Review by Felix on February 8, 2022.

29 years after their last album, Vio-lence re-appear with five new songs. Is this step necessary? Absolutely not, because we have more than enough thrash formations today. Worse still, what about the authenticity of musicians who are responsible for this output? Do their hearts really beat in a thrash metal rhythm after this endless period of silence?

The fame of Vio-lence is mainly based on their strong debut and Let The World Burn will not change this situation. This is typical Bay Area thrash, technically precise, sharp and transparently produced. Nevertheless, the aha-effect remains absent, not the smallest “wow” comes over my lips. All songs walk on trodden paths (no problem so far), but they fail to present really thrilling sequences. Yes, the atmospheric break in 'Screaming Always' is a very fine intermezzo and the generic thrash guitar gives me a pretty good feeling. By the way, despite its almost rap-like a capella part, 'Screaming Always' is my personal favorite, because it houses the best guitar lines. They lie in close proximity to those of the debut.

Sometimes the band nearly sounds like Suicidal Tendencies, especially due to the vocals of Sean Kilian, sometimes just like many, many other thrash bands with a less known name. Only worse. Vio-lence do not make great mistakes, but they also fail to implement an iota of enthusiasm in me. 'Upon The Cross', for instance, is a dragging number. Generally speaking, that’s okay. A slow tempo can be fine even when it comes to thrash. But this song lacks depth and heaviness. Compare it with “Nanking” (Exodus), to give just one example, and you will find significant differences in terms of cruelty and impact. On the other hand, it also does not possess the smooth flow of typical Testament mid-paced numbers like “More Than Meets The Eye”. That’s a pity. Even the opener 'Flesh From Bone' disappoints, because its acceptable riffing ends in a pale, mediocre chorus and the same goes for the title track with its inappropriate break in its center.

All in all, maybe it was necessary for the musicians themselves to record and release new music, but I fear big parts of the scene will have a different point of view. I cannot ignore the lack of energy and the only low degree of musical vio-lence. Three members of the debut are on board, and this justifies a re-union. To recruit Bobby Gustafson is also not a bad idea, but there seems to be no juvenile savagery in these old (or: wise) guys anymore. Already the EP format indicates the only half-baked impulse for this release.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Review by Tobias on June 26, 2001.

As some of you may know, it takes more than what I’ve heard to date in order to impress me with power metal (some may prefer the term "pansy metal"). With that in mind, you could understand why I immediately needed to listen to AC/DC’s Highway to Hell after spinning Book of the Dead.

Quite frankly, the way I see it is that if music is to be badass, then it must be potent and tough; this cannot be achieved if you sing like a fairy. The incredible thing about Steel Prophet’s latest entry in the book of power metal, is that the music is often potent and tough, sporting a set of gonads that would do well with a voice like that of Bruce Dickinson, James Hetfield or even Sebastian Bach.

I’m not joking here, we could have a kickass all time classic metal band IF the vocals didn’t sound like Journey’s Steve Perry just had a hot poker shoved up his ass. Ok, well that’s extremely harsh, and to vocalist Rick Mythiasin’s credit, in a few spots, he does show a little muscle, like in what I considered to be the best track, Phobia, which fuses the vocal influences of Dave Mustane and Dickinson.

The elements of the music that have been dubbed "psychedelic" (which they weren’t) by some promoters and critics, lent an emotional and fascinating complexity to the sound. At times, the mean guitar riffing is more than admirable and the rest of the team displays an incredibly comfortable cohesion with all other band members. As much as I’m spewing on this disc, the music sans vocals is really very good.

Bottom Line: If you’re a power metal fan, Book of the Dead, is a must have; by far, it is the best power metal I’ve heard. Otherwise, goddammit, this album is completely destroyed by girly ass-monkey vocals.

Rating: 6 of 10