HIRAX · Not Dead Yet (Raging Violence + Hate, Fear & Power) | CD

CD in Jewelcase.

Background information about 'Not Dead Yet (Raging Violence + Hate, Fear & Power)'

Some records don't ask for your attention — they just take it. Hirax were never the biggest name on the Sunset Strip, and that is exactly why "Not Dead Yet" still hits like a brick through a window. This Back on Black reissue bundles the band's cult 1985 debut "Raging Violence" with 1986's "Hate, Fear and Power", twenty-two tracks of speed metal played at a velocity that makes most modern thrash sound like it's stuck in traffic. Katon W. De Pena screams like a man who has somewhere to be, and the riffs come in short, sharp bursts — no fat, no filler, no patience for anyone who needs a breather.

What makes this collection so rewarding is how clearly it maps the crossover moment. "Raging Violence" is the raw, hungry version: "Demons - Evil Forces", "Blitzkrieg Air Attack", "Bombs of Death" — titles that tell you everything before the first snare crack. A year later, "Hate, Fear and Power" tightens the screws, sharpens the attack and pushes the hardcore punk DNA even further to the front. The guitars are leaner, the tempos more relentless, and the whole thing feels like a band discovering exactly how fast they can go without falling apart. It's L.A. thrash in its purest, least polished form, and it has aged beautifully.

For anyone who came up on the tape-trading era, or for younger heads wondering where the crossover sound actually came from, this is essential listening. Two albums, one disc, zero compromise.

For fans of: Exodus, Possessed, Sacred Reich, D.R.I., Whiplash

Track listing

1. Demons - Evil Forces
2. Blitzkrieg Air Attack
3. Guardian Protector
4. Bombs Of Death
5. Defeat Of Amalek
6. Raging Violence
7. Call Of The Gods
8. Warlords Command
9. Suicide
10. Executed
11. The Gauntlet
12. Destruction And Terror
13. Destroy
14. Bloodbath
15. [Untitled]
16. Hate, Fear & Power
17. Blind Faith
18. Unholy Sacrifice
19. Lightning Thunder
20. The Last War
21. The Plague
22. Imprisoned By Ignorance
23. Criminal Punishment

Manufacturer: 375 Media GmbH, Schlachthofstraße 36A, 21079 Hamburg, Germany, Contact: www.backonblack.com