If we were to rank the top 10 biggest metal reunions of the 2010s, there’s no doubt Vio-Lence would make the top 3. Much like Demolition Hammer, these Bay Area bashers have gone through a massive resurgence in the past decade. In fact, collective interest in both bands is probably higher now than when they initially existed some 30 odd years ago. This is largely the result of younger fans who never got the chance to see them “back in the day” because, quite frankly, they weren’t alive back then.
Having seen both, I can attest that each still bring it in a live setting. Yet the question remained: How would this live magic translate in the studio? Would either even attempt to create new music, or merely continue to bank off their (mostly) flawless back catalogs? In the case of Demolition Hammer, time will tell if we’ll ever get another Epidemic of Violence. Vio-Lence on the other hand has long been teasing a new release, going back to an underwhelming cover of Dead Kennedys’ “California Über Alles” in 2020. Fast forward a couple years later and their first collection of new music in nearly 30 years, Let the World Burn, is here.
Instead of recording an all out 40+ minute full length, Vio-Lence chose to go the EP route for this release, which I feel was a smart move. The EP has since become a lost art, relegated to an 80s artifact by today’s hip “fill the CD” standards. However, even an EP can become a tedious listen if the songs lack the memorable traits that made a legendary band memorable in the first place. Unfortunately, I found this to be the case with Let the World Burn. Aside from the tough guy Hatebreed-core chug-fest that is “Upon Their Cross”, it isn’t as if these songs are unlistenable. They just come off as rather pedestrian.
The opening two tracks, “Flesh from Bone” and “Screaming Always” remind me of modern Anthrax. They’re run of the mill thrashers with aggressive mosh riffs and one dimensional hooks leading the way, the latter even giving off some crossover vibes. Not shabby, but not what I’d expect from a band who created an album as utterly insane as Eternal Nightmare (1989). There is a valiant attempt to recapture that sound on the EP’s last two songs, “Gato negro” and “Let the World Burn”. Both are breakneck exercises in speed and aggression, specializing in fury and force. Would I mosh to them? Absolutely. Will I remember them tomorrow? That’s another story.
It pains me to write this way about a band who is so beloved, not just by the masses, but by yours truly. I’ve got nothing but the utmost respect for these savants of second wave thrash. I just can’t get down with this lackluster EP that happens to bare their name. If you can, good for you. As for me, next time I see them live, I’ll be patiently standing on the sidelines when they play these new songs, waiting to thrash it up to “Phobophobia” instead.
5 out of 10
Label: Metal Blade Records
Genre: Thrash Metal
For fans of: Anthrax, Testament, Exodus