Kingcrimsonprog While Forbidden have never exactly been the biggest band around, any serious fan of Thrash Metal will at least be aware of them and most people reading this review will likely be very aware of their classic debut album ‘Forbidden Evil,’ which stands tall today as one of the absolute best albums to come out of the Bay Area, the second wave and the genre as a whole. If you enjoy Bay Area Thrash Metal at all, if you have any interest in the Second Wave Thrash bands like Heathen, Vio-lence and Death Angel then it might be time to check out Forbidden.

For those who are unaware; Forbidden are known for their technical capabilities and musical prowess, especially in the guitar solo department as well as for vocalist Russ Anderson’s instantly recognisable voice which differentiates Forbidden from the crowd. These key elements are all present and correct on ‘Omega Wave,’ which helps the album retain that trademark Forbidden sound after all these years.

It has been thirteen years since the release of Forbidden’s most recent studio album, 1997’s ‘Green,’ and while people may be expecting a cynical cash in on their debut’s legacy, (the band went as far as to hire Kent Mathieu, the same artist who painted their first two album covers and got him to paint a cover which evokes their debut album) Forbidden actually find a good balance between the various styles present of all the band’s previous four albums as well as introducing a fair amount of modern ideas and approaches to songwriting. There are minor line up changes, however the core of the band on every record has always been Russ, Matt and Craig who are all stalwartly present on this outing and while the listener can notice the loss Glen Alvelais on Guitar, Steve Smyth former Guitarist from Nevermore was an inspired choice for the band, given the band's Nevermore inspired leanings on their previous two albums.

Stand out moments on the album include the speedy ‘Forsaken At The Gates,’ and ‘Overthrow,’ which features guest vocals from Exodus and Testament singers Chuck Billy and Steve ‘Zetro,’ Souza as well as the long, mid paced ‘Dragging My Casket,’ which evokes the best moments from the band’s third album Distortion.

As a comeback album Forbidden have done themselves proud with Omega Wave; however don’t expect the world, it is Technically competent in every way and musically impressive, however the album as a whole is just missing that extra spark that elevates perfectly executed and expertly crafted music into genius. Omega Wave is a strong effort and the band’s enthusiasm is very promising for their future. If they can manage to build on this albums excellent groundwork they could potentially release something really great.

UMUR "Omega Wave" is the 5th full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Forbidden. The album was released in October 2010 by Nuclear Blast Records. "Omega Wave" qualifies for the comeback album tag as it´s the first album by Forbidden since "Green (1997)".

Bearing that in mind it´s amazing how unmistakably the music on "Omega Wave" sound like Forbidden. 13 years between albums is a long time and add to that a couple of lineup changes (guitarist Tim Calvert is replaced by Steve Smyth and drummer Steve Jacobs is replaced by Mark Hernandez) but Forbidden still sound like they did before they disbanded. Technically well played thrash metal with a sense for melody. Forbidden have always had the luck that they have a lead vocalist in Russ Anderson who can actually sing and not just deliver raw staccato style thrash metal singing (he does that pretty well too). On "Omega Wave" he demonstrates his class and superior skills more than ever. The tracks are all well written and the album comes off consistent instrumentally speaking but it´s the vocals by Russ Anderson that lifts "Omega Wave" to a higher level. Some of the darker melodic parts in the songs have a kind alternative metal twist to them (think Alice in Chains) but mostly the songs are through and through classic US Bay Area thrash metal albeit with a few groovy twists.

It´s hard not to be extremely impressed by an album like "Omega Wave". The production is professional, clear and powerful, the musicianship is excellent and the songwriting is of good quality too. Tracks like "Forsaken at The Gates", "Draggin My Casket" and "Swine" fully demonstrate why Forbidden have been missed so badly by their fans. A 4 star rating is fully deserved.

Time Signature Swine...

Genre: thrash metal

The long awaited comeback from the legendary thrashers Forbidden, "Omega Wave" is a lesson in how to play proper thrash metal.

Most of the tracks are full on thrash metal onslaughts - like being shot at by a massive cannon whose ammunition consists of cluster bombs of razor sharp and highly explosive riffs. While a lot of the riffage is semi-technical aggressive classic sounding thrash metal riffs, the choruses have a more modern feel to them, often emphasizing melodic vocal lines, and there are a couple of more groovy elements, too, every now and then.

Most of the midtempo and uptempo tracks are very good, but the instrumental strike me as being fillers, which were really not necessary to include on the album.

But "Omega Wave" is a really strong comeback from the thrash metal legend in Forbidden and any fan of thrash metal - traditional as well as modern - should check it out.

CCVP Forbidden was, during the late 80's and early 90's, one of those interesting thrash bands that, no matter what they did, they could not be nothing more than a shadow of the big acts: they put out enjoyable albums, but only that, nothing REALLY remarkable or groundbreaking, and that was only natural since they did nothing but emulate the style of the big acts and eventually throw a new thing or two.

Because of that, it was a great surprise when I listened to their comeback and realised that they were a completely new band: they were not comming back, they were, quite literally, borning again! Their style, wile still somehow related to their older albums, is so renewed and polished that I can say with some degree of certanty that they sound like a different band.

Starting with the differences in the instrumental section, they have finally found their style. Differently from their early era when, as I mentioned, they had a little amount of new things to put on the table due to their choice of following the style of other more accomplished bands, now Forbidden is part of the less "alternative" movement called post-thrash. Rooted on groove metal and "traditional" thrash metal, post-thrash manages to get the best of both worlds and put in one thing.

Expect to find the mid-tempo funky grooves and the sharp marauding edge riffs, many times in the same song, somerthing that I honestly think that gives the music the fantastic flavour and variety needed to keep you interested and wanting for more of it.

As for the vocals, they are also brutally changed. If you are expecting Anderson's previous style, that could be summarized as Bruce Dickson meets Tom Araya, you will be terribly disappointed. His voice has become considerably graver and he is also using more aggressive stiles of singing, such as raspy vocals, shouts and some kind of growl, all of which fit perfectly in this album.

The composition in Omega Wave is simply perfect. The band constatly throws in the song something new and interesting without being needlessly complex or too off the mark. You can relate with everything, yet every time you listen to the album you can see something new, something you didn't perceived before, what shows just how much the songs were intelligently written.

Grade and Final Thoughts:

Have you ever imagined how Meshuggah would sound if the band simply stopped doing their usual technical show and just played the damn instruments? That is how Omega Wave sounds, less technical "show-offness" and more down to business heavy metal.

This is possibly the best album of 2010, so you'd better grab it the first chance you have.

Double-D Omega Wave marks the revival of the thrash legends Forbidden. Like many other bands that started in the late 80s and early 90s they were victims of grunge and alternative rock. After 13 years of silence Graig Locicero finally got the inspiration and decided to record another Forbidden album. Now in the years of thrash renaissance is the perfect time for bands like Forbidden to get they deserve. Omega Wave starts with the instrumental intro Alpha Century that turns into the direct thrash attack Forsaken At The Gates. Swine, Dragging My Casket, Hopenosis and Behind The Mask are pure perfection. Russ Anderson is awesome, Craig Locicero and Steve Smyth play some very impressive riffs and melodies and parallels with the mighty Nevermore comes to mind. With Omega Wave Forbidden show abilities to become leaders in the power-thrash scene and can’t wait for their next step. All in all it’s hard to describe such a great album. For fans of bands like Nevermore, Flotsam And Jetsam and Bay Area thrash metal this is must have. It’s a modern masterpiece and completely deserves 5 stars.