Early Man

It's been a long time since we've heard from this stoner/thrash throwback outfit, and after a three-year wait, the metal corps of Mike Conte and Adam Bennati are back kicking out the speed-crazed jams. The new wave of British heavy metal is very much alive in the title track, and the California-style opener "Sinking the Blade" is a potent cocktail of extreme riffs. With the thrash resurgence so advanced, it's good to hear an EP channeling the history but updating the idea, making this a promising sample of what's still to come from these guys.