Review Summary: A twist on the past
The Bay Area thrash scene was one of the most exciting heavy metal subcultures to emerge in the eighties. Influenced by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and genre pioneers like Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, or Exodus, several bands from the San Francisco Bay Area burst forth to further deepen the revolutionary style that had flourished a couple of years ago. It somehow acted as a counter-current to Los Angeles' glam trend that was going full speed at the time. In contrast to its fellow LA countrymen, this movement had a much more radical attitude, linked to bands like Judas Priest or Iron Maiden, in detriment of the hair metal approach of bands such as Ratt, Cinderella, or Mötley Crüe. Although not among my favorite Bay Area thrash acts at the time, Heathen was well regarded by the metal community, being in the same pot as bands like Vio-lence or Forbidden. Their debut album,
Breaking the Silence, filled the gap between thrash and power metal, with influences from European bands like Helloween, who had just released the iconic
Walls of Jericho two years earlier. Like most post-88 thrash releases, the band's sound evolved into a more technical and intricate signature on their sophomore album
Victims of Deception, at a time when the genre was already losing ground to death metal and other emerging genres like groove metal, nu-metal or grunge. Although the album enjoyed considerable recognition, the band broke up a year later due to a series of disruptive events, including the death of bassist Randy Laire. Following a nearly ten-year hibernation and several line-up changes, the band would return in full force with
The Evolution of Chaos, cementing the more technical approach of its predecessor. Yet again the band went into pause mode, much due to the fact of Lee Altus becoming Exodus resident guitarist since 2005. Therefore, with only three albums under their belt and countless line-up changes, Heathen isn’t exactly a success story in terms of stability and reliability, thus generating quite a bit of buzz and curiosity around their long-awaited comeback in 2020.
The Metallica-esque intro 'The Rotting Sphere' instantly takes us back to 1986, leading us to believe that
Empire of the Blind would be a return to the band's roots. This feeling would be extended through the following speed metal-ish 'The Blight', one of the album's best songs thanks to its rather catchy, melodic approach. However, I couldn't help noticing that the guitar tone reminded me of Exodus, which although not entirely surprising due to Lee Altus' affiliation, didn't thrill me as much as the songwriting. Although I enjoy Exodus' saturated, powerful tone, I don't think it fits Heathen's more melodic style so well. This closeness to the thrash pioneers is evident not only in the guitar sound but also in songs like 'Dead And Gone' or 'Blood To Be Let', with the latter featuring a Fabulous Disaster-esque kick-off, leading to a mid-paced Anthrax-ish tempo. Therefore, the return to the band's beginnings proved to be a false expectation as we delved deeper into the album.
Empire of the Blind has at its core a rather mainstream thrash approach, orbiting around mid-paced tempos, catchy choruses, and somewhat generic and accessible songwriting. This more mainstream focus is mirrored in songs like the title track or 'Sun In My Hand', which features one of the album's most captivating choruses. These songs, although enjoyable, have a certain ephemeral flavor, showing some predictability and a certain degree of institutionalization in the band's current signature. I have no objections to bands that add new flavors to their formula, even if they are more mainstream, yet I can't help but notice that songs such as 'In Black' or 'Devour' seem too conventional for the band's standards. Despite its somewhat generic package, the band's DNA reappears at the end, either in the instrumental 'A Fine Red Mist' or in 'The Gods Divide', which proudly mirrors Heathen's Bay Area roots. I believe
Empire of the Blind would benefit from more songs like these or 'The Blight'. At this late stage of their career, I don't think the lads will be able to broaden their audience through a more mainstream approach, on the contrary, I think the focus should have been the existing fanbase, which orbits bands like Testament, more interested in intense thrash approaches with a solid technical background. Zeuss's sound engineering, although competent, could also have enhanced the band's identity in another way, exploring more suitable tones, particularly on guitars. I do enjoy Andy Sneap-esque productions, and I certainly understand he wanted to boost the mid-paced riffing, however, there is a saturation value that doesn't quite match the band's personality.
After a second long hibernation, Heathen returns with an album that not only differs from their previous works but also shuffles the band's DNA. With its more mainstream thrash approach,
Empire of the Blind mirrors a band within a more conventional comfort zone, unwilling to take risks or venture into more intricate territories. That being said, this more generic angle still delivers some highlights that should be valued accordingly, because, at the end of the day, Lee Altus & Co will always deserve our attention and respect.
