It is crazy to think just how good things were looking for
thrash 5 years ago. There were signs of a thrash resurgence prior to 2008
(Municipal Waste, Toxic Holocaust), but it wasn’t until then that it seemed
like bands were popping up left and right. Within a span of months, great
albums from Warbringer, Bonded By Blood, and Gama Bomb, among others, were
released. One of those other releases was “Awaiting Evil” by Hatchet. Despite what
anyone else has said about it, “Awaiting Evil” has always been one of my
favourite thrash albums. From the haunting opener, right until the end, it was
a feast of riffs, great guitar solos, and just old-school thrash. In many
respects, however, it was clear that this was still a new band. The production
was lacking, and the music felt raw. After 5 long years and a mostly new lineup,
Hatchet are back with “Dawn of the End”, a more mature, yet equally great
thrash record.
The first difference you’ll notice between “Dawn of the End”
and its predecessor is the huge improvement in the production. It is louder,
but also a lot tighter. The rhythm section really stands out; in particular,
the heaviness of the bass drums becomes quite prominent. The guitars sound
good, but you won’t be paying attention to how they sound, but rather, the
sheer number of riffs. Each song has riff after riff of high-quality thrashing.
If you haven’t heard Hatchet before, you’ll notice that many of their riffs
make use of similar, yet unique intervals in the notes they choose to accent (in the sense that these riffs are similar to each other, but unique compared to other bands). This
tactic makes their riffs easy to recognize and very memorable. The most impressive
riff is the main one in “Fall From Grace”.
This riff demonstrates why you don’t need to fill every second of a song
with sound. It would be unfair to call it a “start-stop” riff, but it definitely
leaves room to breathe. Much like the other great songs on this record, “Fall
From Grace” is driven by the gang vocals in the chorus. With the exception of “After
The Dark” and “Revelations of Good and Evil” (both instrumentals), all of the
songs on “Dawn of the End” are fairly straightforward. This makes the record
easy to follow, and allows you to be blown away by the shredding of Julz Ramos.
His solos sound much like they did on the debut; they have a certain instantly
recognizable quality to them, as they make use of similar scales and sweep
picking patterns. Julz has also now taken over on vocals. He really doesn’t
sound too different from prior singer Marcus Kirchen; he uses a low, snarling
thrash shout. While he isn’t the best singer of the new wave, he definitely
stands out and adds to the ferocity of the music.
Ultimately, Hatchet has released an uncompromising thrash
album. “Dawn of the End” is one of the most rhythmically charging albums of the
year, and the band has made considerable effort to make each song stand out. I
can’t help but feel if this had come out a few years ago, these guys would have
kept pace with Warbringer and Evile. The good news is that this album doesn’t
disappoint, and is the thrash album of the year at the moment!
Be sure to check out and like Hatchet on Facebook!
Highlights
"Fall From Grace"
"Signals of Infection"
"Vanishing Point"
Final Rating
4.4/5 or 88%.