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Punk rock icon Henry Rollins has joined the voice cast of Netflix's upcoming reboot of the cartoon "He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe". Created by Kevin Smith and produced for Netflix by Mattel Television and Powerhouse Animation Studio, "Masters Of The Universe: Revelation" is based on the "Masters Of The Universe" franchise that gave the world He-Man, Skeletor and other iconic characters. Rollins is set to voice of Tri-Klops, a bounty hunter and inventor who can see in all directions using his rotating head-visor. The rest of the all-star roster of actors voicing the shows's characters includes Mark Hamill ("Star Wars: The Last Jedi") as Skeletor, Lena Headey ("Game Of Thrones") as Evil-Lyn, Sarah Michelle Gellar ("Buffy The Vampire Slayer") as Teela, Alicia Silverstone as Queen Marlena, and Justin Long as Roboto. "A radical return to Eternia, 'Revelation' is a direct sequel series to the classic era of 'Masters Of The Universe'," reads the show's synopsis. "Featuring fan-favorites He-Man, Orko, Cringer and Man-At-Arms, the story pits our heroic warriors and guardians of Castle Grayskull against Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, Beast Man and the vile legions of snake mountain! After a ferocious final battle forever fractures Eternia, it's up to Teela to solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power in a race against time to prevent the end of the Universe! Her journey will uncover the secrets of Grayskull at last. This is the epic He-Man and the 'Masters Of The Universe' saga fans have waited 35 years to see!" Susan Corbin is set to produce while Smith is executive producing alongside Adam Bonnett ("Descendants"), Christopher Keenan ("Batman Beyond") and Rob David ("He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe"), with Powerhouse Animation ("Castlevania") animating the series. The show has no release date as of yet.

Fan-Filmed video footage of VIXEN's February 12 performance aboard this year's Monsters Of Rock cruise, which sailed from Fort Lauderdale to Belize, can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user "WILL TRAVEL FOR GIGS"). In January 2019, VIXEN recruited FEMME FATALE's Lorraine Lewis as its new lead singer following the departure of Janet Gardner. Lewis had already performed with VIXEN in March 2018 in Durant, Oklahoma while Gardner was recovering from surgery. Prior to Lewis's addition to VIXEN, Roxy Petrucci (drums), Share Ross (bass) and Brittany Denaro (guitar) vowed to "expand upon the VIXEN legacy while remaining true to our musical roots." Speaking to the "Music Mania" podcast last summer, Lorraine stated about her addition to VIXEN: "First of all, I'm so honored and excited to be a part of VIXEN. They are a staple in rock and roll and metal and chicks that rock. I'm super honored to be with them and to be even asked to step in was a great honor. I'm hoping that I'm doing a good job and hoping I'm doing the songs justice, et cetera. I am loving being with the girls. I have history with the girls, for sure. I go way back with them. We were all getting record deals around the same time back from the Sunset Strip days. It's just amazing to go full circle, then be able to hang out with these girls 30-plus years later. I feel like it's a big slumber party every time we're together. It's super fun." Asked whether it was "easy" for her to step in and replace original frontwoman Janet Gardner, Lorraine said: "As far as I know, VIXEN being Share and Roxy at this point, the original members, they never want it to end. They were definitely looking to the future and, 'Okay, what are we going to do if Janet bails? If Janet decides to do something different?' It was kind of a teaser for me, doing the Oklahoma show [in 2018]. I really enjoyed it so much. It was kind of one of those things where it was too weeks in the making. They called me two weeks before they went on the Monsters Of Rock cruise 2018 and said, 'Hey, Janet might not be doing this show. Would you be able to do it with us?' Because she had the aneurysm. I said 'Look, let me look at the material. I definitely want to help you guys out.'" She continued: "Janet definitely sings a lot higher than I do naturally. Janet has got an angelic voice. I'm a little bit lower vocally and a little bit raspy, and just a little bit different kind of a singer. I was a little nervous, to tell you the truth. I was, like, 'Oh dang. How am I going to take over for Janet Gardner?' I really did my homework. I really spent a lot of time with the songs because I really wanted to do the best job that I could do. I learned them all and did the Oklahoma show, and all in all with no rehearsals or anything, it came off without a hitch. That was the beginning; that kind of set the groundwork for the possibility of working together in the future. I wasn't really thinking that anything more was going to come out of it. I just thought, 'This is just a one-off and that's it.' Then when they contacted me in January and said, 'It looks like Janet might be leaving. What do you think about joining VIXEN?' Number one, I was over-the-moon excited, then nervous as all hell. Because I was, like, again I'm not Janet Gardner. I'm Lorraine. I know how to sing like Lorraine. I definitely do my best to honor the songs and do my best to sound, give the songs Janet's flavor, but it's still Lorraine singing Janet Gardner. That's just the truth. I know that I'm doing the best job that I can. I hope the fans love what I'm doing. Then we're looking to get some new music together so that's a merger of the two camps, basically FEMME FATALE and VIXEN and adding Britt [Denaro, guitar]. We're going to be a whole different machine once that starts as well, still honoring the VIXEN sound." Gardner, who released her debut self-titled solo album in 2017, broke the news of her exit from the group on January 16, 2019. Gardner, Petrucci and Ross are considered to be part of VIXEN's classic lineup, along with founding guitarist Jan Kuehnemund, who died of cancer in October 2013. Gardner contributed lead vocals to VIXEN's most commercially successful studio albums — "Vixen" (1988), "Rev It Up" (1990) and "Tangerine" (1998) — as well as the group's latest release, 2018's live album "Live Fire".

Dead Rhetoric's Matt Coe recently conducted an interview with mainman Jeff Waters of Canadian thrash metal veterans ANNIHILATOR. A few excerpts from the chat follow below. Dead Rhetoric: It feels like you are very inspired and these are exciting times for ANNIHILATOR — as "Ballistic, Sadistic" is the latest record. What would you say you set out to accomplish through this set of material — as there seem to be aspects that to these ears explore a feel and atmosphere of, say, "Never, Neverland"? Jeff: "Yeah. There are a couple of aspects to that. We've had… as people can find out on the Internet or read magazines or listen to podcasts that want to find out about our band, they'll find a strange history to us. We can be kind of unknown and unsigned in some countries, like Canada and the United States, but all of a sudden you see us on YouTube playing in front of 80,000 people. It depends on where we are, what country, and where we are in the career sort of thing. People are, like, 'What the hell is going on with this band?' "The thing is we've had kind of a comfortable European and Japanese story, where even though we are Canadian that's really the only places we've been going when you look at the career. This is our seventeenth studio record and a lot of people that are new to ANNIHILATOR or have only heard of the name but only heard 'Alice In Hell' or 'Never, Neverland' are, like, 'Huh? There was 15 records after that?' [Laughs]. So our North American and Canadian fans find out we have a zillion records out and when you do that many records, as a writer, you are going to hit and miss just like any bands. I've got albums by SLAYER, AC/DC and KISS — and I have all the CDs but I don't listen to them all, because some are classic, some are good and some I don't think are all that good. The same with my band or any band that's been doing this at this level for a long time, you can do good stuff and not so good stuff — and it's not your fault necessarily, but you can't get it right all of the time and it's hard to get things right most of the time. "I went and said the last two ANNIHILATOR records started going up for us in Europe. Do I sign on and do another record like that the same way or do I take a chance and do something a little different? Not too crazy, going to do rap or try to change the band image, but just try something different. Because we can put out another record, maybe the albums sales only increase 10,000, or do I just try to do something fun at this point in my career and do something different? I asked my band members that had been with me for a while now to be honest and write down the top three things you think I should do to kick my ass and kick the ass of the record that's going to come out. "And they said number one, write the album with a drummer. Because what I've been doing since 1993 is every record since then has been written with a drum machine or drum software. And some of those records later on were recorded with the drumming software — I didn't bother to get a drummer to do it; it was convenient and cost effective to do things this way. A lot of bands do that. So with Fabio [Alessandrini, drums] from Italy, he would come back up and we'd go over the material and write until we got what we needed. It's stunning to most people, but that's always the way we've done things — and that's going to give things a different sound and a different way of writing. The next thing — have that drummer actually record on the album. The third thing was don't go back in the hopes of copying or cloning old material because you are never going to pull it off and it's going to be obvious. Instead go back to a bit of the feeling of that. We went back and just had a lot of fun vibes from the songs — a new riff we would be writing would sound a lot like 'Stonewall', the format of the songs are similar. We didn't end up recreating part two of those albums, we clearly went back and tried to capture a bit of the early vibe. And that's it, it's going to be different and I don't know if it makes things better or worse in the end. People will like it or they won't. It's never going to be as classic as 'Never, Neverland', but it brings a lot of memories of that." Dead Rhetoric: Where do you think you've made the greatest changes in your life from your early years of ANNIHILATOR to the current Jeff Waters? Jeff: "I started off being very serious as a teenager in being in a band as the bands I loved. I wanted to get into the business, get a record deal, and write good music. To do that, was to focus day and night on this stuff. So, when I was a teenager into my early twenties, that's all I focused on — I tried not to work at a job, or finish school completely. I was one-hundred percent into this, and what I wanted to do. Almost no cigarettes, no girlfriends, not going out and partying, no socializing — this was all about staying in my room, writing music and watching videos of other bands and learning how they did things. I put my time in heavily with practicing and learning about everything I could. "And then 'Alice In Hell'/ 'Never, Neverland' came out — and wow — girls, cigarettes, alcohol, I was enjoying the fruits of my labor. Right away when you get that thrown out at you, I didn't handle it. I became a full-time alcohol addict for about four years and that's the first time I actually quit was in 1992. I think only a couple of nights were the only nights I didn't have a large quantity of alcohol. That was a huge wake up and change and I fell off the wagon privately a few years later. By getting off alcohol, it helped me focus more and not be 70 years old, I keep my physical self in shape. I'm not at the end of my life here and I can make better business decisions. I'm enjoying life better. Just loving music and doing it for the right reasons." You can read the entire interview at this location. "Ballistic, Sadistic" was released January 24 via Silver Lining Music.

DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci has shared a hilarious welcome card he received from the guest relations department of a Polish hotel. Earlier today (Sunday, February 16), the progressive metal band checked in to Sofitel Wroclaw Old Town in Wrocław, Poland ahead of DREAM THEATER's concert in the city. Upon arrival, they were greeted by a message from Sofitel Wroclaw Old Town guest relations manager Aleksandra Zblewska, who wrote: "Dear Dream Theater, welcome at the Sofitel Wrocław Old Town! We are truly fans. We hope your stay will be as good as your second album. Best regards, Aleksandra Zblewska Guest Relations." Petrucci took a picture of the note and posted it on Instagram, writing in an accompanying message: "I can't tell whether to take this as a compliment or an insult!" He also added a winking face emoji. DREAM THEATER is on the road in Europe as part of its "Evening With" touring cycle, featuring a celebration of the band's latest record, "Distance Over Time", and its acclaimed milestone achievement "Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory". The "Distance Over Time Tour - Celebrating 20 Years Of Scenes From A Memory" sees the band performing its full and complete three-hour set for audiences throughout Europe. The 28-date leg kicked off on January 11 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and will conclude on February 23 in Glasgow, United Kingdom. DREAM THEATER is continuing to tour in support of its 14th studio album, "Distance Over Time", which was released in February 2019. The disc showcases a newfound creativity for DREAM THEATER while maintaining the elements that have garnered them devoted fans around the globe. The album also marks the first for the band's new label InsideOut Music. The artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). "Distance Over Time" was produced by Petrucci, mixed by Ben Grosse and mastered by Tom Baker. View this post on Instagram I can’t tell whether to take this as a compliment or an insult! ? @dreamtheaterofficial A post shared by John Petrucci (@johnpetrucciofficial) on Feb 16, 2020 at 6:12am PST

MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil shared a photo of him with his longtime girlfriend, celebrity makeup artist and beauty educator Rain Hannah, for Valentine's Day. He wrote in an accompanying caption: "Happy Valentine's to my beautiful love @rainhannah" Back in 2015, Vince and Rain, who is 20 years younger than him, took part in the ABC reality series "Celebrity Wife Swap". Also making an appearance on the program was Gunnar Nelson, half of the '90s rock band NELSON, which he formed with his twin brother, Matthew. "Celebrity Wife Swap" was a spin-off of the 2004 to 2010 version that had non-celebrities. Neil, along with the rest of MÖTLEY CRÜE, is preparing to hit the road this summer as part of "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS. The trek will kick off on June 18 in Jacksonville, Florida and will mark CRÜE's first live dates since wrapping its 2014/2015 farewell run. The band toured with POISON back in 2011 and DEF LEPPARD teamed up with POISON for a string of road dates in 2017 — but the upcoming jaunt marks the first time all four acts have hit the road together for an extended tour. This past December, Vince told "Extra" that "there's a lot of sacrifice" involved in getting ready for a tour of this magnitude. "You have to do everything that you have to do — because from running around clubs to running around theaters to running around arenas to running around stadiums, there's a whole big difference," he said. "You've gotta be ready for it." Earlier in the month, Neil made headlines when a video message he recorded for a superfan went viral. View this post on Instagram Happy Valentine’s to my beautiful love @rainhannah A post shared by Vince Neil (@thevinceneil) on Feb 14, 2020 at 9:11am PST

For first time in its history, QUEEN, fronted by singer Adam Lambert, performed the band's iconic 1985 Live Aid set earlier tonight (Sunday, February 16) at the Fire Fight Australia benefit concert in Sydney. QUEEN played the original 22-minute set consisting of six songs: "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Radio Ga Ga", "Hammer To Fall", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions". As part of the performance, QUEEN included footage and audio of late singer Freddie Mercury from Live Aid for a crowd sing-along. QUEEN's appearance at the Live Aid benefit concert at Wembley Stadium has been referred to as the "greatest live performance of all time." The July 13, 1985 concert was set up to raise funds for the famine in Ethiopia and QUEEN delivered what was arguably the performance that stole the show. QUEEN's Live Aid performance was recreated for the band's biopic, "Bohemian Rhapsody", which was released in 2018. The film has become the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time, bringing in more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office. This was despite a lukewarm reaction from critics upon release. The 10-hour Fire Fight Australia concert benefits key organizations providing vital short, medium and long-term rescue, recover and rehabilitation assistance in Australia's fire-affected areas. Both internationally renowned and local musicians will unite to share one stage during the country's time of need. Earlier this week in Australia, fire officials announced that all fires in New South Wales were contained for the first time this bushfire season. Bushfires destroyed more than 2,400 homes and burned more than 13 million acres in the country's most populous state.

Twelve years on from "Anvil! The Story of Anvil", it's hard not feel a shiver of satisfaction that Lipps Kudlow and Robb Reiner are living the life they always wanted: releasing albums on a regular basis and spending the rest of their time touring like madmen. It's worth noting that "Legal at Last" would probably not exist had the Canadians not made the most of their moment in the celluloid spotlight. But here it is, their fifth full-length since the movie, and quite feasibly the most entertaining of the lot. No one is expecting ANVIL to release another "Forged in Fire" at this point — their brief time as pioneers is well documented, but almost secondary to their status as stoic underdogs, impervious to time or fashion. Instead, "Legal at Last" is more of the same thunderous and endearingly goofy old-school metal, hewn from the exact same ingredients that the band have used all along. The opening title track is a textbook speed metal ripper, not unreasonably celebrating the legalization of weed in Canada. Likewise, "Nabbed in Nebraska" tells a cautionary tale of confiscated contraband south of the border, over a slamming hard rock core. "Chemtrails" is another heads-down, double-kick clatter-fest, with some sweet THIN LIZZY harmonies and plenty of knuckleheaded fury. And on it goes, through various exuberant iterations of that undeniably basic but irresistible ANVIL formula: "Gasoline" is a lumbering doom horror show; "Talking to the Wall" is gnarly, menacing throwback to "Winged Assassins"; "Plastic in Paradise" takes an unlikely dive into ecological angst, over a treacly torrent of angular SABBATH-isms. None of it, it hardly needs saying, is designed to confound or challenge, and you could feasibly accuse ANVIL of not trying particularly hard, were it not for the self-evident fact that they play every note as if their lives depended on it. The shit-eating grins and air of sweaty triumph are practically audible throughout. And yes, ANVIL have already hit the road again with a vengeance and will probably stay there until it's time to make another hugely entertaining heavy metal record. It's what they always wanted, after all.

Kerrang! has just posted an interview with Dave Mustaine that originally ran in a June 2018 issue of the U.K. magazine in which the MEGADETH mainman addressed the controversial comments he made on stage in Singapore in August 2012 about then-President Barack Obama "staging" murders and turning the United States into "Nazi America." Asked if he has any regrets about what he said, Mustaine responded: "I have no regrets. If you weren't there, you won't know what happened. We were in Asia and soon discovered that the guy doing our monitors really wasn't a monitor guy; the first two shows had been disastrous. We got a local guy to help us and it was a fucking mess. Naturally, I threw caution to the wind and we knew we couldn't take the gig too seriously. That night I had a couple of drinks and I was really just joking with the audience." When asked to clarify what the "joke" was exactly, Mustaine said: "What I said was how much I wanted to live in Singapore because it's beautiful — the streets are immaculate, there's no graffiti, and hardly any crime at all. It really is a remarkable Asian paradise. I was drinking and started talking about the shootings in America. All I said was next time it happens, I'd come and live out there in Singapore. Whatever else came out along with that was to soften the blow to the audience about the sound issues. When I say stuff that I mean, I stick by it and nobody can shake me from it. And when I'm joking around and laughing, people need to be smart enough to know it is not meant seriously." During the August 7, 2012 concert in Singapore, Mustaine told the crowd: "Back in my country, my president is trying to pass a gun ban. So he's staging all of these murders, like the Fast And Furious thing down at the border and Aurora, Colorado, all the people that were killed there. And now the beautiful people at the Sikh temple." He continued: "I don't know where I'm gonna live if America keeps going the way it's going because it looks like it's turning into Nazi America." Fast And Furious was part of a federal sting operation intended to trace the movement of weapons from legal dealers in the United States to the leaders of Mexican drug cartels. The government lost track of some weapons, which were later found at crime scenes in Mexico. A week after the Singapore concert, Mustaine spoke with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones about his controversial comments, claiming that he was merely repeating the theories of Larry Pratt, a pro-gun activist who runs the organization Gun Owners Of America. He said: "To clarify things, no one can deny there were criminal rogues in the administration. CBS News got the memos, Congress has the information and basically, Larry Pratt, the head of Gun Owners Of America, who is a highly respected person, said that if they would stage 'Fast And Furious,' they'd be capable of staging everything. And it was all done to blame the Second Amendment. We'd be fools not to look at this. Our U.S. border patrol agents were killed. And like I said, I was just quoting Larry Pratt. That's it bottom line." He continued: "In the heat of the moment, when you're onstage and you're talking, sometimes you're not as eloquent as you'd like to be. Like I said, I was just quoting what Larry said. We really need to investigate this and we need to have the Attorney General release the documents and find out who's responsible for this. People died and the democratic process says, 'Let's investigate this. Let's find out what's going on here.' "I love our country and my whole thing with this is that I think we should just look into it... I just think that we deserve to know the truth — that's it. "I'm a patriot," he added. "I've always been controversial. I'm a political songwriter. And this wasn't done to hurt any our my fellow countrymen. I think that it's something that we really, really need to look into." Earlier in 2012, Mustaine made headlines when he voiced his support for ultraconservative Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum. He explained at the time that the Pennsylvania politician looked "like he could be a really cool president… kind of like a JFK kind of guy." Later that year, Mustaine revealed his "birther" opinions on Alex Jones's talk show, saying he doubted President Obama was born in the United States. He said: "With all of the proof about his birth certificate being fake… And you see the signs in Kenya that say 'the birthplace of Barack Obama.' Hello?! C'mon, guys. How stupid are we right now?" Mustaine has consistently denied that he is a Republican, telling Artisan News in a 2012 interview: "I'm an independent, not a Republican — I've never been a Republican. I've always said that. I don't belong to any party — I'm non-partisan. And for me, the sad thing is, instead of voting for the best man, I have to vote for the lesser of two evils." Mustaine's entire June 2018 interview with Kerrang!, which has just been made available online for the first time, can be found at this location.

John Dolmayan, the drummer of Grammy Award-winning, multiplatinum Los Angeles quartet SYSTEM OF A DOWN, has released "Starman", a high-voltage rendition of David Bowie's 1972 hit. The song, which features SYSTEM OF A DOWN vocalist Serj Tankian, marks the second single from Dolmayan's "These Grey Men" album. The eight-track LP, due on Friday, February 28, is an eclectic collection of reimagined songs Dolmayan was inspired by during many drives between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. "These Grey Men" features additional special guest artists, including AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, with a bulk of the album recorded at Dave Grohl's Studio 606. "While I was driving, I'd put on satellite radio and listen to whatever came on," says Dolmayan. "Oftentimes, I'd hear something and ask myself how I would play or arrange it. I actually started to make a list of about 30 songs I might cover someday. I just got inspiration from desert driving and listening to music. SYSTEM wasn't making music at the time, but I needed an outlet for my artistic energy. So, I whittled down the list and reached out to some artists I wanted to work with." Through the album are standouts including powerful renditions of notable song's such as the leadoff single, "Street Spirit", a lively cover from the RADIOHEAD catalog that catapults the song into a new dimension with M. Shadows on vocals and a blistering guitar solo from Morello. Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone noted: "Dolmayan's cover itself is a complete transformation of 'Street Spirit', making it a larger-than-life arena rocker that still retains the same pathos as the original. The track ends with the delirious buzz of Morello's guitar." Other tracks that break into new sonic territory include a spirited arrangement of TALKING HEADS' "Road To Nowhere", on which Dolmayan's commanding drumming also links with Tankian. Over a span of five years, Dolmayan carefully assembled what would become "These Grey Men", joined by James Hazley on guitar, Tom Coppossela on bass and Danny Shouman on keys for the bulk of the project. Choosing eight diverse classics from the popular music canon, Dolmayan recorded his parts at Studio 606 and personally arranged strings at Toys Of The Masses. Produced by Dolmayan with Hazley, the title for "These Grey Men", was birthed from conversations with a close friend, a former U.S. Navy S.E.A.L. "A buddy of mine is a former Navy S.E.A.L., and he was staying at my house when I was making the album," Dolmayan says. "He's a very introspective guy and a really good person. We'd have these long conversations. He told me S.E.A.L.s would always try to be nondescript. You would never notice them in a room. In other words, they were 'Grey Men.' He said, 'They're kind of invisible — similar to a drummer.' We thought it would be a great title, because many people don't necessarily notice the drummer unless there's a mistake." "These Gray Men" track listing: 01. Hung Up (MADONNA) 02. Street Spirit (RADIOHEAD) 03. Beautiful Thieves (AFI) 04. Road To Nowhere (TALKING HEADS) 05. Rock Bottom (EMINEM) 06. Runaway (DEL SHANNON) 07. Starman (DAVID BOWIE) 08. What You Know (TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB)

These are heady, exciting times for metallic hardcore. Or at least that's how it appears from the perspective of a middle-aged metalhead. I could be wrong. But via the thunderous likes of KNOCKED LOOSE and KUBLAI KHAN, this subsection of a traditionally diverse but slightly confused genre seems to be clicking into a higher gear. GREAT AMERICAN GHOST may not be receiving the same amount of hype as some of their peers, but "Power Through Terror" delivers many of the same thrills, and with enough of its own identity, to stand apart. If slamming beatdowns, pummeling groove metal sections and throat-shredding gang vocals aren't your thing, you have my permission to stop reading. But, for the rest of us, this is undeniably vicious and invigorating stuff, custom-designed to facilitate violent pits and the releasing of mindless, directionless energy. Produced by the great Will Putney, this is so full of vim and vigor that it practically flips the furniture over for you — listen to the way the Boston quartet take off at a breathless pace on "Rivers of Blood" before switching seamlessly to low-slung and sludgy and back again, with everything delivered with precision while sounding utterly vital and live. This is a record with great feel. GREAT AMERICAN GHOST won't win many prizes for originality, but they might pick up one or two. Some of the melodic hooks and structural scenic routes they take during these short, sharp chin jabs are genuinely inspired. "Socialized Animals" wears its thrash influences with pride, but this has the chaotic rush of prime SLIPKNOT and the snottiness of a band like STRAY FROM THE PATH in plentiful supply too. "Scorched Earth" is all post-PANTERA savagery and syncopated knife flurries. In terms of lyrics, this will undoubtedly resonate much more for younger folk than it will for many of us that have had our optimism kicked out of us recently, but there's still something authentically uplifting about the sheer fury that informs the likes of "Black Winter" and "WarBorn": this is real deal metallic hardcore with plenty of ideas and enough inner fire to heat the sun.