Annihilator look back to thrashier territory, and the great production, more rocky tempos and song structures, and catchiness factor are all excellent ingredients on paper. Refresh The Demon offers those things in spades. The album kicks off well with the fast paced t/t with its fun, catchy riffing and fading sections, "Syn. Kill 1" rages with a "Set The World on Fire" tempo, and "The Pastor of Disaster" follows a tempo like "Knight Jumps Queen" and "21" but offers memorable riffing of its own. "Ultraparanoia" carries thrashy riffs with a sleezy underbelly groove, and "Innocent Eyes" is the lone ballad here and a fitting closer to an album that primarily consists of riff-driven songs. While there's great tunes here, and there's a plethora of catchy riffs throughout, many of the songs don't carry their own weight well or do much to distinguish themselves from traditional heavy metal bands of the golden age or the band's previous material. A solid album overall if a disappointing one.
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