The speed thrash metal act Divine:Decay was formed back in 1999 in Helsinki, Finland. The most remarkable thing about this band is the style of music they play. With their debut album, “Songs Of The Damned”, they showed us that not only Bay Area thrash bands know how to write decent thrash metal songs. While in Finland power metal acts (and black metal to a lesser degree) seem to flourish, thrash metal bands are few and far between. Divine:Decay’s debut album came therefore certainly as a big surprise.

Now 2 years later, the band is back with a new onslaught of Bay Area thrash metal. Divine:Decay have concentrated more on speed and power and the result is a strong thrash metal album with powerful and compact songs. Influences range from older Machine Head to Testament (listen for instance to the opening of the final song “Black Hearted Angel (Remorse)”, and the guitar riffs are overall of a high standard with a good amount of lead breaks and tempo changes. Furthermore the band has definitely succeeded in creating their own sound which speaks to their advantage.

Although “Maximize The Misery” is a good album, I nevertheless feel the need to note some points of criticism.

First of all, singer Alec’s voice is a matter of taste. He sounds a bit too melodic to my liking, and while he is one of the main reasons Divine:Decay have managed to create their own sound, I think he lacks the power to be a thrash vocalist. Sure, he screams with unbriddled aggression most of the album but he bleaks in comparison to vocalists like Chuck Billy or Tom Araya. Secondly, the same goes a bit for the production of this CD. I find it rather clinical, and it especially lacks power. My last point of criticism is one I have voiced many times before. Yes, we have a hidden track again; another endless wait for a pretty decent song this time though.

“Maximize The Misery” is a good album, which I can highly recomend to fans of old thrash metal. Great songs like “Dead In Me” and “The Discomfort Of Artificial Euphoria” show that Divine:Decay has got what it takes to succeed: power and great riffs. Thrash metal in a modern jacket that might very well even please the average thrash metal naysayer.