When I found out that Thirty 2 Life had a new CD coming out I found myself getting all excited. I already knew the band would be able to deliver the goods. You see, Thirty 2 Life aren’t a band who are concerned with passing trends or ridiculous haircuts – they actually spend their time focusing on something important – the music.

If you’ve ever taken the time to visit Thirty 2 Life’s MySpace and/or Reverbnation pages and downloaded the free tracks there, you may already have some idea of what to expect from the band – Straight up metal with a dark edge. Perfect for any occasion!

The CD kicks off with “Raise Your Flag” – a hard-htting slab of metal with some fantastic lyrics. I mentioned in an recent interview with Michael from the band that some of these lyrics would work marvellously well on a t-shirt. Check them out: “Raise you flag / surrender / now your fight is over / on your lips the kiss of death”.

“Today, Tonight, The End” – The guitar tone during the intro to this track is beautiful – I seriously could listen to it all day… and the guitar solo just puts a massive smile on my face every time I listen to it. The lyrics are a little dark, but – for me – that’s all part of the T2L experience.

“Got One in the Chamber” – This is a great song to listen to late at night, in the dark, on your own. It’s perfect for when you just want to sit back and contemplate life, the universe and everything.

“The Silence Sings” – This is my favourite track on this album (or is it an EP? Or a mini-album? I don’t know…). The song itself is quite emotional, but it’s amazingly powerful. Have a listen and you should see what I mean. There’s not a single thing that I’d change about it – the tempo, the vocals, the guitar are all spot on!

“The Day We Dread” – A brilliant classic sounding track. It’s really got that Sentenced vibe going on, but with a twist.

“Despise Me” closes the CD. The riff in this one is awesomely heavy! This is the kind of track where I wish I knew all of the lyrics so that I could sing along at the top of my voice. However, I believe that my neighbours are pleased that I don’t know the words… I don’t think they appreciate my vocal skills!

All in all, I really like this CD (as you can probably tell)… What can I possibly give it except for a big, fat 10 out of 10?!

myspace.com/thirty2lifeband