Oh Christ I’m not going to waste anyone’s time by talking about the merits of Forbidden’s first two albums, “Forbidden Evil” and “Twisted Into Form”. Anyone who claims to know anything about Thrash Metal knows that these albums stand as bastions of what true Thrash metal was, is and should be about. Forbidden were not so much part of the second wave of Bay Area Thrash bands but were so far ahead of the chasing pack that there wasn’t much of a contest.

By contrast the bands third and forth albums “Distortion” and “Green”, while still very competent where not in the same vein or league as their predecessors; after which time Forbidden called it a day. That was until the release of “Omega Wave”, but would this album be more distorted green or twisted evil, I know what I wanted my heart wanted?

“Alpha Century” opens the album with cascade of soft soulful guitars and is the perfect tranquil yin to the holy motherfucking yang that is “Forsaken At The Gates”. In one song Forbidden have embodied everything that was so potent and vital about their first two records; soaring vocals, duelling guitar solos and ferocious drumming to die for. The momentum doesn’t stop there, just like machine gun fire the hits keep on coming, “Overthrow”, “Adapt Or Die”, “Swine” are all stand out in their own right but together they create a tour-de-force of Thrash Metal.

Forbidden is now made up of men in their 40’s but with that age comes the experience to know what this band is truly about, gone are the days of experimentation and the desire to reach out beyond the boundaries of Thrash Metal. “Omega Wave” is a clear demonstration of a band at ease with who they are and the realisation of what they are good at. Rose tinted glasses will always lead you to the conclusion that “Forbidden Evil” and “Twisted Into Form” are beyond reproach, and to be fair they are. Their rawness and impact alone makes them stellar examples of early 90’s Thrash. “Omega Wave” on the other hand doesn’t have history on it’s side, but what it does have (in spades) is all the qualities of a true old school Thrash record with maturity 17 years hiatus gives a band.

“Omega Wave” doesn’t look to redefine anything, it’s unashamedly old school Thrash Metal and while the production is perhaps better than if recorded back in the day there in lies the only discernable difference from the bands earlier releases. This is an album for anyone who has loved Thrash Metal from way back when to those discovering the genre for the first time, and reaffirms Forbidden as a Thrash band for the future….watch this space!