HAZZERD – The 3rd Dimension (Album Review)

Musical 3D chess with extra riffs.

It might seem completely contradictory to associate descriptive terms like nuance and subtlety with the impact-based, uncompromising aggression of thrash metal. From its very inception, it was a stylistic expression more closely aligned with the blunt and rustic character of hardcore punk, yet even when trailblazers like Metallica and Slayer unleashed their earliest studio material, the metallic side of this stylistic coin was driving at a far more elaborate product.

By the late 1980s when thrash had reached peak popularity, it wasn’t uncommon for bands from the Bay Area and beyond to dabble in greater levels of progressive songwriting and technical extravagance. In the latter-day context of this subgenre’s post-2000s renaissance, this more stylistically mixed and expansive take on instigating the mosh pit is a road less traveled, yet among North American adherents to the old-school thrash revival, the Calgary-born quartet Hazzerd has proven a major player since their early 2010s inception.

With a glowing nod of approval from none other than Dave Mustaine, who touted them and Power Trip as promising thrash hopefuls, this fold now stands three studio albums deep into a whirlwind career with the explosive LP dubbed “The 3^rd Dimension.” The title itself is an apt description of Hazzerd’s multifaceted approach to crafting thrash anthems, taking a typical level of inspiration from the explosive and attitude-drenched character of Exodus’ seminal 80s works, but adapting it to a less conventional blend of traditional heavy metal and progressive stylings that compare heavily to the high era of Megadeth.

The most static aspect of their execution rests in the vocal character of drummer/front-man Dylan Westendrop, whose raging snarl rests somewhere between that of Zetro Souza and Havok helmsman David Sanchez, but functions more as a steadying element amid a torrent of technical wonder, including that of Dylan’s own work at the kit as throngs of intricate riffs flow from the six-string wizardry of co-founder/lead guitarist Toryin Schadlich, rhythm guitarist Brendan Malycky (who plays in the album, even though the band has recruited Nick Schwartz as a permanent guitarist now) and bassist David Sprague.

Though a band that has shown little shyness in tackling controversial topics pertaining to politics and religion, this time around Hazzerd has opted for an auditory excursion focused primarily in the realm of Sci-Fi, and the accompanying music is possessed of a correspondingly otherworldly quality. For a collection of songs that pulls no punches in the aggression department, one can’t help the frequent interludes into the harrowing acoustic territory and the melodic consonance that regularly rises above the sonic chaos like a soundtrack from beyond the stars.

Be it the compact and seemingly textbook thrashers in “Interdimension” and “Parasitic” that don’t venture far past the 3-minute mark, or more drawn out and dynamically rich entries like “Unto Ashes”, the cacophony of ideas that flow forth from this outfit have a highly methodical result that often parallels the high watermark set by Megadeth’s “Rust In Peace,” spearheaded by a brilliant soloing display out of Schadlich that frequently exhibits the melodic idioms of Marty Friedman and occasionally the raw intensity of Mustaine.

Setting itself apart from the pack of uniformly fast and stripped-down crossover-oriented works that have been all the rage lately, the lion’s share of what this opus unleashes runs the gamut of just about every technique employed during the late 80s heyday of technical thrash.

The ever-evolving and borderline noodling riffs that cycle through the cruiser “Scars” is a master class in how to go from impulse to warp speed in short order. The old school metallic luster with a technical edge that is “Plagueis” and its even shorter and more off-the-hook cousin “ThRaSh TiLl DeTh” throw just about as many notes as possible against the wall and they all manage to stick, while the somewhat conventional thrashing beast and lyrical nod to the Dead Space video game series “Control” sees some of the most insane guitar solo work this side of the dominion of Earth Gov.

Throw in a somber acoustic interlude in “TTT”, a gallop-happy mini-epic dubbed “Deathbringer” that all but channels old-school Iron Maiden, and a gargantuan instrumental feat in “A Fell Omen” that could serve as a standalone score to a short film and descriptions like conventional or typical just fall by the wayside.

Every metal band in the business rightfully dreads the idea of being labeled “the thinking man’s metal band”, yet Hazzerd continues to be an outfit that functions on their own wavelength. There are precedents for the territory that it frequents to be found among such noted old-school stalwarts as Death Angel, Forbidden, Heathen, Megadeth, not to mention a select number of bands to crop up since the mid-2000s revival of the subgenre, but the sum of its parts is an LP that boldly goes where no thrash starship has gone before.

Think of it like the amalgam of films Terminator, The Kindred, and From Beyond that graces its cover. “The 3^rd Dimension” is an album that carries all the punch and fire of a typical thrash album, yet proves atypical in every other sense, a 41-minute musical journey that takes all the best of what has been done and comes out with something that has hardly been done before.

Released By: M-Theory Audio
Release Date: January 17th, 2025
Genre: Thrash Metal

Musicians:

• Dylan Westendrop / Vocals, Drums
• Toryin Schadlich / Lead & rhythm guitars
• Nick Schwartz / Rhythm guitars (The rhythm guitars on the album were recorded by Brendan Malycky)
• David Sprague / Bass

“The 3rd Dimension” Track-Listing:

1. Interdimension
2. Scars
3. Unto Ashes
4. Deathbringer
5. TTT
6. Plagueis
7. ThArSh TiLl DeTh
8. Parasitic
9. A Fell Omen
10. Control

Pre-order “The 3rd Dimension” HERE.