UMUR "Cauldron of Evil" is the 4th full-length studio album by US, Phoenix, Arizona based thrash/power/speed metal act Frankenshred. The album was released through Metal on Metal Records in December 2009. Frankenshred was formed in 1996 and released their debut album in 1997. "Cauldron of Evil" has a pretty interesting recording history as tracks 1 - 11 were recorded in 2004 and tracks 12 - 16 were recorded in the winter of 2008/2009. It must have been quite a struggle to find a suiting label to release the album as it wasn´t until a year after the final recording sessions that "Cauldron of Evil" was finally released.

The music on the 16 track, 66:56 minutes long album is a combination of ripping thrash metal riffing, US power/thrash metal type raw singing, traditional heavy metal galloping and the occasional instrumental shred section (sometimes with neo-classical leanings). The whole band are very well playing, but it´s vocalist Kyran Brennan (who has a strong voice and a very convincing delivery) and guitarist Dr. Frankenshred that are predominantly in focus. The well playing rhythm section of drummer Greg Hall and bassist Robbie Erwin also contribute greatly with their tight and powerful interplay though. I don´t know the exact reason why it took so long for "Cauldron of Evil" to be released, but it´s certainly not because of the quality of the material which is high throughout. The shred parts provide the music with a slight originality, but otherwise the music isn´t that original, and that might be the issue, that has postponed the release of the album for so long.

Fans of well played, well produced and, well written US power/thrash metal with shred sections should be able to enjoy this greatly. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.