For those of you that don't remember the band's 2006 album Slaves Of The Burning Pentagram, Hellish Crossfire are not the Children Of Bodom tribute act that the title of their second album would suggest. The German band features members of Delirium Tremens, Old and Anael, and if you're not cool enough to know those names then know this: Hellish Crossfire Thrash. They Thrash hard, and Thrash the hell out, having a violent sound with elements of Black and Death Metal that makes for a rather awesome listen, all in all, and whilst Slaves Of The Burning Pentagram slightly suffered from its unoriginality, Bloodrust Scythe overcomes this by simple virtue of being awesome. It's as old-school as hell, a fuzzy production and Iron Tyrant's harsh growl conspiring to keep the Exodus fanboys away - opening song Night Of The Possessed goes straight for the throat with a wonderful mixture of melody and heaviness causing copious headbanging, and the album never lets up.

From Evil Possessor's impressively technical drumming, to Iron Incubus' varied and interesting guitarwork, heck, even sick basswork from a bassist appropriately called Sick - the band are one and on fire. Speedy battery-driven assaults like Black Injection are sure to entice old-school Thrashfaces, especially when it all turns Judas Priest and melodic 80s leads start shooting off like fireworks. The songwriting has improved immeasurably from the last album, as ...Of Slaying Grounds proves when it kicks off finally with howling manic laughter, and the six-minute Into The Old And Evil proves again with a spoken word intro and impressive launch into powerful Thrash. Few bands formed after the year 2000 could make Orgasmic Rush live up to its name like it does here, or pack so much excitement into the two-minute Speed Hunter - it's a shame that so many new Thrash groups are content with their lack of awesomeness, but listening to the likes of At The Edge Of Total Chaos it's clear that Hellish Crossfire do not share this.

By the time the dying strains of Too Tough To Die have faded into your ears, it's hard to believe that Hellish Crossfire have made an album this good, over this quick. Fine, it's not the best thing you'll ever hear, but do you want something that reminds you of the good old days, when bands didn't all sound the same, and when Thrash meant more than beer bongs and moshing pre-teens? This, friend, is for you, a satisfying album sure to appeal to any Thrasher worth their patches and proof positive that all is not dead in the scene.