Condemned to Hell

I reviewed this New Jersey band's Hour of the Wolf single in 2014 and declared them a band to watch if you like early 80s US metal. Well, here they are three years later with their debut full-length, Condemned to Hell, and let me start by saying this is a huge step backward. The singer (apparently bassist Rick Kubik has assumed those duties) can't sing and the songwriting has drifted toward thrash, but the punk-infested kind. The guitars just bash away in a cacophony of riffing with no cohesiveness, like being loud is enough, and the choruses are irritating. I usually like retro 80s metal but this is too much like a less entertaining version of Metallica's $5.98 EP. I thought this band was on to something with Hour of the Wolf but if Condemned to Hell is the direction they've chosen, it's a road they can travel without me.