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The Age Of Entitlement

    
       
       
       
     
             
Acid Reign are a thrash metal band from the UK formed in 1985 who released their debut album 'The Fear' in 1989. The bands second album 'Obnoxious' followed in 1990 before the band split up in 1991, with the band members moving on to other projects or joining other bands. 'The Apple Core Archives', a retrospective collection of every song the band ever put out, was released in 2014. The band reformed in 2015, releasing their comeback single 'Plan Of The Damned' and heading out on a UK tour with fellow British thrashers Xentrix. Another single, 'The Man Who Became Himself' was released in 2017, with Acid Reign releasing their third full length studio album 'The Age Of Entitlement' in 2019.    
             
If you take the urgency, the aggression and the fast pace of thrash metal and weave in a touch of the punk attitude, the resulting outcome is the new album from British thrashers Acid Reign. Old school thrash metal has never sounded so good. Acid Reign are a band that I listened to as a growing teenager during the mid to late eighties, and now, an amazing thirty years after their debut album, the band release album number three - 'The Age Of Entitlement'. From start to finish, the pedal is well and truly to the metal, ten songs scorching past in just forty five furious minutes, the album opener 'T.A.O.E.' a two and a half minute atmospheric instrumental, leading straight into the fast and furious 'The New Low'. The combination of NWOBHM sounding guitar riffage and a full throttle thrash metal rampage, makes 'The New Low' a corker of an opening salvo, lighting the fuse to countless incendiary devices, as the album powers on with the pulsating 'New Age Narcissist'. More melodic than the opener, yet retaining all the elements of thrash, 'New Age Narcissist' is a heavy mid to high tempo stomp of fiery aggression. And just after two songs, what a return by one of the UK's most iconic bands from the eighties NWOBHM/thrash metal explosion, bashing heads hard with their brand of blunt and in your face thrash.    
             
And oh my fucking God, the increase in pace is off the scale as 'My Peace Of Hell' rockets into life and runs amok as it furiously flies on past. The head bangers of the world are gonna love 'My Peace Of Hell', the opportunity for maniacal head banging is gonna test neck muscles to their limits of ripping. Which is what may just happen if you let yourself go too wild during the two minute pummelling 'Blood Makes Noise' dishes out. Full to the brim with punk attitude and the most infectious rhythm you're gonna find on the album, 'Blood Makes Noise' is an aural avalanche of angst, anger, attitude and aggression. 'Sense Of Independence' maintains the albums fire and brimstone fiery rage, mixing it up with some very heavy guitars during short passages of almost doom style riffing. Acid Reign are delivering high octane thrash metal, spliced with NWOBHM nuances, sprinkled with touches of punk, and a dash of the melodic. This is top notch catchy and infectious thrash metal - wow... Slamming the brakes on the high velocity pace, 'Hardship' brings forth a more Megadeth style of thrash. A very heavy mid tempo stomp, 'Hardship' has the best NWOBHM guitar buzz sound the album has to offer. Is this one of the best albums this year? Quite possibly, but it's definitely one of my top albums of the year...    
             
At over eight minutes in length, 'Within The Woods' is by far and away the longest song on offer, and is a monumental march of epic proportions. From the effects laden intro, to the atmospheric crescendo that takes over, to the full on foot on the monitor style head banging rhythm, 'Within The Woods' is a belter of a song, and one that won't lose your interest for all of its eight minutes and twenty seconds play time. And now for two minutes of sheer speed metal infused thrash... 'Ripper Apart' is as aggressive as the title suggests, and is so fierce it may just scare a few people...! 'Ripped Apart' is fast, is laden with punk attitude and is a savage barrage of brutal thrash metal. And how the fuck are we already at the final song? Where the hell has the last forty minutes gone? Crikey what an album... And what a final hurrah - mellow guitars give life to 'United Hates', becoming a barn storming and fast paced meld of NWOBHM and thrash, all sewn together with plenty of the melodic to keep it attractive and catchy. If you're looking for an album to blow the cobwebs away, aggravate your neighbours, or just head bang wildly to, then 'The Age Of Entitlement' by British thrashers Acid Reign is the album for you. It's good, it's great, and it's gonna place the band well and truly back onto the worldwide metal stage.    
             
Overall, a thundering thrash metal assault, full of pace, power and aggression, Acid Reign have delivered a cracking album.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
Other Reviews    
             

           
           
The Man Who Became Himself (single)      
           
"a welcome return to the thrash metal arena, the new single is a cracking reminder of how good Acid Reign are" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             
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