Oh boy. What am I getting myself into. I work at a record store and I feel like part of my job is to expand my horizons into territory I do not normally enter. In this case, it is reviewing one of the highly sought after metal bands from the same era as Slayer or Metallica. Perhaps playing a brand new release as my introduction is not the best beginning for my duties, but I am expanding!

The album begins with the title as the lead track. The guitar work is actually very good. However, his voice is kind of choppy in relation to the melody. I think the imagery is good though. The black plague is a very interesting foot to start on. Makes me think this is in fact a covid album in the making.

We move on to more roaring guitar in “Life in Hell”, and it definitely feels…like it is about politicians. Who maybe do belong in such a place, I won’t lie about that kind of thing. The irony is kind of humoring. “I’m all I need, I am gonna live and die in hell”. Okay? Hell is not ideal?

Hold up does it really say “Night Stalkers” includes Ice-T? We really have entered a strange time. I kind of feel like so far the guitars should exist often separately from the melody. There are parts that fit and parts that do not gel as well. I got to admit…Ice-T’s verse didn’t even sound out of place though. I am amazed a heavy metal band made that work. Kudos to them.

Just a title of “Dogs of Chernobyl” makes me feel more emotional than it should. This is starting to turn into a concept, rather than just a “political statement” like I thought it was going to be. We’re traveling through history in the form of the many highly publicized ways people have experienced unfair deaths. War, plagues, nuclear disasters… This so far to me has been the strongest track.

“Sacrifice” seems to get into selling your soul and I am not too interested in hearing about satanic rituals…

Well…you know shifting from selling your soul to “Junkie” is actually excellent, because doing drugs is seriously like selling your soul off to satan and misery. This also captures the addiction experience quite well…including the cures being almost as bad as the original thing.

There is a short interlude titled “Psychopathy”, which I am curious as to how this is going to shift the album as we discuss that concept…

Yeah “Killing Time” sounds exactly like it is about politicians. Or really anyone in a position of power.

“Soldier On!” kind of captures the anxious human experience right now very well… Watching humankind destroy itself. Yes, we are.

Oh finally while we bash politicians someone also bashed all the big mouthed “Celebutante” of the world! They’re absolutely this way sadly. It captures people’s current obsession with “going viral” too… Sad state of the world honestly.

Why does “Mission to Mars” seem to possibly be mocking the billionaires wanting to civilize Mars? I think maybe Megadeath reads the news too much. Doomscrolling is bad for you – but apparently it makes an interesting concept album.

“We’ll Be Back” feels like a life-long threat felt by nations who have experienced war over and over… There’s always a chance they will be back.

“Police Truck” is a little blunt and a little aggressive for sure. Commenting on police brutality and abuse of power in the sense.

The album closes with “This Planet’s on Fire (Burn in Hell)” which includes Sammy Hagar. I cannot say the concept is wrong, that Satan’s desires for us all to be horrible individuals and burn in hell is working. Suppose we should all think about that considering how horrible to each other we’ve become.

LYRICS: 8/10 – I will say truthfully the album makes you think. Maybe more than you want to. I don’t like everything that’s said but some points were made for sure.

MUSIC: 6/10 – I am not really a big fan of thrash I don’t think – because it sounds so melodically choppy. To me, many of the verses don’t fit the excellent but contradicting guitar work.

OVERALL: 7/10 – If you like Megadeath of past you will probably enjoy it. It is not particularly my cup of tea, but for what it is and its genre, it is good. – Michaela from Dis-Cover Records