THRASH IS BACK! I know this because Fueled By Fire told me so. They do more than just talk a good game however, as their debut album Spread The Fire (just re-released by Metal Blade) serves up a long overdue dose of classic West Coast Thrash. Sure, the oldschool metal style may not be the hottest trend right now, but lets face it, most of what's passing for Heavy Metal these days pretty much sucks. FBF intend to change that by dusting off the Thrash flag and carrying it proudly forward. Songs like Spread The Fire, Metal Forever and, of course, Thrash Is Back, deal specifically with this issue. Some may find it hokey...I find it to be a much needed wake-up call for the Metal community. Goddammit, someone needs to be out there praising the Metal gods and giving those of us who are sick to death of the Mall-core crybaby bands something to listen to. To be honest, there isn't a whole lot of ground being broken on this album, but there doesn't need to be. The classic musical genres are always a relevant and fertile territory to explore. They bring the oldschool aggression and the killer solos, and you know you miss that shit! There is a risk of coming off as a kitschy novelty act, but FBF tread that line and prove throughout that they take their metal seriously. This new release of the album (which the band inititally released on their own last year) has added two bonus songs and boasts the mixing talents of Joey Vera of Armored Saint. An edorsement by the mighty Armored Saint is good enough for me, and it should be good enough to convince you to check FBF out. The bottom line is that if you like Exodus, Testament, Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies and the like, then you should give the new generation a listen. If you don't like those bands, then there may still be hope for you yet if you act now to improve your cd collection!