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Track Listing: Warlord Torture Lynch Mob Killing Inside Thrasher I Speak Hate Target Genghis Khan Burn Waco Rasputin Blunt Force Trauma

Cavalera Conspiracy are back with their much anticipated second studio album "Blunt Force Trauma". It's a highly anticipated release for two main reasons. Firstly, the new Soulfly album "Omen" came out last year and I was hoping this album would not sound similar to it, and secondly Max promised a shorter, more intense, in-your-face album. After giving it a few listens, I can safely say that the album delivers on both fronts.

"Warlord" is a heavy but mid-tempo start to the album, wherein Marc Rizzo has neatly pulled off some sweeping guitar solos. "Torture" on the other hand is a much more hard-hitting, Slayer-esque tune that is sure to go down well among the metal masses. It's perfectly timed at less than 2 minutes. Any longer, it might have ruined the song's impact. "Lynch Mob" is a very special track because it features Roger Miret from the great hardcore band Agnostic Front on vocals. The song seems tailor-made for his crushing vocals. I really wouldn't mind seeing Roger Miret-Marc Rizzo collaborate again at some point in the near future.

"Killing Inside" sounds pretty generic and powerless until the guitar solo midway gives it a solid thrust, making it more than listenable on the whole. The main riff though is rather punk-ish, reminding me of bands like Murderdolls. "Thrasher" is a complete contrast, justifying its title pretty well and should turn out to be one of the most successful tunes from this album in the days and months to come. "I Speak Hate" is another extremely interesting song, offering an enjoyable combination of Max's vocals and Marc's guitar solos. It could well be a fun live song, with some great tempo changes and a chorus that's very easy to follow.

"Target" is another tune that should keep the thrashers happy, followed by "Genghis Khan", a song title that is rather overused. This is the longest track on the album and showcases the band in full force, specially Marc Rizzo and Igor Cavalera who combine excellently to create varying musical patterns and blend them together with great aplomb. "Burn Waco" and "Rasputin" are two more tunes that are largely thrash-oriented, with the latter also treating us to a delighful guitar harmony between Max and Marc. The album closes out with the title song, a rather surprisingly slow and somber ending, but one that again highlights Marc's brilliance on the guitar.

It is also worth mentioning that besides the standard version with the aforementioned 11 tracks, the album comes in a special edition with three bonus tracks, "Psychosomatic" and "Jihad Joe" being the original tunes, along with a cover of Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral". The limited edition vinyl LP includes the 11 tracks plus the above 3 bonus tracks, and a cover of Black Flag's "Six Pack". Certainly some food for thought to let you decide what version you would want to go for.

Overall, this album delivers on all counts, and should not disappoint any Cavalera Conspiracy/Soulfly/Sepultura fans. I would recommend it to all thrash metal fans for that matter, and there's something in it for hardcore punk fans as well. The standout feature for me is definitely Marc Rizzo's contribution on guitar. The man has done it all on this album, including pinch harmonics, sweeping solos, tapping solos, harmonies, the use of wah pedal, and lots more, just showing how versatile and often underrated he is as a guitar player. Max's vocals are exactly what you'd expect them to sound like. Johnny Chow and Igor Cavalera have also done their parts well. You might not be able to hear the bass distinctly, but during the rhythm parts it's Johnny's bass that adds the "blunt force" this album is centered around.

A crushing album that hits the listener hard with plenty of force and fervour.