Oh, great: Another band named Nefarious. Not that we’ve covered any bands with such a moniker in the past (though you should certainly check out the Molder pre-cursor of the same name), but according to the handy, dandy Metal Archives, there’s already 18 bands boasting the cognomen. So what separates this Nefarious from the other Nefariouses? Well, this one is a full fledged supergroup, and by “supergroup”, I mean musicians who possess legit renown and a résumé to be reckoned with, not just hired gun, odds and ends cobbled together by a record company in a desperate attempt for a quick cash-in. There is a difference, folks.
Featuring Hirax frontman Katon W. de Pena, Exodus guitarist Rick Hunolt, Heathen guitarist Doug Piercy, Death Angel drummer Will Carroll, and Blind Illusion bassist Tom Gears, Nefarious’ batting order is a who’s who of Bay Area thrash royalty. Subsequently, their debut album, Addicted to Power, sounds exactly as you’d imagine it to be. These are old school dudes playing old school thrash metal, with zero regard for whatever’s hip, in, or trendy. It might be 2025, but Nefarious have made an album that sounds closer to 1985. The end result is largely satisfactory if you like your metal fast, heavy, and proper…which if you don’t, what are you even doing here?
Interestingly enough, most of Addicted to Power doesn’t fall in line with the breakneck aggression one would associate with a Hirax album. Rather there is a focus on largely midtempo, anthemic thrashers, and a strong traditional metal influence reminiscent of thrash’s earliest days, when the licks and solos still bore a close enough resemblance to the most spirited moments of the NWOBHM. Consequently, highlights like the title track and “Together We Rise” boast a sort of early power-thrash spirit circa ’84, akin to Metal Church and Flotsam and Jetsam. Meanwhile, mid-pace headbangers like “Master Plan” and “Snarler”, the latter of which I wish I could hear in standard tuning with the late Paul Baloff on vocals, serve as proper mosh pit fuel, simple and straightforward in delivery.
The only thing holding Addicted to Power back from the upper echelon of 2025 thrash releases (i.e. Warfield’s With the Old Breed, Sijjin’s Helljjin Combat, etc.) is occasionally predictable songwriting (cuts like “Mirror Death”, “Day After”, and “One Nation Enslaved” are rather one-note) and a shockingly 21st century production job. I say “shockingly”, because considering this band’s pedigree, and the spirit of the music at hand, I would’ve expected some attempt at sonically recreating the madness of the Bay Area in those early days. Instead, Addicted to Power sounds like a modern Death Angel album, which sounds like a modern Anthrax album, which sounds like…you get the idea.
Setbacks aside, Addicted to Power comes off similar to what the Metal Blade-helmed Category 7 (Remember them?) attempted last year, but with much sharper focus and stronger cohesion. This is an album that, even if it were to drift away from my consciousness after a few listens, would serve its purpose in giving that much needed energy surge, especially during a full body workout or high cardio run. Let’s just hope these veterans’ addiction to power is severe enough that the withdrawals demand a sophomore effort!
6 out of 10
Label: Independent
Genre: Thrash Metal
For fans of: Hirax, Death Angel, Metal Church