SACRIFICE - Volume Six CD

Sacrifice is often mentioned in the same breath as Razor and Infernäl Mäjesty as representatives of the more vicious side of Canadian thrash metal. And yet, I have always considered them better than either of those bands, simply because Sacrifice’s songwriting is surprisingly sophisticated. Sure, they can fire high-speed riffs at the listener like there’s no tomorrow, but they are better aware of the power of dynamics than their peers. And while ‘Volume Six’ is the first Sacrifice album in a decade and a half, it has many of the same strengths and sonic characteristics as 2009’s excellent comeback ‘The Ones I Condemn’.

‘Volume Six’ basically picks up where ‘The Ones I Condemn’ left off. That much is clear when the first riffs of the fantastic opening track ‘Comatose’ burst out of the speakers. Sacrifice still masters the art of the hyper-aggressive riff, and Urbinati’s high-pitched bark is still as powerful as it ever was. Also, judging from his precise and highly energetic performance, it’s hard to believe that drummer Gus Pynn is already in his late fifties. The band blasts through tracks like ‘We Will Not Survive’, the classic Sacrifice track ‘Missile’, and the annihilating ‘Explode’ like a bunch of rabid teenagers, only with the refinement that comes with experience.