Stephen This Italian thrash band unleashed their third effort, "The Roots of Trash" (no typo intended), in 2009, following the same pattern as their earlier releases, playing old school thrash in the veins of Anthrax, Testament, Metallica, and Nuclear Assault. The cover album was created by Ed Repka who's responsible for Megadeth's mascot design, Vic Rattlehead, but funny thing is this cover will remind you of Warrant's "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich" front sleeve.

Guitarist Lorenzo Testa is the mastermind of the songs here and though originality might be an issue for some people, I don't really mind as long as the songs are well-constructed and tightly delivered. Tracks like "I Belong To One" and "The Great Deceit" will take you back to the day where Metallica's "Puppet" was just released, check out the incinerating riffage and Rodeath's thunderous drumming which is very common to be found in that album. The fun and furious "A.F.M.S" and the groovy "The Problem Is You" can be a lost Anthrax songs. On the later part of the album, I found the rhythm is getting heavier and loaded with "Alive But Dead" became their best offering in the veins of classic Sepultura. If you like a neckwrecking tracks with brutal beat, "Worse Than The Silence" and "The Moshing Reel" are my favorite pick. The rendition of Offspring's "Come Out and Play" hit is quite silly but entertaining.

For me, "The Roots of Trash" is surprisingly great and enjoyable. I love how they combine elements from those classic Bay Area bands with some European thrash flavor. For hardcore fans of classic thrash, Hyades can be a good addition to your library, but don't expect more, you've heard this style before and you won't find anything new, but with a pack of great songs and a tight formation, four stars aren't too much to give.