Heathen The Evolution of Chaos Review by Mike Korn
Heathen are certainly no Johnny-come-latelies to the metal scene. They were active in the great Bay Area thrash boom of the 1980's and unleashed some pretty heavy duty albums like Breaking the Silence and Opiate of the Masses. But never did they make the crucial breakthrough to a larger audience that bands like Metallica, Slayer and Testament did. And then things got awfully quiet in the last 15 years or so.
Talk about “Breaking the Silence", that's just what Heathen have done with this monster of an album. The Evolution of Chaos is a nuclear-powered scorcher right from the beginning and far surpasses even the stellar works the band has done in the past. How a band can be more fired up and aggressive than they were 20 years ago is a mystery to me, but one I'm glad to experience. This is a blazing neck-wrecker that still manages to ooze class and melody....fans of Testament and Megadeth will be amazed. And those metal fans who are put off by growly or snarly vocals will find much to admire in the clean, clear but angry tones of David White.
Not only is this my top record of 2010 so far, I'd go so far as to put it in my list of top 10 thrashers of all time. It's that good. Anybody who likes aggressive metal (and who the heck likes laidback metal anyway?) should dive into this classic right away!
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2010 Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.