This is the second album from US thrash metallers Rhythm of Fear.
Now that’s some old-school cover art right there. The music is equally old-school, delivering 47 minutes of spiked crossover thrash metal heaviness.
Fatal Horizons is an authentic slab of old-school serrated riffs, screaming solos, crossover attitude, and thrash bite. The songs worship the 80s thrash scene, and the resulting riff-fest is utterly convincing. The riffs never seem to end and Rhythm of Fear’s grasp on meaty groove, fiery speed, and piercing leads is easily infectious. The songs are well-written and the band have a clear love of the style. Their passion bleeds through into the songs constantly, driving them forward with relentless crunch.
An album that’s clearly designed for the live entertainment and destined to go down a storm in such a place, Fatal Horizons defies you to stay still while it’s playing.
As thrash as it is, occasionally other influences find themselves injected into the mayhem here and there, and the band showcase a few good ideas across the album. For example; I’m not normally a fan of interludes, but both Atrocities Beyond the Structures of the Mind and Dissolution of Time in Space are so good that I would have loved to have seen them developed into something greater than they are. Of the actual songs, there are many highlights, but Self Destructive Brain is a firm favourite.
Fatal Horizons is a solid album of crossover thrash metal that’s packed with riffs and fun to listen to. Check this out if you can’t get enough of the old-school style.
Wonderbox Metal 