[5/5] Don't let the stinging guitar leads and the huge, thumping drums (from Pelican's Larry Herwig) fool you: Lair Of The Minotaur's old-school thrash metal isn't retro as much as it is classicist, and the Chicago trio are more than willing to embrace recent trends, like ultra-distorted shrieking vocals, even as their lyrics look all the way back to ancient Greece. Frontman Steven Rathbone's Oderus Urungus-esque voice isn't the only thing distorted here; the riffs these guys unleash are so heavy, and recorded with such bleeding-amplifier rawness, everything seems on the brink of dissolving into raw fuzz. No matter how softly you play it, The Ultimate Destroyer feels cranked up; and, as with all great metal bands--Black Sabbath, Motörhead, Fudge Tunnel, et al.--the louder you crank it, the better it sounds. Minimalist and monochromatic it may be, but The Ultimate Destroyer is one of the best metal albums of the year, if not the young century.
(SOUTHERN LORD) Phil Freeman
 Official Website: http://www.southernlord.com
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