HATRIOT – Heroes Of Origin

The legendary Steve “Zetro” Souza, who grew to fame as the long time vocalist of the Bay Area Thrashers, Exodus, is back with a fresh and new Thrash project called Hatriot. Except this band is much more personal for Souza as two of his band mates are also his sons; Cody & Nick Souza playing bass and drums respectively. Souza takes complete command as the role of Thrash Godfather putting forth a very special effort to pass all his great expertise and knowledge to a new generation of Thrash Metal fans.

Hatriot first came onto the scene in 2011 with the release of their self produced EP. They offered it as a free download on their website which wetted the appetites of many fans. Using only the internet to market themselves, the buzz generated for the upcoming debut release, Heroes Of Origin, was extraordinary. Realizing the new electronic nature of today’s music industry, the original release of Heroes Of Origin was only available in a downloadable format; with a standard CD copy being released at a later date.

All the hype certainly paid off for Souza and company as Heroes Of Origin is a full throttle onslaught of modern day Thrash that includes bits and pieces of classic 1980’s era Thrash as well. His two guitarists, Kosta Varvatakis and Miguel Esparza deliver extraordinarily intense riffs that are almost reminiscent of the Gary Holt/Rick Hunolt duo from Exodus. However, Varvatakis and Esparza take that power to the next level and deliver a far superior brand of aggressive Thrash Metal licks.

Additionally, Souza’s vocal abilities have not missed a beat as the nearly 30 years of singing and touring have piled on. His Bon Scott / Blitz Ellsworth style of singing is still very much intact. Souza delivers one of the finest performances of his career on this album. It becomes quite clear early on that he is putting a wealth of emotion, heart, and soul into each and every track.

Even though most of the ten tracks on Heroes Of Origin are a fiery Metal assault, there are a couple of noteworthy tracks that contain the melodic 1980’s era Thrash style. One of those, and arguably the best song on the album is “The Violent Time Of My Dark Passenger.” This track has all the spirit of a classic Exodus song. It includes a very memorable riff, as well as a great melodic chorus that listeners can sing along to. Another classic song on Heroes Of Origin is the epic “Shadows Of The Buried.” This track begins with a slow and sinister guitar attack, and evolves into a powerful, melodramatic work of genius.

Both young and old Thrash Metal fans will love everything that Heroes Of Origin has to offer. There are enough themes from the past to keep listeners engaged, as well as a great variety of modern topics to advance a younger audience. It is clear to say that Souza has struck gold with Heroes Of Origin, and he remains a true leader of Thrash Metal movement.