LȦȦZ ROCKIT – Left For Dead

Typically, when the protagonist is left for dead, only to survive; he comes back on a killing streak. In this case, the Metal takes vengeance like the stone cold fist and bullets of Robocop. To parallel Peter Murphy’s quest to retribution from death, earlier announcements guaranteed they were permanently done and now they’re more alive than ever. Also, like Brett Favre’s retirement that’s been recurrently reversed, this band is raised from the ashes once more to settle the score. Just as shocking as that mechanical vigilante’s introduction to a crime-ridden Detroit, they do the same for the San Francisco Thrash Metal scene. By the second song, “Delirium Void”, they’ve taken command of the streets.

In some ways, this music found here is closer to Punk than Metal; especially when the singer is screaming the verses. On the whole, his vocalizations are mostly hooting and hollering. In place of sung lyrics, he submits angry statements.

Contrarily, guitar solos tell a different story. The axeman’s phrasings cut clean. His blunt item of choice has obviously been sharpened through endless practice of the scales. The result is both technical and curt.

While drums and bass thump regardless of the other two, the presence of the front man or the underboss affects the music’s cadence and intensity of hate. When they’re not vandalizing walls of sound, they’re pensively planning their next attack.

Several songs in, “Ghost in the Mirror” is a less intimidating piece. As a result, the audience might find misguided comfort and lower their guard. That would be grossly premature as it’s followed by “Turmoil”, which is the album’s best and most engaging song. In it, they strike first and knock the listener out with a flurry of crazy riffs. Then, the syncopated bridge is like a shot of adrenaline sent directly to the ears. One way or the other, be prepared for it.

After many more wild and unwieldy cuts, “Desolate Oasis” is another one that smolders rather than going ballistic. Aside from the seething pair, Lȧȧz Rockit is on fire, and “Outro” is an instrumental number that’s so volatile; it’s likely to explode. Surprisingly, the fuse is pinched in the remaining minutes, allowing their victims to run away and fight another day.

Overall, this hot-headed band surrenders a good mix plus three live songs*: This 15 minutes of supplementation includes “Leather Face”, “Prelude”, and “Fire in the Hole”. In addition to memorable reminiscence from the distant past, there is a lot of juvenile cussing and grown-up talk. With or without the added encore, their unexpected return leaves a lasting impression. However, those oldies – that span albums and festivals around the globe – are goodies. So, it would be unfair to classify them as filler. If you’re a fan, you’ll want to hear them.

In retrospect, Lȧȧz Rockit isn’t the one-man army that is Rambo, but they prove that it’s too early to decommission their tactical munitions. Even if it appeared as if they were dead to rights, they had a pulse and later came back to wreak havoc. It was a mistake to assume they were down for the count. Doing so only ended in causalities that could have been avoided.

* Limited Edition bonus tracks