Despite having a name that sounds like some forgotten computer game for kids in the '90s, Mutant Blast are a Finnish act working a rocking brand of thrash, but not in either the punky, crossover sense nor the lighter side of Bay Area Thrash. No, this has more of an old-school rock groove to it than you often see these days, and it goes a long way in making them stand out among all the other thrash out there determined to get you drunk and moshing. Thankfully, Soulsteeler is still all about getting you drunk and moshing, and it has all the flailing energy and inebriated attitude to pull it off perfectly. They do show they're capable of more than that with the eerie, King Diamond-esque opening of "Final Day," but most tracks are like "Black Mass (Open the Gates of Hell)" in that they are about headbanging good times to fondly remember during your inevitable hangover. If you want to drink beer and destroy your living room but want something besides D.R.I. or SOD, then get this album and thrash 'n' roll with Mutant Blast until the party is over.
