Very rarely does a band's name completely fit them. Uppsala's Thrash/ Speed Metal outfit THE HIDDEN are very aptly named, details regarding them were incredibly hard to come by while I was researching for this review. This album is limited to 500 physical copies. But if you are able to hunt down this record, you'll find a selection of some pretty decent Thrash and Speed Metal.

Right off the bat, this album is intense and ferocious. "Cut your Wrist (Bleed you Poser)" is a statement of intent for what is to come. The album's title track opens with some kind of acoustic guitar which suddenly explodes into a massive sounding Thrash track, which brings to mind the more progressive tunes of bands like EVILE, only vocally it has a very strong Power/ Heavy Metal influence. Teddy Moller's voice is one of the strongest features this band has in its arsenal. He's like a hybrid of the NWOBHM's greatest vocalists, rolled into a single performer. However, this band is far from the most original. They sound like a great number of other Thrash and Speed Metal bands, which is a shame, because they are clearly talented. A band usually needs a couple of records before they gain their own distinctive sound, so hopefully album number two will contain a lot more promise than this.

By all means, this is a decent debut album. But there is a great difference between a "decent" album and a definitive, or indeed "classic", album. This record shows a lot of promise, and could very well gain them some recognition. And I hope that by the next album they become a truly awesome band that can define the genre.