Looking back on 2013, any sort of thrash metal album that really stood out was difficult to pinpoint. Steve “Zetro” Souza (Ex-Exodus), had more up his sleeve last year than many, alongside a group of young talented musicians, and released one of the best debut album surprises last year. Souza is again backed by both his sons on drums and bass, together with a great set of young talent headed by the thrash metal veteran. Hatriot has once again proven to be a difficult force to stop with their sophomore album.

An audio file of Charlton Heston saying those famous words about gun rights, “from my cold dead hands,” begins the first track. Hatriot brings thrash metal forth with an older sound but delivers a melodic and hard riff pounding record. A strong bass line emerges in Your Worst Enemy, and shortly after with the relentless drums and guitar licks, it shows the band’s objective to just completely destroy everything in their path.

A different track than I was expecting, The Fear Within, was a slower but still fierce track. The epic solo at the opening showcases the bands immediate maturity following their debut album. Honor In The Rise And Fall is another clear example that between both their first album and this one, they have crafted a thrash sound to excite many new and also old school fans of thrash. Souza gets some more backing vocal support from his young talent sounding more ferocious and hard-boiled during the chorus.

Melodically driven moments, hardened heavy riffs, and a sole purpose to obliterate the listener is more than made clear with the track Silence In The House Of The Lord. This Tampa Bay area thrash metal destructive force emit a big sound and even more beautifully crafted guitar solos when it is needed. More heaviness is found in tracks like World Funeral that puts a big smack down of crunchy riffs that will make any person feel in the mood for a fight.

Between Hatriot’s debut album and the latest, Dawn of the New Centurion, it was sometimes hard pick for which one was my favorite. But their newest album is a more than worthy successor and came out on top. Souza’s return to the thrash metal with his group of young talent is a refreshing feeling for the genre. A fun and ear damagingly vicious album they have created once again and it simply couldn’t be better.