At first glance, the album art of World Gone Dead is enough to pull you in and when you start to listen to the music, you’re not disappointed at being grabbed so furiously.  Starting out with a balls-out instrumental (with a scream or so mixed into the fold) “Intro,” it dives right into the assault with the aptly-titled “Act of War,” a song that immediately makes one want to jump into the pit and just start to go fucking mad. When an album immediately makes you want to do that, you know you’re in for a tasty treat of thrashtastic proportions.

In the next song, “ED-209,” I have to make an honorary mention of the machine gun fire that faded into the drums that then leads into a killer solo. That segment of a song (although the whole song is good) is up there with some of the other great music moments, past and present. “A Storm of Swords” was a weaker point of the album, but it was still put together well. “Waste” brought it right back into the depths of the pit while “Terror Consumes” brought in one of my favorite solos on this release. So far, this is not an album I can sit still and listen to. Something on me is always moving, whether my head, my body, or even just my foot.

The next track, “Grindwheel,” starts out low and comes in loud and menacing (NOTE: This was played on the last podcast if you didn’t already know that). The song builds and goes on a journey into a world of elegant guitar work and then moves right back into its original premise. “Behaver” is a reminder of the more cheeky lyrics of previous Lich King releases and it’s a ton of fun, ending with the line “Lyrics don’t mean shit.” I am glad to see while this release isn’t as humorous as previous releases, they haven’t abandoned the humor completely.

Next stop in this album is a pretty awesome cover of Slayer’s “Aggressive Perfector” that does not disappoint and shouldn’t even if you’re some hardcore Slayer fan as it’s topped off with the Tom Araya-esque wails and all. From there, then we go into the third part of the Lich King songs they started on the other albums, “Lich King III (World Gone Dead),” which is probably my personal favorite of this album. It was a great ending to a great album. As it was so eloquently put: All Hail the Lich King!

Upon reflection, with this release, it is obvious Lich King has gotten (dare I say it?) more mature. Of course, their humor is something they will always have, but this album seems to have more of an edge than the predecessors lyrically and musically. If this album reflects Lich King’s world, it’s definitely not dead and it is only growing and getting better. If only the rest of the world could be like this. I can say that I did thoroughly enjoy this album upon first listen and each thereafter. If you want a pure, untainted thrash metal assault, this is for you.

Full of intense drums, sensational solos, hard riffs, intense vocals, and the ever-classic gang shouts, World Gone Dead is what any fan of thrash metal, either new or old, should/can truly appreciate. It’s full of the energy and expertise that drew you to the music in the first place. If you can put on this album and not feel the need to start banging your head, then you just don’t get it and probably never will. Lich King brings together a lot of different aspects of thrash metal and molds them together in a way that makes them unique in their own right and has them carrying the flag high and proud.

Final Word: WORTHY.

Favorite  Tracks:

• “Act of War”
• “Grindwheel”
• “Lich King III (World Gone Dead)”

Pick up the album at the following:

• Stormspell Records
• iTunes