Algebra Pulse? CD

Swiss thrashers Algebra have flown under the radar a bit compared to some in the retro-thrash pack, but perhaps that's for the best. What they have done on their two prior full-lengths, and continue on ther newest one, Pulse?, is not pitched at the casual crowd that briefly made silly lyrics about moshing and reheated Slayer riffs so popular. Algebra are more earnest and less fashion-forward than that, creating a mix of Bay Area thrash aesthetics with some taste of the technicality and intricacy of their countrymates in Coroner. Lyrics are serious and dark; songs are fully-realized explorations of their chosen genre, long after most bands stopped putting much effort into their writing. Pulse?, like it's predecessors, is an excellent outing that would sit comfortably on shelves next to any number of genre classics as well as revered but lesser-known favorites of the '80s and early '90s underground.

1. Ego Destroyed 2. Inner Constraints 3. Addicted to Authority 4. Digital Master 5. Quantum God 6. Simulated Mind 7. Manipulated Soul 8. Prelude to Hate 9. Hateful Source 10. Concrete Jungle 11. Pulse? 12. Dead Embryonic Cells