Jim Durkin is back…who’s Jim Durkin you ask? Hey I asked myself the same question; well he turns out to be one of the most important pieces on the now extinct Dark Angel a thrash Los Angeles band from the glory days of American thrash metal (the 80’s I mean).

Ok after a short history lesson is time to talk about Epic Tales Of Vengeance.

The album is fast, heavy, aggressive and modern, even though D.O.D (Dreams of Damnation) tries to sell this album as a blend of old school thrash and modern sounds, this is just a prefect example of thrash metal progression, the double drum bass is very characteristic of thrash metal, as well as the guitars and their solos, but most of the riffs are a mix of thrash and death metal, and the vocals remind me of Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy); so maybe there is some old school thrash in here, but that’s not the main and most attractive thing about the record, because the speed and aggression performed with great ability get your attention immediately, and it doesn’t really make you think about the good old days, but actually takes you to the present and the realization of, what good metal is.

So even if you didn’t know who Jim Durkin was, with this album you will learn to respect him and appreciate his talent, amazing solos, and killer riffs by this guy. Maybe D.O.D should present themselves as “the rebirth of thrash metal” since their sound is thrash and very “today”, they have a unique style and they approach every tune with fierce determination, really a nice album for all metal fans.

The album begins with a useless intro that perhaps goes more related with the title of the album than with the music. Kill For Peace follows and the riffs run like blood pouring out of your Jugular vein, they are well accompanied by the drums, their speed and a couple of blast beats that suit the song very well. Beyond Salvation begins with a nice drum solo, a nice drum intro per say, and I don’t know why but I love a song that starts with the words “Let’s go” this is perhaps the best track on the album, nice chorus, catchy rhythms and Loana dP Valencia’s vocals raging as evil as she can be; here the solos will left you “used and abused” but with a sense of satisfaction.

The Bloodletting, continues the massacre, with rapid guitars, and blast beats placed in the right segments making the song more interesting and aggressive.

New Flesh, begins with something that sounds like a man waiting to be saw in half, the electric saw is creepy as hell; and here is were you realize that maybe D.O.D should have worked a little more in making each song sound different, because it seams that they sacrifice some “song individuality” in order to achieve the power they wanted.

Patricide gets things a little fresh again, changing the tune a little, but still maintaining the same speed and aggression, this song is what you can call a raw thrash metal track, “full speed ahead!!!”

Eaters Of The Dead seem to get back to what D.O.D was doing in tracks like The Bloodletting and New Flesh, yes they all sound the same, but they are still great, the solos one more time are jaw dropping.

In conclusion, a good record, painfully short and it lacks of some “song individuality”, still a great debut album for Dreams of Damnation that at times remind me of Bolt Thrower combine with Arch Enemy and some old Exodus.