Review by Greg on October 25, 2026.

2025 is shaping up to be the year of the return of several, dare I say, “first-wave” retro-thrash bands (or the OGs, as the youngsters would say). Earlier in the year, Avenger Of Blood reminded everyone that they can still outperform anyone on the more extreme fringes of the genre, and now it’s Violator’s turn. Almost two decades ago, their pseudo-legendary Chemical Assault was one of those seminal works that helped lay the blueprint for a good portion of the modern scene, for better or worse, while polarizing listeners around the world. Somewhat unexpectedly, their career didn’t really skyrocket afterward. It took another seven years for them to follow it up, and they even went on hiatus more than once. Now, with their third full-length effort, Unholy Retribution, they seem to be signaling a change in direction, despite retaining the band’s historic lineup completely intact.

Indeed, I’d say the artwork was what initially lured me in. Of course, the band recruited Andrei Bouzikov for it, since he’s probably the most sought-after artist among more traditionalist acts. However, this is quite different from his usual work, which is full of bright colors and ungodly amounts of physical violence. Please raise your hand if you saw this almost “Gustave Doré on a particularly bad day”-like illustration and immediately expected it to adorn a devastating black/thrash opus. Everybody, right? Quite an intriguing change of direction for such a veteran band...

...except that this isn’t really the case. Or rather, we aren’t getting something that strictly follows in the footsteps of, say, Hellripper or early Deströyer 666 (although one could make a case for their later material). The first thing that immediately jumps out at you, though, is the ubiquitous buzzing riffs and tremolo picking, bringing to mind the early works of Suicidal Angels, while the previously mentioned anti-religious sentiments now take center stage. Elsewhere, there are moments reminiscent of old-school Sepultura, particularly Schizophrenia. The 'Inquisition Symphony'-style harmonies halfway through 'Cult Of Death' and the bridge in 'Persecution Personality,' which sounds as though it were lifted straight from 'From The Past Comes The Storms,' are prime examples. Naturally, all of this comes with the ever-present shadow of Slayer looming over their music.

This direction was only hinted at on the The Hidden Face Of Death EP eight years ago, and honestly, I think it’s the most organic and authentic Violator have ever sounded. Poney Ret’s vocals also help set the band apart from the black/thrash crowd, retaining his trademark half-clean, punkish yell.

Compared to most of their peers, Violator still have that extra kick and genuine aggression that, I’m inclined to believe, must stem from the South American continent. 'Hang The Merchants Of Illusion' (great title) does a wonderful job of welcoming you into this barren, hellish landscape, with only the bare minimum of an ambient intro needed to set the scene. None of the other seven songs strays far from this winning formula. A couple of slower introductions are about as far as the band ventures from the template, which revolves around indiscriminate anger toward everything (especially religion), a sprinkling of social criticism, wonderfully reverberant drums setting a breakneck pace, and a literal avalanche of riffs—or perhaps I should say a stream of molten lava.

Some of those riffs might not entirely hit the mark (half a dozen across the entire album at most), but the rest more than make up for it. Just check out the instrumental outro to 'Cult Of Death,' and you’ll be scorned for ever thinking its refrain was a bit too banal. Even the slower riffs, such as those in 'Rot In Hell,' have the necessary fire behind them.

At 40 minutes, Unholy Retribution arguably has the ideal running time for this approach, but that’s still a lot of intensity to take in. I’m tempted to call it physically exhausting, although I’m in such bad shape that few things aren’t, sadly. Luckily, the blackened elements become more prominent during much of the album’s second half. In fact, the fade-out ending of 'Vengeance Storm' left me disappointed because it arrived... too early? Maybe that’s just me expecting the stereotypical, wannabe-epic closer, only to get “just” another blast of a track instead. Hey, I’m not really complaining after all.

That’s really the key to enjoying Unholy Retribution, and to appreciating Violator as a whole, to a certain degree. Few other bands are this good at recapturing the primal energy at the very core of our favorite genre. That’s why I didn’t feel the need to get defensive and clarify that albums like this normally don’t do much for me. It’s also why I keep saying that you can sound awesome in the big 2025 without resorting to unnecessary or, worse still, forced innovation. I hope the guys are finally here to stay.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10