In 2005 I was watching the Champions League final between AC Milan and Liverpool FC. Liverpool were in a world of hurt, down 3-0 to Milan with the game drawing to a close. I thought that it was over and done with. How wrong I was, because in the space of six minutes Liverpool went on a scoring streak like no other I’ve ever witnessed, putting three into the back of the net, drawing the match and forcing a penalty shootout, which Liverpool won to hoist the trophy. To me this is one of the great comeback wins in history and so is the return of Spanish melodic death metal band In Thousand Lakes. A band which formed in 1995 in Bilbao, Spain, had one album release (Lifeless Waters and Forgotten Land), played a range of festivals alongside the likes of Manowar, Napalm Death and Cradle of Filth, then disbanded in 1998.

In Thousand Lakes re-formed in 2013 and are about to release their second album Age of Decay. Time has possibly matured the band like a single malt whiskey, as every track on the album really is able to stand on its own. Age of Decay has had me grinning from ear to ear for the last week, possibly annoying my colleagues around the office with table drumming and occasional growls.

The album opens with Death Train which is as hard as the very metal you would expect a Death Train to be made from.

This train ran me down for certain, it’s a great opener to the album, setting the momentum early, unwavering, never apologetic, a white knuckle experience to the very end.
What makes this review slightly more difficult to write than others was that I couldn’t determine a real favourite track, I really did enjoy them all. That said, each track does offer something slightly different from the last and it’s not the same thing stacked on top of the same. With tracks like Hunter of Souls offering up an almost upbeat melodic composition, all the while being pinned down with aggression of bass, drums and growls. This can also be said for True North.

These are offset by other tracks on the album such as I Rise, the title track Age of Decay, and 4 Walls (scars) providing grittiness, rawness and power which drives the whole thing along.

In Thousand Lakes’ Age of Decay  is out now. I consider it to be a true comeback for the band and just like my example of Liverpool, this should see them holding the trophy at the end of the day.