Band:	Hatriot
Album:	Dawn Of The New Centurion
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	February 21, 2014
A review by:	ScreamingSteelUS

01. From My Cold Dead Hands
02. Your Worst Enemy
03. The Fear Within
04. Honor The Rise And Fall
05. Superkillafragsadisticactsaresoatrocious
06. Silence In The House Of The Lord
07. World Funeral
08. Dawn Of The New Centurion
09. Consolation For The Insane

Just like their debut Heroes Of Origin, Hatriot's Dawn Of The New Centurion has Exodus's Tempo Of The Damned written all over it - same sound, different band. It might be no surprise, then, to hear the legendary Steve "Zetro" Souza belting out these driving, unrelenting songs in his cutting, gravelly whine. The obvious similarity is a double-edged sword, as Hatriot can be either a welcome extra dose of Tempo or a mere copycat, depending on your inclination.

Hatriot's music often echoes the sounds of Zetro's past life - ironic, as lead guitarist Kosta Varvatakis (not Zetro) writes all the music, but at the same time perhaps perfectly reasonable to expect. The non-Zetro part of Hatriot consists of a much younger cadre of players, all of whom probably grew up listening to Exodus. Testament influence shines through on occasion as well, particularly on "Silence In The House Of The Lord." Though they aren't affiliated with Zetro, it sounds as though Overkill have had a hand in this (though maybe inasmuch as I find Tempo Of The Damned very similar, but less catchy and more thrashy).

"Superkillafragsadisticactsaresoatrocious" (which I'm only going to type out once) might be one hell of a ridiculous mouthful, but it fades out to a chorus of "Free Pussy Riot," so it isn't entirely nonsensical. In fact, lyrically, Dawn Of The New Centurion is a pretty serious indictment of violence and injustice in the modern world. Zetro's anger translates well into these vicious sonic assaults, and his familiar voice melds with the youthful aggression and intensity of a younger generation of thrashers. While Dawn Of The New Centurion might be slightly less ambitious than Heroes Of Origin, it still holds some powerful songs. "The Fear Within" is a chilling, haunting tale of desperation, and "Honor In The Rise And Fall" and "Your Worst Enemy" are both fantastic thrashers.

Dawn Of The New Centurion delivers the same crushing thrash that Hatriot did so well on Heroes Of Origin, which itself is basically the same thing Exodus did with Zetro in the olden days. Of course, with his newly-announced return to Exodus, Zetro might well be doing this stuff with two bands concurrently, but it is good to know that he has another place to explore this great sound.