Lazarus A.D. – ‘The Onslaught’ About.com Review
June 13, 2009
About.com Rating 
The Bottom Line
Pros
- Solid blending of ’80s thrash with modern elements.
- Full of attitude and endless energy.
- Occasional use of duel vocals works well.
- Relentless guitar work fits the music perfectly.
Cons
- Monotonous at times.
Description
- Released March 3, 2009 on Metal Blade Records.
- This is a re-release of their 2007 debut album.
- Remixed and remastered by James Murphy.
Guide Review – Lazarus A.D. – ‘The Onslaught’
Lazarus A.D has re-released their 2007 debut album The Onslaught, completely remixed and remastered by James Murphy, of Death and Testament fame. Lazarus A.D has passed under the radar of many in the metal community, but a worldwide release of The Onslaught could change that immediately, and with good reason.The Onslaught is a perfect blend of 80’s Bay Area and modern thrash, with a sound that can be described as both retro and fresh at the same time. The band evokes memories of Bonded By Blood and The Ultra-Violence, but keeps the music from sounding out-of-date by incorporating elements such as blast beats, mid-paced melodies, and a clean production.
The Onslaught gets off to an explosive start with “Last Breath,” and keeps the momentum strong throughout the album. Songs like the epic thrasher “Revolution,” the wild soloing in closer “Who I Really Am,” and the sudden sonic assault of “Thou Shall Not Fear” showcase songwriting abilities usually reserved for metal’s elder statesmen.
While at the starting point in their career, Lazarus A.D has talent in its rank. Vocalist Jeff Paulick has a harsh bark that is tough and powerful, and his interactions with lead guitarist/backup vocalist Dan Gapen are compelling and enjoyable, if all too brief. While Paulick’s bass is relegated to the back of the mix, drummer Ryan Shutler is a constant presence, keeping the music grounded, with a pummeling stream of double bass work.
The Onslaught is an excellent debut album that has a nice balance of old and current to make it accessible to a wide range of metal fans. While leaning towards the repetitive side near the end, Lazarus A.D gets by with their youthful energy and gritty attitude that demands your attention at every corner.
Lazarus A.D. The Onslaught review – metalmartyr.com
June 13, 2009
Lazarus A.D. The Onslaught review
April 8, 2009 by Scott
Lazarus A.D. The Onslaught Album Review. Holy shit, is it 1988 again? Normally I hear some neo-thrash band is on the rise and I have this feeling of regret. I regret ever saying “What ever happened to good old thrash metal?”. Why do I regret saying that? Because I have found many of the neo-thrash era bands just fall short or sound like they are trying too hard to re-capture the sound without making it their own. Lazarus A.D. on the other hand seem to bring back the sound but make it modern enough to know that they are their own and pull it off without sounding too much like Exodus.
The overall sound of the album is tight and clean, which I love. Thou Shall Not Fear is a killer track that just starts out with a fist pounding rhythm and opens up a little more with a great solo with slight wah, that brings it to full speed. Dan Gapen’s vocals sound good and can be compared to Rob Dukes except a little cleaner or younger sounding. The solos mix well with the songs and the main rhythm sound well executed for their speed and not sloppy as we can hear sometimes with other bands. You don’t really hear a lot of the Bass Guitar in the mix and that might be my only complaint.
Other great tracks are Absolute Power, Rebirth and Forged In Blood. If you’re in to the neo-thrash bands like Bonded By Blood, Warbringer and Toxic Holocaust then you will almost surely dig Lazarus A.D. is right up your ally. The onslaught is a great throwback to the 80’s era of thrash with a modern sound and production value.
Lazarus A.D.’s The Onslaught get’s a good 4/5.
The Onslaught – metal-temple.com review
June 12, 2009
| With the huge amount of releases coming out recently and with the economy in pieces now is a time when you have to spend your money carefully, so think about what you could want in a new release? How about lyrics revolving around summer time and pansy melodies that make your grandmother swoon? No I didn’t think so. How about riffs that blast your eardrums and make you beg for mercy? Tempos that are so intense you book yourself an appointment with a chiropractor cause you know you are gonna hurt your back and neck after thrashing along?Well then you have come to the right place, this is LAZARUS A.D.’s debut release “The Onslaught”, and it is one hell of a debut onto the Thrash scene.
The first striking thing about the album is the superb production. As soon as the first riff kicks in everything sounds brilliant, the drums sound heavy as hell and the vocals manage to keep a strong level of clarity while still sounding as raw and intense as they were indented, something that is usually a trade off on modern releases. I think the remarkable thing about “The Onslaught” is how fresh everything feels; the song structure is pretty much your generic Thrash structure but the riffs are wound together so well that you don’t really notice. The guitarists need to be praised as they have done a stand up job, the level of skill on show from these young guitarists is immense and overall I think this is what makes this release not sound like something from the 80’s but finally a glimpse at what the future of Thrash is. Songs like “Last Breath” and “Absolute Power” have an intensity not found in the thrash release from the 80’s, which as we come into our 6th year of the main revival, it is about time a band brought something new (but faithful to the Thrash ideals) to the table. The vocals take the “harsh” sounding route, which adds a bit of brutality to the overall feel of the music. They bare a strong resemblance to Sy Keeler (singer in the legendary UK Thrash band ONSLAUGHT) to my ears, which is by no means a bad thing. If you really do still need convincing then all I can say is: you do want this album…no, you need this album. It has everything that you could want: fast guitars, kick ass breakdowns, solos that shred but retain a melody and heavy as hell everything else…seriously, when you have finished reading this, go and buy it. LAZARUS A.D. have managed to retain enough of the classic Thrash elements to make you feel at home while listening – but they inject a real breath of new life into an old and dying genre. If this is what we can expect from all Thrash releases in the coming years, then we are in for one hell of a ride! |
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