Cost: $1.00
I usually see this described as instrumental thrash--don't want to be purposefully finicky with semantics here, but vocal-less thrash may be a better descriptor. As far as I understand, the band was open to having a vocalist but just didn't find the right one, as opposed to a band forming with the intent of being an instrumental act. After listening, it definitely sounds like the material was written with a vocalist in mind rather than composed as some sort of instrumental metal EP, though obviously I wasn't privy to the recording process.
The music itself is fairly aggressive modern thrash, and while competent, the musicianship isn't dazzling enough to make up for the lack of vocals. It's a slippery slope, because I generally DON'T like instrumental metal forays (beyond the individual song here and there) because they tend to get overly progressive or avant-garde. It feels like they just took the vocals out of the formula without compensating for the loss--by the time the CD was only about half over, it was a struggle for me to concentrate on the music. It was certainly worth the dollar I paid, as they don't make any major missteps, and ultimately, it's an ok release. However, the reality of the situation is that this is a listening option competing against literally thousands and thousands of other thrash recordings.
When they did get a vocalist for their full-length, it was...Billy Milano! Haven't heard it, but hopefully I'll snag it from a bargain bin as well someday. Admittedly, the idea of him on vocals isn't terribly appealing.
Oh yeah, should add that the booklet is die-cut in the shape of the band logo (when folded up, the front logo is showing through two layers of paper). I've seen die-cut CD inserts a few times before, but this is probably the most intricate design. Seems like a needless layout extravagance, especially given the rather generic fiery background cover art, but hey, it held my interest for 15 seconds when I saw it.
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