So HIRAX seems to be on a roll. With the release of a solid new album last year that seems to be receiving some nice praise for the revitalized and underrated Thrash act, they seem to be moving forward still. A nice new compilation that contains three EP’s (all from the early to mid '00's) is a nice little addition to their already large catalogue that may introduce some new fans to the older material and give a chance for some of their fan base to collect a few rare tracks.

Combining the EPs “Barrage Of Noise," “Chaos And Brutality," and “Assassins Of War," this release, called “Noise Chaos War” – pretty clever, eh? – shows off some pretty nice work from these Thrashers. One gets a good variety of material on this stacked release. Everything from your classic Thrash tracks like “Walk With Death” (in two versions) to solid Punkier songs like “Lucifer’s Inferno," and even some nice little instrumentals like “French Pearl” with its acoustic melodies are all on display here. From its speedy induced Punk frenzies of guitars and snare drum riffs, its lighting quick shredding, and its howling vocals from De Pena, this release is pure HIRAX through and through. So fans will definitely have a time with it.

As with all HIRAX releases that I've had the pleasure of listening to, this also seems to suffer from some of the same flaws as the others. That being, despite some great Thrashing tracks, there is some filler here and there too. Some songs just tend to run the same ideas over and over. The band tends to over-flurry itself in its Thrash and it weakens the overall release. When they find their balance and structure they nail it. Yet, they tend to miss that too often.

As with any release from this underground act, if you love HIRAX you will love “Noise Chaos War." It still suffers a bit from the filler, but when it’s on, it’s on, and it makes for a nice Thrash time.

Songs to check out: “Walk With Death," “Mouth Sewn Shut," “Chaos And Brutality." 

(Online November 9, 2010)