Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Man, there's some irritated metalheads out in the Windy City of Illinois. Inner Rage of Emotion is probably the 3rd band I've heard recently that sounds like they're out to settle a score.

On the 3-song promo we received, IRE plays old-school metal that is a bit more centered on the guitar riffs than on any of the drum leads to be called thrash, but it's close.

Slave Till Death is similar musically to some Suicidal Tendencies stuff, but there's no hip hop vocal delivery. Mike Thumall has a deep snarl throughout all the songs with some kind of vocal effect that I haven't quite been able to figure out. I want to say he's just cupping his hands around the mic head and there's times when it sounds like he has a slight lisp or he's half swallowing the mic. What's going on there, dude? Don't get me wrong, it doesn't hurt anything and you don't notice it much except for the chorus of "This Time". My favorite song would probably be the last track, "First Degree".

Lyrically, you get this kind of pissed off stuff from these guys:

I
Can't
Take
This
Fuck you

There ya go! Leave me the fuck alone, mother fucker!

IRE isn't quite thrash and it's too metal for Hardcore. It's just good bust you in the face metal. I set this promo in my CD stack and it tried to throw a punch at the new Maiden disc!

1. Slave Till Death
2. This Time
3. First Degree

Bring on a full CD, fellas!