• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

It's been four years since Chicago's own oddball thrashers Aftermath made their comeback with the solid There's Something Wrong, an album that had mixed reception among fans of their cult hit Eyes of Tomorrow. To those people, I say this one may not be for you either, because No Time to Waste doubles down on the weird ideas and trades in some sharp technicality for strange, sometimes obtuse progressive sentiments. That doesn't make for a terribly accessible album, so I don't begrudge anyone who just doesn't like what the band does these days, but for my money, Aftermath have done a great job of concocting a unique sound reminiscent of Blind Illusion and Primus that gives zero shits about who or what it alienates, and that's pretty darn metal to me. That wouldn't mean much without good songs, but from the relatively catchy Primus-inspired "Echo Chamber" to the batshit psychotic ramblings of "Strawman in the House of Cards," it's clear that the band has a clear vision and can execute it with precision and confidence, even if it sometimes gets too weird for its own good. Fans of the last album and thrash fans in general who aren't afraid of extreme experimentation won't want to waste any time becoming acquainted with Aftermath's latest release.