Review by Adam M on September 16, 2016.

Anthtrax have come out with a nice thrash release with For All Kings. There is a serious spirit of the genre on the release. The riffs complement the classic vocals of Joey Belladona.

The entire affair has an element of fun that is infectious and nice to listen to. Many of the tracks are very addictive. Breathing Lightning and others share an ability to ingrain themselves into your subconscious. It is very fortunate to have Anthrax operating at this level again. The lack of great releases in the thrash genre means this joins Overkill as some of the best from the recent crop excluding quasi-thrash like Sylosis and Revocation. The fiery nature of the music is translated into a slick and catchy approach that has many memorable moments. One will find themselves humming the tracks after listening to them. This is the sign of good thrash, when it starts to become addictive and worth further listens. Still, the music isn’t perfect as there could be more progression to the offerings. The thrash genre is in need of an overhaul. Sure, this is great by the numbers thrash, but one would wish for more innovation in the genre at this point in time. Instrumentally, the band is solid with the guitar riffs taking the main stage over the vocals. The guitar licks are highly addictive and make for the most major portion of the disc. The drumming is good, but one would wish it would be stronger in the mix. Still, the overall collection of instruments is solid.

As far as thrash albums go, this is a pretty spotless collection of songs. It’s also another solid piece of the Anthrax discography that is very good overall at this point. It’s a perfectly placed disc in time that outdoes the new Megadeth easily. It’s not perfect, but For All Kings is very solid thrash.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by JD on February 24, 2012.

Norway and metal seems to go together so amazingly. The heavier and darker the metal is, the better it seems to be. Being the womb of the Black Metal movement, it is surprising to some that there are other styles of metal bands that come out of the country and many still with such brutal power and intensity. These bands are as powerful as any Satanic aria delivered by the BM masses. One band that tops the list of these other metallic warriors are a Progressive/Power metal outfit called Pagan’s Mind.

With five studio albums and a well received 2 Disk Live under their belts, Pagan’s Mind are true veterans in the metal world. Touring along side such illustrious acts as Sonata Arctica and Symphony X, they have received deserved acclaim in Europe and even a little State side as well. Sounding close to Iron Maiden meets Dream Theatre with Queensryche and Satavage elements to it, they deliver it all with their own brazen tilt around it. They have earned that acclaim and should get more.

Just taking the few scant moments out of your day to listen to songs like the explosive video single 'Enigmatic Mission' to the pulse accelerating power of 'Celestial Calling'- you’ll get exactly what I am saying. These guys can play, and still blow your mind with the massive sound and very explosive melodies that fuel every second of this album. Truly, this is a work of pure Power/Progressive Metal that speaks volumes, and showcases why the Europeans are so into Power Metal.

I can really get into music that has this heightened sense of intelligence and still keeping heavy as these guys are. Even if you don’t agree with the use of keyboards in metal, Pagan’s Mind has found the way to use them in the right way. Children Of Bodom need to take heed - these Norwegians got it right.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8
Originality: 9
Overall: 9

Rating: 9.4 out of 10