Grief of War, Worship

When you hear that a band is from Japan, you usually think of an indie-pop girl act getting way too much press. What you don’t expect is Grief of War and their full-on metal assault. While they may be another in a growing list of neo-thrash acts, don’t dismiss these guys, as they’re legit; one listen to their new album Worship, and you’ll agree.

Leading off is “Crack of Doom,” with its incredibly catchy, heavy riffs and vocals from Manabu Hirose that harken back to Kurt Brecht of D.R.I. Grief of War also emanate that band’s groundbreaking crossover sound on “New Kind of Wicked.” Guitarists Ken Sato and Hiroyuki Inoue’s playing on “Revolt” echoes classic Slayer, going from incredibly fast riffs to each guy trading solos. They really shine on “Midnight Sun,” a song that changes moods and tempos several times over its six minutes.

Several years ago, a music magazine coined the term “’87 Hetfield.” Its reference to the Metallica frontman’s coolness at that particular point in time applies perfectly to Worship. All ten tracks are winners, and if Grief of War keeps producing material like this, maybe one day someone will be referred as “’09 Sato.”