A man singing into a microphone while playing a guitar
A man playing a guitar next to another man playing a double bass
A man is playing a red gibson guitar
A man singing into a microphone while another man plays a guitar
A man wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket is singing into a microphone.
A group of people are standing on a stage playing instruments.
A shirtless man is playing drums in front of a sign that says el camilly
A group of people posing for a picture with one woman holding a red cup
A man in a black shirt is playing a double bass
A man is playing a guitar in a dark room

Hirax Faster Than Death CD Review

February 2, 2025
The cover of a game called the renfields

Faster Than Death, new album from Hirax, is a vicious assault, short and sweet.


This month legacy thrash band Hirax will drop their latest release, Faster Than Death, not to be confused with 2024’s ep of the same title. Lead Vocalist Katon W. De Pena is the group’s sole remaining original member, and has gathered in a new lineup, including Jose Gonzales on bass, Emilio Marquez (drums) and guitarist Allan Chan.


Hirax’s Faster Than Death is the third album I’ve listened to in my life that opens with the sounds of a drill, the first two being Van Halen’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991), the other, Mr. Big’s Lean in It (also 1991). I have to name Hirax’s “Drill into the Brain” the superior track when compared to both “Poundcake” and “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy.” The pummeling “Drill into the Brain” is an outstanding album opening selection regardless of the comparison.


De Pena and his metal street cred with Hirax dates back to the early days of thrash, the band originating in 1984 in Cypress, California alongside the likes of Metallica, Slayer and Exodus. The new album is set to be released on February 28th in celebration of the band’s debut album Raging Violence’s 40-year anniversary.


The group disbanded in 1989, but De Pena remained active in the music industry during the time between the band folding and reuniting in 2001. Since then, the band has gone through four or five different line-ups, and dropped three albums to date, four splits, five eps, three comps and three dvds.


“Drill Into the Brain” may open with a drill, but the guitar sound reminds me of a swarm of angry murder hornets I once stirred up while out hiking in the woods. Just damn aggressive stuff. The album en total runs just 22 minutes, six minutes longer than the eight-track long 1986 release Hate, Fear and Power, but it’s 22 minutes of pure fury.


The album’s first single and video, “Relentless,” is a pulse-pounding feast for the ears.


The track “Warlord’s Command” is a re-recording of a 1985 track off the debut album, penned by original members De Pena, Gary Monardo, and Scott Owen. There are several high points on the record, and I really enjoyed the pumping double bass drums in the album’s title track.



The final track, “World’s End,” features a cool gang vocal, which I find a nice touch. Head banging at its finest.

 

Standout track(s): “Drill into the Brain,” “Armageddon,” “Relentless,” “Revenant,” “Warlord’s Command” and “World’s End.”

~Mike

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