoming for THE CLOCKWORK. Their lyrics are serious and relevant to the current state of the world. The guitars are fast paced shredding riffs with high-register solos and the drums are a relentless double-bass assault on your ears. The bass tracks are heavy as hell and mesh perfectly into each song.

The old stuff was raw, fast, and hardcore and that's exactly what you get on "Reborn". Nine songs with no "pretty boy" choruses or harmonies, just straightforward Thrash Metal. THE CLOCKWORK have fittingly titled their first full length album "Reborn", possibly as message to those old school Thrash fans that the garage-band sound will rise again. If you're a fan of the "Big Four", METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH, and ANTHRAX, this album will fulfill your need for speed.