I have to admit that this is my first taste of RITUAL CARNAGE, and I am ashamed. Whip me, flog me, call me Sally. I have missed the boat here folks, and by the sheer intensity of this band, that boat was called the Titanic. When I first listened to the undeniable thrashing that this hunk of plastic put my speakers through, I was almost knocked out of my socks. Where have you been all my life? Anyway, let me tell you about it.

A Japanese band playing some hard-ass metal fronted by an American. Hmm...sounds like Mike Vescera-era LOUDNESS, huh? Well, you aren't too far off. RITUAL CARNAGE bring back the glory days. The use of changes and song structures, along with clean (i.e. understandable) vocals from Dan Montgomery, give fans of AGENT STEEL, early ANTHRAX, and EXCITER something to shout about. I just didn't think anyone sang like this anymore! The band's two guitarists, Eddie and Wataru use every part of their axes to squeeze every drop of thrash humanly possible onto these songs (kinda like putting water on a grease fire). The drums kick, and the low-end noises from Hiroyuki (former bassist of KING'S EVIL) complete the circle. The King / Hanneman-esque solos gather a "deepness" that pull from the the chaos and spit out the melodies. These guys fire on all cylinders at all times, and then some. The runaway riff at the start of "I Am War" will have you pulling out that list of people you would like to kill...and maybe even acting on it. What I am telling you here people is that "I, Infidel" is going to make top ten lists everywhere for 2005. All the tunes are outstanding, but if you made me pick a fave, I'd say the title track is some of the best work on the record. I hate to order you around (cuz you always say "You're not the boss of me!"), but you need to own this one - it's got "new-classic" written all over it. So ye brethren of the fast-action-rock, grant my wish and play this one loud!

- Murtaugh

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/ritualcarnagethrash

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