UMUR
"Left for Dead" is the 6th full-length studio album by US, San Francisco, California based thrash metal act Lääz Rockit. The album was released through Massacre Records in July 2008. Lääz Rockit disbanded in 1992 and didn´t reunite until 2005, so "Left for Dead" is the band´s first album release since "Nothing$ $acred" from 1991. There have been three lineup changes since the predecessor as guitarist Scott Sargent has been replaced by Phil Kettner, bassist Scott Dominguez has been replaced by Willy Lange, and drummer Dave Chavarri has been replaced by Sky Harris. The only remaining members are vocalist Michael Coons and guitarist Aaron Jellum.
17 years down the line Lääz Rockit sound unmistakably like they did in the late 80s and early 90s though. Very little has changed in all those years despite a long hiatus and mutible lineup changes. As the last couple of albums by the band were really strong thrash metal releases, that´s only a good thing. "Left for Dead" features a hard edged and powerful thrash metal style with both great heavy grooves and razor sharp riffs. Michael Coons sounds as commanding as ever and he generally delivers a strong vocal performance on the album. He probably should focus all his energy on his raw and aggressive vocals though, because the few times he sings a bit more melodic, he doesn´t sound that convincing.
"Left for Dead" opens really strong with "Brain Wash" and "Delirium Void", which literally blow the listener away. They are both incredibly potent thrash metal tracks performed with great passion and conviction, by a band who may be seasoned but show no signs of fatique. The rest of the album more or less continues the style of the first two tracks with a little variation here and there ("Desolate Oasis" for example features an acoustic guitar opening). If I have to make comparisons to other artists, I would mention contemporary releases by Exodus and Overkill. There´s the same kind of no nonsense energy, "Fuck You" attitude, and rawness behind the delivery.
The sound production is raw, loud, and powerful, and suits the music perfectly. Upon conclusion "Left for Dead" is a high quality release by Lääz Rockit and overall a great comeback album by the band. They´ve never been the most original sounding nor the most commercially successful act on the US thrash metal scene, but they do what they do with a burning passion and great professionalism, and therefore a 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.