Sacrifice

Thrash metal originals Sacrifice were quite intent on ensuring that if they reunited and released new material after an almost 20-year absence, it had to be perfect. Hearing the onslaught of bands that either forgot their roots or strive to "progress" and duly fail, the quartet opted to step back in time and embrace the formative elements that made albums such as 1987's Torment In Fire and 1990's Soldiers Of Misfortune such eternal gems: thick, churning riffs, unending aggression and a refusal to compromise, while still offering plenty of dynamics. In the end, their endless self-criticism and high expectations have yielded nothing less than one of the band's greatest albums to date. Fresh, invigorated and unhindered, The Ones That I Condemn's 11 tracks ― if one snags the edition with a bonus cover of Rush's "Anthem" ― are an obliterating bout of true thrash metal that not only harkens back to the band's finest hour but actually surpasses it with ease. From the thunderous beastliness of opener "We Will Prevail" through the sinister attitude of "Give Me Justice," "The Great Wall" and "Hiroshima," this is Sacrifice at their best. The mix of low-end riffing, double-time pace and hints towards progressive experimentation, without getting spaced-out, prove that even with the onslaught of current thrash bands striving to redefine the genre, there's no holding a candle to the genius that is Sacrifice.