At War - Infidel (2009)

It's official...just about every obscure thrash band from any neck of the woods has now reunited and released new material. At War was a pretty unheard of thrash band when they released two albums in the 80s, Ordered to Kill and Retaliatory Strike. The latter was a meaty, barbaric war metal record with some fairly catchy tracks. 21 years after the fact, At War have created Infidel, an album that sticks entirely to their roots even if it benefits from a slightly denser, brutal mix.

It's good to hear a thrash band unafraid of being patriotic in the face of our wimpy times, but this is not to say At War is some kind of insanely violent neocon band. The warfare theme dominated their old material, and it is retained here. It's the bread on their butter. Style-wise there is a brutal honesty to this band which reflects the earliest work of Sacred Reich. Like a combat boot to the face, the band treads over 9 new tracks, some of which are catchy, some of which are average. "Semper Fi" is one of the best, which a memorable refrain reminiscent of the songs on Retaliatory Strike. "R.A.F." has a classic metal leaning which recalls Motorhead. "Vengeful Eyes" is a great thrasher with some infectious riffing, and "Rapechase" is a perfect lead-out with some fist pounding vocals and filthy speed.

Infidel sounds better than their old albums, but only slightly. I think this was a great conscious decision to create a respectable continuity in their material. This isn't the thrash album of the year, and it's not going to impress a lot of people (personally, I still enjoy Retaliatory Strike the most of their material), but if you enjoyed the band's earlier albums then I see no reason why you wouldn't also like this, a worthy legacy.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.myspace.com/atwartheband