Few names are more revered in the thrash scene than Steve
“Zetro” Souza, and rightly so. He’s absolutely one of the best vocalists thrash
has to offer. His menacing snarl has so much attitude that it sounds like he’s
going to jump out of your speakers and punch you in the face. Despite that,
he’s really only had one astounding record (“Tempo of the Damned”).
So it comes as good news that Hatriot’s debut album, “Heroes of Origin”, is a logical follow-up
to the 2004 Exodus classic.
Everything about this record screams Exodus. From the guitar
tone to the riffs themselves, to the relentless barking of Zetro himself, there
is nothing here that breaks new ground. The only hint of innovation is
in some slightly more modern elements that appear in “And Your Children To Be
Damned”, as well as the blastbeats that show up on “The Mechanics of
Annihilation”. Speaking of the latter track, it features the best vocals on the
record, as Zetro spits out words as fast as the human voice will allow. Some
other highlights are the other two tracks that appeared on the 2011 demo: “Weapons
of Class Destruction” and “Globalcidal”. These two songs feature the most
memorable riffs and songwriting of the album. With that said, all of the tracks
on the first half of the album generally have interesting choruses. Some of
these feature gang vocals, but in general, the use of those vocals are fairly
limited on this record. Aside from the singing, the instrumentation is fairly
predictable for thrash. The drums are usually playing the expected hardcore
punk beats, the bass is mostly non-existent, and the guitars fit so many riffs
into these 10 songs that only Gary Holt himself could do better. All of this is
done at almost exclusively one speed: fast. Lyrically, Hatriot hearkens back to
the lyrics found on “Scar Spangled Banner”. Having not studied the songs in-depth,
it seems like Hatriot is about loving your country but hating the people that
run it. The whole thing is a bit of a mess and way overdone in thrash, but it
is par for the course for Zetro, so I tend to ignore it here.
Hatriot is exactly what Zetro should have done after being
kicked out of Exodus. The thrash resurgence brought back the interest and
enthusiasm from the young kids, and it’s nice to see Zetro capitalize on that.
If you have heard “Tempo of the Damned” or Hatriot’s 2011 demo, you’ll know
exactly what to expect. It’s not original, but it more than gets the job done!
Buy this and get thrashed!
Be sure to check out and like Hatriot on Facebook!
Highlights
"Weapons of Class Destruction"
"Globalcide"
"The Mechanics of Annihilation"
Final Rating
4.25/5 or 85%.