Biohazard

Means To An End

Steamhammer/SPV

9 tracks; 50:05

Following a recent signing with Steamhammer/SPV, Biohazard are back with their brand new release, Means To An End. With a legion of fans behind them, the veterans have stayed true to their style even now, offering up their renowned brand of metal, old-school punk, hardcore and even a little bit of mu-metal-ish rap thrown in.

Unfortunately though, their latest offering leaves me with a furrowed brow, wondering exactly what went wrong here. In retrospect, music really isn't all that bad. There are spots with a fairly decent amount of riffs and even the occasional solo which will take you back to the days of good ol' Bay Area Thrash. It's a shame that the vocals are left so far behind though. It comes across as a strange mix of Anthrax-style group shouts and bad nu-metal vocals. Break It Away From Me features bits and pieces that sound heavy as hell on their own, but sadly it's just downhill from there once the vocals kick in. The tough guy, angsty lyrics simply fall flat and the sirens in the opening track really don't help at all. In all honesty, it would probably serve Biohazard well to stay away from the nu-metal vibes and do what they do best - it hurts to see an older band trying to cash in on a bad trend a few years too late. It was a struggle to listen to this all the way to the end.

For all the hype that surrounds them, I would have expected something stronger from a band as experienced as Biohazard. It would have been nice to see them progress and come up with something they haven't rehashed before. For what it's worth, Means To An End will most likely appeal to fans of Blood For Blood, Anthrax and harder nu-metal, as well as some of Biohazard's more hardcore fans.

Tina Sequeira