Review
Extinction A.D.
Faithkiller

Extinction A.D. rose like hellfire from the rubble of the, now listless, Long Island hardcore outfit This is Hell. In a rare move, the entire musical backing of This is Hell packed up and moved into the world of thrash, leaving the band’s lead vocalist in the dust. The result was Extinction A.D., an immaculate four-piece thrash metal juggernaut. The band released their first full length effort, Faithkiller on Good Fight Records, and I had the good fortune to bombard my brain with the record.

Faithkiller opens with “Black Omen”, a track that comes out shredding in a melodic dual-guitar assault. Vocalist/Guitarist Rick Jimenez lets his voice roar, immediately sounding as if it was genetically-manufactured specifically for thrash metal. Within a minute, group vocals and chug-a-lug palm-muting slash through the track, leading to involuntary fist-pumping and visions of stage dives.

The onslaught continues as the record continues with tracks “Civil Execution” and “Instruments of Death.” Musically, every element of the band is impressive. Drummer Mike Sciulara fires out double-bass hits like a Thompson Sub-Machine Gun. The guitar tracks, ripped by Rick Jimenez and Ian Cimaglia are as intricate in rhythm as they are in lead, showing advanced songwriting capability. Not to be ignored, Pieter van den Berg’s driving bass lines bring the organized chaos of the band’s psychotic guitarists back to earth.

By far, my favorite song on the record is title track, “Faithkiller.” The track begins with rock ‘n roll riffing in the vein of Motorhead before diving into the most metal sing-along chorus I’ve heard in a long time. The track has everything you desire as a metalhead: sawing guitar rhythm, dynamic drumming, ripping guitar solos and a chorus that makes you hold out your arms as if you are summoning lightning.

At times, on tracks like “Prisoners”, the band’s intricacy gets away from them a bit, some guitar lines feeling mildly inert, as if they tried too hard to show instrument skill instead of songwriting skill. Seasoned veterans of the metal game know that, sometimes, less is more, and I am confident that Extinction A.D. will find the balance as they progress.

Overall, Faithkiller is quite a “trashterpeice”, definitely warranting a purchase of the record as well a ticket to the live show. I am quite excited for what the future holds for this young band if they can put forth such an impressive in the first round.