Customer Reviews

Evolution of Chaos

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Both Breaking the Silence and Victims of Deception by Heathen are classic albums, but they have always been overshadowed by other thrash bands' releases that came out during the same period. The Evolution of Chaos is Heathen's first album in nearly 20 years -- unlike many other reunion/comeback discs, however, it is an unparalled success that will take its place among thrash metal masterpieces in the years to come.

This album is the epitome of thrash metal that avoids the pitfalls of any modern-sounding so-called metal albums. It maintains a very nice early 90s feel to it, utilizing hammering riffery from the outset, the unmistakable melodic facade brought to the songs by vocalist David White, and of course Lee Altus' signature guitar sound. The comparisons to later day Exodus are not completely off, given three of their (past) members make an appearance on this album and Altus is the primary writer. That said, Heathen's songs are a lot more varied and melodically developed. This definitely stems from the fact that all of the compositions impart indelible harmonies. Take the dual guitar force of "Control by Chaos", complete with intricate twin guitar sweeps, skin-peeling thrash riffs, and ultimately melodic harmonies. Whilst the song involves all the necessary thrash metal ingredients executed with primitive hunger, it is the guitarists' melodic explorations and White's gripping vocal parts that set it apart from other acts' releases. Also, the song contains a dexterous mid-part with hammering staccato riffs that precedes a fantastic run-out solo.

Two songs from the band's 2005 demo have been carried over to this magnum opus. "Dying Season" is a maelstrom of riffs and speed-of-light fretwork while "Arrows of Agony", epic in scope, merges relentless aggression with smooth melodies without pushing the song into "cheese" category. As a matter of fact, the solo on the song is so emotionally performed it makes for a religious experience. The melodic focus is further highlighted in the intro of "Undone" before a rhythmic anchor of drums and bass is worked into the mix, shifting the piece to its deserved thrash zone.

The centrepiece of the album is "No Stone Unturned" -- at over ten minutes, this song would be the best choice to represent the current Heathen sound: steady, unbreakable thrash metal riffs are wrung through a sick time signature with phenomenal guitar and bass (the fretless bass part is played by Steve DiGiorgio) interaction. The melodies are the best ever and they will reveal themselves more upon repeat listens. The calculated unison solo towards the end is quite possibly the album's highpoint from a creative standpoint. The final melody played atop this unison solo is mindblowing. It proves the creativity of Heathen has only increased during their hiatus.

What makes this album so great is also that each song stands on its own with its distinctive melodic traits and compositional elements. There is the technical piece "Fade Away"; the ballady "A Hero's Welcome", noteworthy for its shift between acoustic guitars and crashing metal thunder; the Exodus-like "Bloodkult", much more direct in its execution; or the blazing guitars of "Silent Nothingness", whose intro is easily the best thrash intro you will hear in a long time. The transition from the sweeping melody to the full-on thrash assault is stupepfying!

There is an array of guests on the album, from Exodus' Gary Holt performing the solo on the aforementioned "Control by Chaos" to the band's former guitarist Terry Lauderdale or the bass virtuoso Steve DiGiorgio whose sitar playing on the first track is simply gorgeous. He implants a strong eastern feel to it alongside Jon Allen's chimes and percussion work.

I have never been a fan of Jacob Hansen's production work as I feel he overcompresses any music he works on. This can particularly be annoying on progressive metal albums. However, on The Evolution of Chaos it works: the end result is a huge grey smear, compressed so densely that there is almost zero breathing room for the arrangements. The songs gush out like huge and thick crusts bludgeoning you from the start, and somehow it fits the music.

Will there be another 2010 thrash release that will match the intensity of The Evolution of Chaos? The answer is simple: No.

For those of you wondering if it's worth taking a chance on an older band from the Bay area that only has two members remaining from back in the day, the answer is a resounding Yes!!!

Heaviness, speed, good songwriting, and excellent production all come together on The Evolution Of Chaos. This album has a definite Exodus feel to it, which makes sense with founding member Lee Altus (who wrote a lot of the music) having played in Exodus. Gary Holt and Rob Dukes also make guest appearances.

This is one of those rare albums that will immediately make you bang your head and will keep you listening for a long time. With most songs lasting more than six minutes and one eleven minute monster this album has an epic feel to it without becoming pretentious or boring.

Overall I can't imagine a thrash metal fan being dissapointed with the new Heathen... To me this is the best metal album of the year so far...

Heathens glorious return to thrash! \m/\m/ Long overdue but worth the wait. This album picks up right where Breaking The Silence left off. Amazing riffs, still amazing vocals, great song construction and an amazing listen all the way through. Heathen have returned! \m/\m/

this album is my introduction to the music of Heathen and from what I read, it took 20 years in the making.
some of the reviewers here are drawing comparisons to exodus and i have to somehow agree but in my humble 18 years of metal listening experience i find that this cd picks up where metallica's 'and justice for all' has left off. while surely the music in here nods heavily at exodus, for me it reeks of metallica worship without falling into copycat territory. the album captures and keeps your attention hostage throughout its 11 track span. not counting the intro, each of the 10 thrashy slabs offered here brims with energy that is missing from many 'reunion' and 'comeback' albums.
it is passionately executed and viciously addictive. although the album is packed with very technical riffing you dont remember melodies (at least from my experience in listening to this album) but rather, an aura that remains with you long after the album ends. each song links seamlessly with the next that the whole album sounds like shifting moods (all rooted in bad ass thrash mindframe, dont worry) rather than a collection of songs. to put it simply this sounds like metallica (minus hetfield) is releasing an album right after 'justice', under the supervising of exodus. the opening riff to 'no stone unturned' will remind you of metallica's 'dont tread on me' from their black album and on 'bloodkult' the guitars are so reminiscent of the 'ride the lightning' guitar sound. add to it a well balanced production and the result is an invigorating sound that still preserves the feel of the late 80's and early 90's; thrash metal's finest hours.
2009-2010 seems a fertile period for quality thrash comebacks (slayer, overkill, sacrifice) as well as newcomers (trauma, abuser) and those who were overlooked back then, like Heathen. dont be afraid to dig in and feed your greedy ears.
for the metal thrashing mad, this is not to be missed.

I've been waiting for this album for 5 years ever since hearing the 3 song demo that came out in 2005 and it did not disappoint! This is a fantastic album that I would be willing to name the metal album of 2010 and the year is not over yet. Maybe even the metal album of the past 10 years, this album is just that good.

I was never a huge Heathen fan until I heard that demo (and the 1988 demo with Paul Baloff which I thought was much better than the songs that came out on Victims Of Deception. I am however a huge fan of thrash metal, including bands like Exodus (who have a similar sound). If you're a fan of Heathen, Exodus or thrash metal at all then this is a must own album.

IF YOU LIKED THEIR LATE 1980'S ALBUMS ESPECIALLY "VICTIMS OF DECEPTION" YOU NEED TO HAVE THIS ALBUM. THIS ALBUM HAS A TOTAL OF 19 YEARS IN THE MAKING. IT IS THEIR BEST ALBUM AND PROBABLY THE BEST OF 2010. THERE ARE A LOT OF 1980 BANDS THAT ARE COMING BACK AND WRITE SOME OF THE BEST ALBUMS YET, BUT I CAN ONLY SAY THAT THE TECHNICALITY IN HEATHEN'S NEW ALBUM IS HARD TO BEAT. I LOVE THE ALBUM, I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM FOR THE PAST 3 WEEKS AND STILL CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT. SO BUY THE ALBUM IF YOU ARE A TRUE METAL FAN FROM THE 1980, WHEN METAL RULED THE ROCK'N'ROLL ERA...KEEP ON ROCKIN' HEATHEN.

i've been a fan of heathen since breaking the silence(yes,I'M what you call old school kids...)and this BY FAR tops ANYTHING that they have EVER done..like a lot of reviewers have said ,heathen were one of those bands that NEVER got their recognition "back in the day" and a band that i feel were head and shoulders above ANYONE technically ( lee altus and doug piercy being the ABSOLUTE BEST GUITARISTS IN METAL,with gary & rick from exodus
being a close second !!!!!) and again like a lot of other reviewers,the "new heathen" does sound quite like exodus,but in my opinion thats REALLY not a bad thing!!!!!!! please pick this album up if you LOVE metal,you REALLY,REALLY wont be dissapointed.. all in all,GREAT PRODUCTION,GREAT SONGS,AND GUITAR PLAYING THAT WILL NOT BE OUTDONE !!!!!! 5 STARS (ID GIVE 10 STARS IF I COULD)

This CD is very heavy and is easily their heaviest.

Simple explanation? Put Metallica's "Ride The Lightning" and Exodus' "Shovel Headed Kill Machine' in a blender, add a smoother vocalist and this is it. And very 'Loud', in-your-face production like the newer Exodus discs as well.

In Fact, the track 'No Stone Unturned' was so reminiscent of the pattern of 'Dont Tread on Me' and chops of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' from Metallica, that I nearly laughed. It is a great track with a good hook and is over 11 minutes, so it goes places, but the comparison was very obvious. Not note for note, but if you listen to the first 3 minutes of each, you will hear what I mean. Listen to the guitar intro and the opening solo with the riffs underneath... Cmon!!! The mid section instrumental part sounds a lot like 'Orion' as well.. ANY Metallica fan could hear this if listened to close enough. It really really is THAT blatant. Its like Metallica's catalog in 1 track!! Listen to it and you can pick the parts like a 'Where's Waldo' cartoon. Trust me or listen for yourself, but the band HAD to do this intentionally to have so many similar parts in 1 track that are reminiscent of Metallica.
Its a good song, but should say (A Tribute To Metallica) after the title.
I am not being critical, just honest. I am not a huge Metallica fan just spouting off.

'A Hero's Welcome' isn't the greatest. Kind of cliche at this point. One of the slower tracks on the disc and very very overdone toward the end. Seemed desperate to me for some reason. I really have to admit, it does nothing for me. Does not fit.

'Red Tears of Disgrace' is another slower, building track that is decent, but not great.

These are the only reasons it doesn't get a 5 from me. 2 songs I could do without and 1 is a tribute song. I have heard all these chops before after being a metal head for 25 years, so it cant be deemed perfect. They don't reinvent anything here, just execute it extremely well.

'Undone', 'Bloodkult' and 'Silent Nothingness' are brutal and excellent. Fast and cutting! Very Exodus in nature.

'Dying Season', 'Controlled By Chaos', 'Arrows of Agony' and 'Fade Away' are excellent tracks as well, though more in the vein of Heathen's 'Victims of Deception' disc. Excellent mid-paced tracks with good riffs and crunch to them.

This is another older thrash band that is definitely turning the corner again. Add them to the list of Testament, Overkill, Kreator, Exodus and Fear Factory. New and improved. This is a major major treat after the half as*ed 'Recovered' CD from a few years back. A must have if you love thrash metal.

I will keep this simple:
"Masterpiece" and "classic" are both words that aptly describe this beast of an album..
Anyone who loves quality heavy metal should own this album and that is all there is to it, so do yourself a favor and order it now.

P.S.
Get yourself a copy of the new Overkill cd too!

Being a long time fan of most of the late 80's Bay area thrash bands
I was pleasantly surprized to find out that Heathen were still around!
This is an excellent cd. Lee Altus is a great lead player. He can go from
melodic to shred in the blink of an eye. Any fan of Old school thrash should pick this up...