UMUR "Dictated Aggression" is the fifth full-length studio album by US crossover thrash metal act M.O.D.. The album was released through Music for Nations in June 1996. It´s the successor to "Devolution" from 1994 and not surprisingly there have been a couple of lineup changes (M.O.D. always had troubles with members leaving). Lead vocalist/guitarist Billy Milano (who also handles bass here) and drummer Dave Chavarri remain from the lineup who recorded the predecessor, while guitarist Joe Young completes the new trio lineup.

Stylistically "Dictated Aggression" pretty much continues the hardcore/crossover thrash metal style of "Devolution (1994)" and there aren´t many surprises on this album if you´re familiar with the predecesser. It´s still relatively simple, heavy, and aggressive hardcore with a groove laden thrashy edge. Milano has a strong voice and a raw, shouting, and commanding delivery, the riffs are simple and catchy, and the drumming is powerful. Not all tracks are equally interesting or memorable beyond their playing time, but the quality of the material is overall decent. "Silence Your Sin" is an album highlight to my ears, as M.O.D. strike a perfect balance between the hardcore- and the groove laden thrash metal influences.

"Dictated Aggression" features a relatively well sounding production job, and upon conclusion it´s a decent quality release by M.O.D.. They´ve become heavier and less silly with every album, but there are still a couple of humor moments on the album, which make it a slightly more diverse listen than what it may initially appear to be. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Devolution" is the 4th full-length studio album by US crossover thrash metal act M.O.D.. The album was released through Music for Nations in June 1994. It´s the successor to "Rhythm of Fear" from 1992 and features two lineup changes since the predecessor as guitarist Tim McMurtrie has been replaced by Tom Klimchuck, and bassist Rob Moschetti has been added to the lineup (lead vocalist Billy Milano handled both vocals and bass on the predecessor), making M.O.D. a four-piece on "Devolution".

Stylistically the material on "Devolution" continue the heavy groove laden crossover/hardcore style of "Rhythm of Fear (1992)". There are faster paced crossover/hardcore tracks on the album too, but the tempo is predominantly mid-paced and the tracks heavy and groove laden. Milano has a raw voice and an aggressive delivery and he is complimented here by new bassist Moschetti, who also sings some vocals on the album. Often in a sort of call and response type manner. Moschetti also has a raw hardcore type voice and delivery.

The material is relatively well written, effectful, and raw, although it´s not the most memorable nor the most standout crossover/hardcore tracks you´ll ever hear. It´s delivered by seasoned professionals though, and the music is packed in a powerful and well sounding production too, so upon conclusion "Devolution" is another decent quality release by M.O.D.. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Rhythm of Fear" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US crossover thrash metal act M.O.D.. The album was released through Megaforce Records in November 1992. It´s the successor to "Gross Misconduct" from 1989 and there have been quite a few lineup changes since the predecessor. Actually the exact same thing which happened between the release of "U.S.A. for M.O.D. (1987)" and "Gross Misconduct (1989)" has happened again, which is that the entire lineup except for frontman/band leader Billy Milano have been changed. New in the lineup are guitarist Tim McMurtrie and drummer Dave Chavarri. Milano handles bass in addition to vocals, making M.O.D. a three-piece on "Rhythm of Fear".

The many lineup changes have not affected the quality of the musicianship in a negative direction. On the contrary "Rhythm of Fear" was by far M.O.D.´s most well performed album up until then. Milano is in top form performing assorted types of vocals from harsh hardcore shouting to rap vocals, to the occasional more melodic part. Riot gang shouts are also often used. The album features both fast-paced and heavy groove laden riffs and rhythms, and it´s generally a sharp and effective release.

I´m personally not too fond of rap vocals in my metal (with exceptions), and the rap vocal parts on "Rhythm of Fear" do not change that. Although I can´t help crack a smile when listening to "Rhymestein" (I love that songtitle), the rap vocals just don´t do anything good for that song or the album in general. Milano is best when he is angry and screams his lungs out bringing the venom to the people. As with the preceding releases there are both serious and humourous tracks on "Rhythm of Fear". The above mentioned "Rhymestein" are among the more silly ones, and "Get Up and Dance" and "Rally (NYC)" are also in that catagory. The former is actually a really great and energetic crossover track, while the latter is a New York City praise song.

Upon conclusion "Rhythm of Fear" is a step up in quality from the previous releases by the band. It features a much better sounding production job than any of the releases before it, overall better songwriting, and a very well playing band, so although it´s not a perfect release, a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is still deserved.

UMUR "Gross Misconduct" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US crossover thrash metal act M.O.D.. The album was released through Megaforce Records in February 1989. It´s the successor to "U.S.A. for M.O.D." from 1987, although the two studio albums were bridged by the 1988 "Surfin' M.O.D." EP. Except for frontman/band leader Billy Milano the entire lineup has been changed since the predecessor as guitarist Tim McMurtrie has been replaced by Louie Svitek, bassist Ken Ballone has been replaced by John Monte, and drummer Keith Davis has been replaced by Tim Mallare.

Lineup changes or not M.O.D. was always Milano´s baby and therefore "Gross Misconduct" sounds like a natural successor to "U.S.A. for M.O.D. (1987)". It´s slightly more mature in the writing style and the production values have also increased a bit, but it´s overall more of the same. Crossover thrash metal which is typically energetic and fast-paced, but also features heavier groove laden sections, and Milano´s aggressive shouting vocals on top. Some lyrics are serious enough social/political criticism, while others are a bit more silly and obviously written for fun. It´s Milano´s vocals and voice which define the band´s music, because the instrumental part of the music could have been written and delivered by many other contemporary US crossover thrash metal acts and you wouldn´t have noticed. In other words it´s fairly generic and not instantly recognisable as M.O.D..

"Gross Misconduct" is a decent quality crossover thrash metal release, but it´s not exactly an album which makes my blood boil. On this release M.O.D. come off just the way many of their critics describe them. A pale version of Milano´s former act S.O.D. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Surfin' M.O.D." is an EP release by US crossover act M.O.D.. The EP was released through Megaforce Records in 1988 and bridges the gap between the band´s debut full-length studio album "U.S.A. for M.O.D. (1987)" and their second full-length studio album "Gross Misconduct (1989)". Four of the tracks featured on the EP had already been featured on the "Surfin' U.S.A. (1988)" single, but here those four tracks are accompanied by three additional tracks, and a 23:33 minutes long track titled "The Movie", which is a spoken word piece which features the music tracks from the EP in between the spoken parts. So side 1 of the original vinyl version of the EP features "The Movie", and side 2 features the seven music tracks without the spoken word sections.

Although the tracks are generally slightly more goofy and rock´n´roll oriented than the material on the debut album (which at times were also pretty goofy), this pretty much sounds like a natural successor to "U.S.A. for M.O.D. (1987)". The spoken word part of the project provides it with a slightly experimental touch, but this is at it´s core still crossover thrash. The biggest attraction here is probably the cover of "Surfin' U.S.A." by the Beach Boys, but honestly even that track isn´t that great (although not completely without it´s charm). Billy Milano struggles to hit the right notes, which gives the cover a pretty raw and flippant sound, but pretty it ain´t. To my ears the highlight is "Surf´s Up", which is a nice little catchy crossover track.

The band are relatively well playing, and the sound production is also acceptable, so "Surfin' M.O.D." is overall a decent release by M.O.D.. There´s little here which really makes my blood boil, but a 3 star (60%) rating is still deserved.