There are at least ten metal bands named Homicide, and half of them took that moniker in the late '80s/early '90s. Montreal's Homicide distinguished themselves in 1995 with their debut, Malice and Forethought. The album was a mix of dense thrash à la early Venom and Anthrax with vocals like a cross between Vio-Lence's Sean Killian and S.O.D./M.O.D. frontman Billy Milano. The band shared stages with metal veterans Voivod and Anvil but haven't been heard from since. Twenty-five years later, they return from hibernation with their classic lineup for their sophomore album, Left for Dead.
"You think I'm dead but I'm not / Risen from the ashes to take what you've got!" bellows guitarist/vocalist Gab Morency (ex-Corrupted Youth) at the beginning of the title track, with its Obituary-esque doom-chord dive-bombs. The Metallica-like "Enemy of the State" starts with an acoustic passage before its razor-chord claws protract. Mid-tempo cuts "Scourge of God" and "Point Blank Range" plod along, while "Shot to Hell" injects a few double-time sections to shake off the rust. Ultimately, the more breakneck tracks "Scorched Earth" and "Nightmares of the Apocalypse" (a Corrupted Youth cover) spotlight the band's potency, with drummer Scotty MacCulloch expertly controlling the velocity and direction.
Produced by Wayne Cochrane (Protest the Hero, Cancer Bats), Left for Dead offers twofold benefits: it's throwback thrash for the older headbangers from the '90s, and a how-to manual on this seminal era for the younger generation.
(Independent)"You think I'm dead but I'm not / Risen from the ashes to take what you've got!" bellows guitarist/vocalist Gab Morency (ex-Corrupted Youth) at the beginning of the title track, with its Obituary-esque doom-chord dive-bombs. The Metallica-like "Enemy of the State" starts with an acoustic passage before its razor-chord claws protract. Mid-tempo cuts "Scourge of God" and "Point Blank Range" plod along, while "Shot to Hell" injects a few double-time sections to shake off the rust. Ultimately, the more breakneck tracks "Scorched Earth" and "Nightmares of the Apocalypse" (a Corrupted Youth cover) spotlight the band's potency, with drummer Scotty MacCulloch expertly controlling the velocity and direction.
Produced by Wayne Cochrane (Protest the Hero, Cancer Bats), Left for Dead offers twofold benefits: it's throwback thrash for the older headbangers from the '90s, and a how-to manual on this seminal era for the younger generation.
