Messengers - Anthems

Artist: Messengers
Album: Anthems
Release Date: 11/9/10
Label: Strike First Records

What is old is new again. The cool thing about the music industry is how things tend to come and go in cycles. Falling out of fashion? Don't worry, you'll be back in sooner than you think. Metal is no exception, big in the 1980's, it died down in the 1990's, before making a resurgence in the 2000's, and being back on top in 2010.  That leads me to Anthems, the debut seven-song EP from Dallas area, thrash influenced hardcore band Messengers.

Anthems is reminiscent of the days when "cross-over thrash" was huge. A time when hardcore bands wanted to be thrash and thrash bands wanted to be hardcore. Fans of bands such as D.R.I., Corrosion Of Conformity, and The Cro-Mags will have a lot to like here.

In this scene infested with too many deathcore and melodic metalcore clones, Messengers' brand of thrashy hardcore is a breath of fresh air. Some of the highlights of the album are "Shipwrecked," with its cool guitar solo and speed, as well as being the perfect choice for the opener, "Creation" with its old-school NY hardcore feel, "Pale Rose," with some incredibly fast guitar and drums, and "Anthems," which is the perfect closer, leaving you wanting more.

Rating: 7/10 Though not being "pure thrash" as some may claim, Messengers is definitely closer to that than they are to the other end of their musical spectrum of pure hardcore. Either way, thrash and hardcore fans, as well as fans of southern metal and metalcore, will have a lot to like in this small sample from Facedown/Strike First's latest find.

Reviewed by Matthew Alexander

Tracklisting:

1. Shipwrecked
2. Creation
3. Domicile
4. Weight
5. Judge
6. Pale Rose
7. Anthems

(Buy Here)