Forbidden - Omega Wave (2010)

Since the late '80s Forbidden, from the bay Area, have only released a handful of albums and I must admit that I drifted away after their second opus, the impressive 'Twisted Into Form'. And now, a couple of decades later, they are back and this time it's personal. 'Omega Wave' is a mighty thrash fest which digs deep into the past but also leads into the future of cutting metal, proving that there's life in those older dogs yet. Russ is vocally bang on form, more gravel in his voice as 'Forsaken At The Gates' comes raging in and 'Overthrow' pounds the skull with its dirty riffage. Like Heathen, Overkill, Exodus, Forbidden, in the modern era have carved themselves a new niche, extracting the best fragments of their legacy and transforming it into gargantuan thrash with mature, well structured songs often weighing in at over five minutes. The pristine chug of '80s Bay Area thrash has now been replaced by greater dynamics, the band immersing their sound in multi-layered effects and complex arrangements, all vying to emerge from the battering ram of the rhythm section. Who'd have thought that the thrash metal of yesteryear could still blow the modern imitators out of the water and without changing pace or succumbing to gimmicks. Like Exodus, Overkill, Heathen, Defiance, Testament, et al, Forbidden prove once and for all that the thrash wave is unstoppable.

7.5/10