UMUR "The Vale Of Shadows" is the fourth full-length studio album by US thrash metal/melodic detah metal act Hatriot. The album was released through Massacre Records in July 2022. It´s the successor to "From Days unto Darkness" from July 2019. There´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as guitaris Justin Sakogawa has been replaced by Kevin Paterson. Hatriot formed in 2010 and originally featured Exodus lead vocalist Steve Souza in the lineup along with his two sons Cody Souza (bass) and Nick Souza (drums) and guitarist Kosta V. Father Souza left Hatriot after the first two albums to rejoin Exodus, and Cody Souza took over the lead vocal duties in addition to playing bass.

...like father like son though and Cody Souza sounded a lot like his father on "From Days unto Darkness", which features an Exodus influenced thrash metal sound with some more modern twists. "The Vale Of Shadows" sees Hatriot branching out a bit more though, and if I didn´t know any better opening track "Horns & Halos" could have been the marriage between The Black Dahlia Murder and In Flames. There are several other melodic death metal moments throughout the album, but the Exodus influence is also still heard, so this is a combination of Bay Area thrash metal and melodic death metal. It´s not the most groundbreaking or original sounding release, and you wouldn´t instantly guess that it was Hatriot playing if you didn´t know it, but it´s still a high quality release, featuring high level musical performances, a powerful, clear, and heavy sounding production job, and some solid songwriting. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "From Days Unto Darkness" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Hatriot. The album was released through Massacre Records in July 2019. It´s the successor to "Dawn of the New Centurian" from 2014 and features a couple of lineup changes. Hatriot was originally formed by (at the time) former Exodus lead vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza and his two sons Cody Souza on bass and Nick Souza on drums plus guitarist Kosta V.. When Steve "Zetro" Souza was invited back to the Exodus fold in 2015, he had no other choice than to quit Hatriot, as he could not handle the commitments of two bands. There have been a couple of other lineup shuffles on the second guitarist position, but on "From Days Unto Darkness", the band settled on Kevin Paterson. A worse issue was of course to replace a legendary and distinct sounding lead vocalist like Steve "Zetro" Souza but bassist Cody Souza stepped up to the challenge, and performs vocals on "From Days Unto Darkness" in addition to his bass duties.

A change on the lead vocalist spot is always serious business for a band, but upon initial listening to the opening track "One Less Hell" I actually thought that "Zetro" had helped out and done session vocals on the album, because that´s how similar a voice and vocal style Cody Souza has to his dad (it´s almost too easy, but I can´t resist the temptation to quote the Exodus song title "Like Father, Like Son"). Listening a bit more closely there are some differences though and the longer you get into the album, the more the young Souza comes into his own. He also performs some vocal styles (like occasional semi-death metal growling) that his father would never do. The Exodus comparison is of course inevitable though, and it´s not only because of Cody Souza´s voice sounding very similar to his fathers ditto, but the general music style is also US, Bay Area influenced thrash metal through and through. The riff style, the guitar solos, the drumming, and how the vocals are delivered are all trademarks of that particular brand of thrash metal.

So Hatriot won´t win any contests if the goal is to have an original sound, but they will definitely be contenders for the title of being one of the most powerful and convincing acts on the scene. The musicianship is high class on all posts and Hatriot are also skilled composers who know how to write an effectful and memorable thrash metal song.

"From Days Unto Darkness" features a punchy and powerful contemporary sounding production job, which suits the aggression and power of the music and the performances well. So it´s an album for fans of a slightly updated Bay Area thrash metal sound with clear influences from the classic 80s acts from the area. The lack of a more original sound is a slight issue, but only a very small one, as the music is as well written and well performed as it is. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Dawn of the New Centurian" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Hatriot. The album was released through Massacre Records in February 2014. Hatriot was formed by (at the time) former Exodus lead vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza and features two of his sons on bass and drums. The lineup on this album is completed by Kosta Varvatakis and Justin Cole on guitars. The latter mentioned has replaced Miguel Esparza, but other than that, the lineup who recorded "Heroes of Origin (2013)" is intact.

Stylistically "Dawn of the New Centurian" continues the strongly Exodus influenced old school US thrash metal style which the band also played on "Heroes of Origin (2013)". It´s not only the distinct sounding raw voice and convincing snarling delivery of Steve "Zetro" Souza, that makes one think of late 80s/early 90s Exodus, but very often also the riffing style. So this is not for listeners who want to hear something they haven´t heard before, but for fans of old school US thrash metal delivered by enthusiastic and skilled musicians.

The material are for the most part well written and catchy, but to my ears there is a slight drop in quality compared to the strong debut (too many tracks don´t really stick). The sound production isn´t as strong as the sound production on the debut album either, and that also has some effect on my overall impression of "Dawn of the New Centurian". Overall it´s still a pretty strong album release by Hatriot and fans of the style should of course give it a listen. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Heroes of Origin" is the debut full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Hatriot. The album was released through Massacre Records in January 2013. Hatriot features former Exodus frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza in the lineup but also his son Cody Souza on bass. Actually the whole band except for Zetro are pretty young guys, but no matter what the age of the various members are, their declared goal is to play US Bay Area influenced thrash metal.

...and they succeed very well in doing just that. It´s impossible not to mention Exodus because of Zetro´s distinct sounding voice and vocal style, but it´s not only the vocals that lead my thoughts toward the early- to mid eighties US Bay Area thrash metal style, the instrumental part of the music is also very much in that vein. Exodus is as mentioned the most obvious influence, but I hear some Slayer traits here and there too, and also a couple of more contemporary elements. The latter is mostly the case with the drumming style, which at times features semi-blasting and really fast played double bass drums. Not something you heard often in the eighties.

The band are really well playing and everything is delivered with fierce conviction and militant precision. Razor sharp thrashy riffing, blazing guitar solos, powerful drumming, a metallic clinging bass and of course Zetro´s snarling "fuck you" attitude vocals in front (and some really charming riot gang vocals too). The whole thing is packed in a powerful and raw sound production that works perfect with the music.

Fans of eighties US Bay Area thrash metal and especially fans of Exodus, should take notice here. This is just about as sweet as it gets if you are a fan of the style. "Heroes of Origin" is simply a high quality release on all parameters. Effective and catchy songwriting, excellent musicianship and a powerful production to boot. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

Time Signature Weapons of thrash destruction...

Genre: thrash metal

I have to admit that my favorite Exodus albums are ”Fabulous Disaster” and ”Impact is Imminent”, and, although I obviously enjoy the compact guitar riffs and the razor sharp guitar sound, what I like the best about those albums is frontan Steve Souza's aggressive and unique vocals. So, obviously, I was quite excited to hear about his new project Hatriot which was promoted as a thrash metal band.

And, well, Hatriot's debut album ”Heroes of Origin” does not disappoint at all.

From beginning to end, the listener is treated to fierce thrash metal of the same ferocity and quality as the above-mentioned Exodus-classics. The tempos are fast and the riffs are aggressive, but at the same time sightly technical. The fast tempos and ripping riffs result in an intense musical experience. But, of course, the main attraction point here is Steve Souza's vocals. He sounds angrier than ever, and his screechy snarl really adds an additional level of intensity to the already aggressive and, frankly, awesome thrash metal this album has to offer.

The production is a bit raw – in particular, the guitars have a rough edge to them – which obviously suits the music very well. This album also suggest that thrash metal may be genetically inherited, as two of his sons are also members of the band. However, there are no traces of nepotism for nepotism's sake on the album, as there is nothing wrong at all with the musical performance.

There is not a lot more to say other than, if you are a fan of old school thrash metal, you should not miss out on this istant thrash classic!