Band:	Kaos
Album:	Validated In Blood
Style:	Thrash metal
Website:	http://www.kaosamongus.com
Release date:	April 2012

01. United We Kill
02. Internal Bleeding
03. Alive To Die
04. Blood Red Eyes
05. Kill On Command [Vio-lence cover]

Bay Area thrashers Kaos are back, following up 2010's The Pits Of Existence with the ripping five track EP Validated In Blood. Perhaps they caught my Exodus review diatribe regarding awesome thrash albums having "Blood" in the title.

To borrow from myself, that diatribe is pertinent as it includes the line "quoth that horn-tossing Shakespeare dude, 'Brevity is the soul of thrash.'"

"The Pits" might have suffered a bit as it was just a lot of album, even with good tracks backloaded an extended thrash blitz can drag. Validated In Blood not only has "in Blood" in the title, but is a short and sweet five tracks. Short enough it leaves you wanting more, and short enough it's mighty easy just to hit play again for another fix.

There isn't terribly much new or innovative here (not that thrash lends itself particularly well to much innovation), but the release is just a gritty, frenetic burst of energy with crunchy riffs, some slow mosh chunks, and snarled/howled bile-laced vocals that is a blast. Factor in a swell cover of a track off one of my absolute top 5 favorite thrash albums ("Kill On Command" off Vio-lence' Eternal Nightmare) and Validated In Blood is a ripping good time.

I liked their last album, it was good? Perhaps it's the brevity. Perhaps it is the never-ending slew of post-metal reviews. Perhaps it is the tip o' the cap to Vio-lence, or maybe the psychological impact of just adding "In Blood" to the album title, but I think this EP is a step forward and is something I'll keep in rotation when I need a burst of adrenaline and a change of pace.

(Side note - their PR firm actually sent me a Christmas card. \m/ That made my holiday season.)