Review by Felix on June 27, 2024.

Let me be honest right from the start. I like the dudes of Revenge because of their total dedication to metal and some of their albums are really good. Especially “Vendetta” cruises competently at the interface of speed and traditional metal. It shows that one can provide this rather old-fashioned mix of styles lively and explosive. And I hate to say it, because I do not intend to frustrate the Colombian guys who live, breathe and consume metal - but “Trust in Metal” is not able to reach the class of the older releases. Especially its first songs lack exactly these two features: liveliness and explosiveness. “Hellish Hammer”, the third track, is the first one which contributes a vital momentum to the album. Guitars and drums create a pretty fiery density, the lead vocalist performs in a stable way, the song goes straight ahead and it is coherently arranged. The solo piles up in front of scratchy guitars, afterwards the song does not really get back on track, but it is still a good one.

In comparison, “True Metal” and “Fight, Wild & Ride” deliver nothing that grabs me by the collar. The repetitive opener with its mega-generic lyrics was obviously conceived as a new hymn, but sorry, how simple can it get? Admittedly, in its instrumental centre, the riffing gains a certain expressiveness. Nevertheless, such an entry kills the legitimate expectations in a matter of seconds. It remains a mystery to me why they have selected this tired number for the first position. Usually bands try to hide such a track somewhere in the nowhere of the second half of an album (and they reject pieces like “Fight, Wild & Ride”, if they are well advised). But the second half is also not completely free from downers. “March of Vengeance” is more a kind of intermezzo than a regular song and its tragic sounds fail to create the necessary depth. Not too mention the somehow painful miniature-lyrics ("I got the power like a dark lord, drums sound in the night..:" - eh what?). I don’t know why the band recorded this piece, maybe in order to have an album with a playtime of 33 minutes at least, but it makes no sense and does not support the flow of “Trust in Metal”.

Okay, it can happen that your creativity is in vacation while you are writing a new album. I guess this was the case here. Generally speaking, Vendetta are still able to pen pieces that show them in good form. “Fuel to the Fire” is one of them. It marks a typical Vendetta headbanger, speedy, powerful and equipped with a simple yet catchy chorus. “Iron Side” is another speed metal powerhouse with a drummer that motivates his comrades to an energetic performance. These songs help the solidly produced “Trust in Metal” to keep the head above the water. Nevertheless, the album disappoints me, because I am sure that the four-piece can do it better. They have already proven their profound skills and therefore I believe that this album from 2020 is just the black sheep of their sonic family. So just stop to write songs that want to be the new “United” (already the original song of Judas was embarrassing), be aware of your speed metal competence and things will turn out good again. “Trust in Metal” could have been a very fine EP, but in its real format, it fails to convince.

Rating: 6.1 out of 10