Bonded By Blood

The retro thrash revival is dead. That was fast, but so it goes when young bands are trying to impress 40-year-old dudes who heard Metallica's first demo when it came out. It's a tough crowd. Bonded by Blood hail from the fertile soil of California and are making a name for themselves in the modern thrash scene, but they're not crafting timeless material just yet. "Episodes of Aggression" is hysterical and awesome, like old Exodus. But other songs, like "Prison Planet" and opener "600 A.B. (After the Bomb)," just race past, and that all-important first song should not be racing past. There's potential, and it's all very solid and well performed, but the genre is officially worn out. Maybe Bonded by Blood can do something special on their third album by crossing borders. The track "Desolate Future" adds some Kreator to the Testament and it works wonders.