The mighty Steve Zetro Souza is back! Known for such acts as Exodus and Testament, Steve has collected a talented young group of musicians who have one thing on their agenda to deliver to metal listeners; an unrelentingly fast and furious album. My history with listening to Souza isn’t as much as I’d like it to be, but I know of his influential impact on the thrash metal world. I think the most work I’ve heard from him was from the classic Testament album The Legacy in which he was responsible for a large majority of the song writing until leaving for Exodus. It is indeed an amazing thrash metal album, probably one of my favorites; however he did not actually perform any of the songs. I also grew pretty fond of the album Tempo of the Damned which was his last album with the mighty Exodus. I was hoping to hear something similar or better than his final album with Exodus so expectations were a bit high.

This release will excite many thrash metal fans, and this will definitely attract a lot of record label attention as this is well deserved. For starters, this album will take you back. It will give you a feeling that it comes straight out the 80s, which mostly can be heard within Steve’s vocal style. The instruments do have that feeling as well, but of course it comes with a much better quality in terms of production value than older thrash metal. I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you want that “old school” thrash metal sound to immerse yourself in, look no further than Heroes of Origin.

The young musicians gathered for this new thrash metal project have a lot of talent and a strong passion for thrash metal which can be heard. They have come up with a great amount of ideas and guitar licks that kept me wanting more. Probably one of my favorite tracks, Murder American Style, erupted with one of the most ferociously heavy and catchy openings I’ve heard in a long time in thrash metal. The guitars get pretty technical at times but remain heavy in every song leaving the opportunity to bang your head in the most ridiculous fashion you see fit. The drumming on the album can get pretty rapid, especially the pounding of the double bass. These guys have some seriously great talent that I’m sure will only expand to greater heights in the coming years.

One thing I really like about Souza’s singing is that every word sung I could understand every bit of it. You can tell his experience in the past really shows on this album. He is probably one of the biggest veterans of thrash metal and that is something he should be very proud of. Compared to such albums like Tempo of the Damned, I think he did a much better job with Heroes of Origin. Like it or not, Steve brings so much experience and passion to the mix. It’s an album that has a lot going on and is really hard to dislike.

Hatriot will probably gain more attention (if they haven’t already) in the future. This album is a stepping stone to what is to come. Songs were absolutely crushing, some more than others, but overall it is a definite win for thrash metal this year. This young band, under the great experience of Souza, has nowhere to go but up and I’ll be hoping to catch them touring through one of the cities closest to me once they get some dates rolling.