WARNING SIGN is a 4-Piece Thrash Metal band from Quebec City, Quebec. This is their second full-length album after the release of ''Left to the Sharks'' back in 2016. I have been keeping a close eye on the local scene for the last few years now and it's the first time I've heard about this band to be perfectly honest. I didn't even know they were local when I chose to review their upcoming album.

There is so much talent in the province of Quebec, it's pretty mindboggling. You have some great Melodic Death bands out there like BEYOND CREATION and AETERNAM, yet you have some of the veterans that have paved the way for the other bands like KATAKLYSM, CRYPTOPSY, VOIVOD among countless others. I am always happy to be able to review anything that is local and it's like the small shows, sometimes they are the better ones. You can find diamonds in the rough in those small venues and its akin to discovering the talent you don't see otherwise.

I am a vocals guy myself, and how Maxim Beaulieu delivers on here, he sounds focused, intense and sure of himself and the delivers the excellent range you are looking for and could rival any other American Power/Thrash Metal vocalist out there. I will always remember John Bush from ANTHRAX saying at a show in Montreal: ''You have to have a great singer in Metal Band, never mind the rest, you have to have that great voice to front any band out there''. Well he was right, I am charmed by a vocalist's (female or male) talent before anything else. I hate bands that add a female vocalist just for smoke and mirrors and I will always put the talent before physical attributes. If I like the voice of a vocalist, that's all it counts and a singer should be measured on that obviously. Maxim Beaulieu really reminded me of a young Mike Howe (from METAL CHURCH) with his range and emotion.

With this album you have a lot of topics covered in the lyrics, they range from observations of society, politics and the trials and tribulations of life itself. I was rather impressed by the lyrics of this band especially on ''Broken and Bare'' and ''Heavy Lies the Crown'', there is something thought-provoking about them and shows maturity beyond their years of experience in the music business. They don't overthink their lyrics and everything is straight to the point without any real compromise and you have to respect that out of a band.

They do not aim to redefine the genre, like they say on their Facebook page, they don't want to reinvent the well, yet keep it turning. This album is a great opportunity for the masses to listen to a very underrated band and I know the term underrated can be a bit relative at times, but when the end result is as good as it gets. They mix old school Thrash-Metal (think ''Souls of Black'' by TESTAMENT) with influences of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and early 90's mainstays like VICIOUS RUMOUS,  JAG PANZER, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM. It's a hodegepodge of influences yet it works and you get a very consistent flow of quality throughout this opus.

The tracklist is setup to deliver a thoroughly-enjoyable ride for the listener and that's really important. Most songs off the album combine speed and melody making the musicians really shine throughout. Even though they avoid on being overly complex in their songs, they have some downright great musicians and that drummer delivers an impressive Double-Bass/Double Kick like the best of them. The axemen are no slouches either and do an impressive job on building the sound of the band and it made quite an impression on me. I would have enjoyed more Bass but its my own personal opinion.

The last song really showcases the band's stronger attributes, excellent musicianship, brilliant songwriting and tons of character, great supported by the addition of Achraf Loudiy from AETERNAM that does some masterful growls and adds so much depth to the song. It's the longest song of the album and what a way to close it nonetheless. The band just shines and you have that hint of sheer riffing potential and a wealth of musical proficiency. They have a unique blend of influences and it just works.