heathen the evolution of chaos

Released: 25 January 2010 Label: Mascot Records

From the second the gentle intro gives way to the blistering, brutal thrash attack of Dying Season, you will find yourself grinning like a madman, secure in the knowledge that Heathen are well and truly back.

Although perhaps never as celebrated – and certainly never as commercially successful – as some of their mid-eighties thrash contemporaries, Heathen were nonetheless one of the best and most crucial bands of the era. Their 1987 debut Breaking the Silence is still widely regarded as an absolute classic by many thrash aficionados

But that was a long time ago and this release is the real acid test of whether Heathen have anything to offer in 2010. The good news is that these eleven tracks exceed all expectations. In short, The Evolution of Chaos is a stormer of an album.

Each track is magnificently crafted and precisely executed. High speed thrash rhythms are contrasted with traditional mid tempo metal sections and crushingly heavy old school ‘mosh parts’. The album is technical and melodic when it needs to be, but remains super intense throughout. Even the slightly more average tracks like Fade Away and Undone stand head and shoulders above anything the thrash revivalists of today have managed between them.

When Heathen really hit top gear, as on the epic No Stone Unturned the result is simply staggering. This is an album that will remind you why you fell in love with metal in the first place and have you reaching for your air guitar for a long time to come.

The Evolution of Chaos is a worthy addition to the already crucial Bay Area legacy, but far from being an exercise in nostalgia, it is an album firmly rooted in the here and now, clearly highlighting the timeless vitality and passion of all quality metal.

Heathen - one of the originals and on this showing, still one of the best. See you in the pit.

by Marcus Jervis