Even though I am seemingly incapable of remembering the names of people I see every day, I do have this weird ability to look at a band name and know if I have ever reviewed them in the past. So when I was offered this release, the bells went off, and a quick trawl through the grey cells reminded me I reviewed their debut, ‘God Bless America’, all the way back in 1998! Here we are 25 years later, and I am sure the only person still involved from those early days is singer Prophet, This is not a full album, but instead is a 6-track EP coming in at 36 minutes, with the final cut being W.A.S.P.’s “Wild Child”. It is easy to think this may well be the last ever release from the band given the title, and given they were originally formed (as Crown of Thorns until they changed their name) back in 1993, it is more than possible they have decided to call it a day – there are 11 releases available on their Bandcamp site so they have certainly been busy.

I did read a review saying this is one of those bands who should have been a major name, and it is all our fault that is not the case, but to say that is an over exaggeration is putting it mildly. This is middle of the road heavy metal bringing in lots of different influences, but none of them giving the band a defined sound of their own. There is no doubt that the best track on the album is the last one, which they did not write, while the rest of the material is fairly middle of the road with little going for it. Prophet has an interesting vocal style, and when placed against the right material is a massive asset, but there are too many times when he is well out of his comfort zone, and it shows. I can imagine going to see them at a local show and enjoying myself, but as to choosing this album to play again that is somewhat unlikely.

Rating: 6/10

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