Review by Adam M on February 15, 2026.

This was an important album for thrash metal because of its progression of the groove metal genre and it was instrumental in the success of the band. There were few albums like this when it was released and it remains a classic of the genre that has had a huge impact on bands like Machine Head and Fear Factory amongst others. The groove laden feel of the album is vintage and makes all worthwhile.

In terms of musicianship, we have groovy guitars and very tough guy vocals that highlight this aspect of the album and make the album very authentic and brutal. The music is groovy and features a good amount of chunky riffs and heavy power attacks in terms of guitarwork. The drumming is also spiffy and makes the album more rounded into form. The production is pretty good, but the album isn’t really anything remarkable musically either.

In terms of flaws, this album has a strong feeling of being overtaken by the likes of Burn My Eyes by Machine Head and is perhaps not as strong as some of the other albums in the genre like Chaos A.D. by Sepultura. This is seen through the riffing which is somewhat generic and not as exciting as Machine Head’s work on their seminal album. Still, this is a genre-defining album that is well worth hearing.

 All in all, I found this album to be somewhat great and a good example of groove-oriented metal. It is not as exciting as Burn My Eyes, but contains enough stellar moments and excellent musicianship that one will adore it for what it is and really like the vocal work of Phil Anselmo on top of that. This is a shining beacon for groove-oriented releases.

Rating:  7.2 out of 10

Review by Tobias on January 25, 2001.

I know this one is soon to be an oldie, but I had to review it anyway. Since anyone who knows metal knows this album, here is what I have to say: