At War were a promising American thrash trio who almost made it, except their careers got flushed down the proverbial toilet come the 90s. The band vanished from the scene and only resurfaced when Heavy Artillery Records gave them another chance at proving themselves a few years back. The result is 'Infidel', a bare bones collection of grisly songs bereft of frills. Purists may argue this is "true" thrash metal, where tracks like 'At War', 'R.A.F.', and 'Rapechase' still have glimmers of NWOBHM charm and punk vitriol. But for those merely hungering for a straight-for-the-throat collection of neck breaking mosh pit inducers, At War are the band for you.

Counting themselves in the same league as Slayer, Sodom, and Nocturnal Fear, At War's favorite subject for lyrical fodder is rather obvious, so don't expect any ballads or breakdowns. The opening bombardment comes via the pre-emptive fury of 'Assassins' where singer-bassist Paul Arnold's spins a chilling tale about nighttime commando operations amid a musical backdrop provided by guitarist Shawn Helsel and Dave Stone on percussion artillery. The trio keep a good thing going with the United States Marine Corps tribute 'Semper Fi' before shifting to the venomous 'Make Your Move' and their own self named anthem. As suggested by the album title, At War intend to busy themselves with anti-terrorist activity. Both 'Want You Dead' and 'Deceit' take aim at radical Islam, whose demonic black-clad ninja legions populate 'Infidel's cover art. The uncomfortable proximity to global events aside (at the time of this writing, an unexploded car bomb was defused in New York's Times Square), At War's songcraft never slips even at their angriest.

The production throughout the album remains bare bones, which seems to be the band's preferred aesthete. Flashy guitar solos are few and far between, the drums chatter away with the consistency of machine gun fire, and the bass lines are almost buried beneath the raw mix. For a comeback album almost 20 years overdue it isn't a masterpiece, but it does bode well fro whatever At War wish to achieve in the coming years. If pure old school thrash is your heart's desire, prepare to fall bonkers in love with this band.

Rating: 7½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Miguel Miranda
05/10/2010 21:59