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Here's the new album from Finland's "Reindeer Metal" (Thrash Metal mixed with vocalist Tepa's half-growled grunts) legends A.R.G. Redemption from Refaim is the band's first album in 24 friggin' years. Yes, A.R.G. split up in 1994 and eventually returned from an untimely grave in 2011, an event nobody expected especially me.

One of the first questions has to be "what has changed?" Next would be "was their comeback worth the wait?" A quarter century is a long time and many things can change but not our beloved shamans of Reindeer Metal no matter how hard people may have pushed them to do something more trendy or commercial.

Redemption from Refaim is a strong tour de force from the A.R.G. camp proving that they still have their trademark sound and it's as violent, malicious, angst-filled, unpredictable and evil as it was almost 25 years ago. If you have heard the band's previous albums, Entrance (1989) and One World Without the End (1991), you'll be able to safely say A.R.G. hasn't compromised their sound at all. Tepa Kareen's semi-growls are there, guitar duo Jari Kelloniemi and Vesa Säkkinen still let their 6-strings burn their fingers like back in the old days and the new drummer Timo Hanhijoki tries to respect the relatively simple style of the band's original drummer Pasi Takkula who tragically passed away in 2004. In other words, nothing has really changed, which is admirable, except perhaps they have all become better musicians over the years. Yes it's all about live and learn. Also, as it's been noted many times, the older you become, the more pissed-off and angrier your sound may become. At least that's the case with A.R.G.'s long-awaited comeback.

Without giving a track-by-track analysis of Redemption from Refaim I'll let you to check it out yourself. Some comebacks are worth the wait and A.R.G.'s is one of them.