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I remember the first couple of albums Vendetta released at the height of the Thrash wave in the late 80s. They were in a tier below the "Big 4," the "Teutonic 4," the "Next 4," etc. and never truly distinguished themselves from the myriad of bands around at that time. Fast forward 30 years from the Go and Live...Stay and Die debut and Massacre Records have let loose the band's fifth full-length, cleverly titled The 5th. Other than the clean, modern production this album sounds like it was recorded in the late 80s. It is full of gritty vocals, machine-gun riffing, squealing solos and the kind of awesome groove parts that Pantera would forever stain just a few short years later. Vendetta pours on the speed and has the technical chops to back up playing so fast. The songwriting isn't inspired but I'd say it is above average and standout tracks include "Fragile," with its odd pronunciation of the title sticking in your brain like glue, and "Let 'er Rip" living up to its title. There are some clunkers like "The Prophecy" which has time changes that don't work all that well but there are also some acoustic guitar parts that give The 5th some additional identity (the instrumental "The Search" and "Nevermind"). I didn't realize Vendetta was German until I looked them up as this album reminds me a lot of Bay Area bands like Testament and Death Angel. If those bands get your fists in the air, Vendetta's The 5th should easily do the same.