Wow, this takes me back, as the last Aura Noir album I heard was their 2004 breakthrough The Merciless. I'll admit right here that I was never able to get into that one too much, as I found the tinny drum sound just too much of a deal-breaker for me. That said, I am glad that this one not only sports a real recording job, but some of this band's patented Black/Thrash mayhem.
Not many bands actually manage to do Death/Thrash well. I'd say Sauron, Deströyer 666 and maybe The Crown, plus this band, manage to do it right. The thing a lot of bands forget is that while Black may come across in attitude and production, Thrash has to be all about riffs. Aura Noir dig right down to the roots of the Celtic Frost/Sodom roots of the genre with thugging thrash riffs, pounding drums, and barbaric vocals.
If I have a beef with this band, it's that they don't often play fast enough to suit me, opting to stick with a heavier, but slower direction. I'd like a bit more feral energy on this disc, or even a lot more. This is a very solid and entertaining disc, but it never really rips my face off.
