It’s been a rough few years for these San Francisco metallurgists. Back in 2010, they lost their charismatic vocalist Makh Daniels to a van accident while on tour. They spent some time soul-searching and healing their psychological and physical wounds, and decided to continue on, adding vocalist and friend of the band John Strachan (of The Funeral Pyre) to their fold. (Incidentally, Strachan was in the same van with Daniels when the accident took place.) Next, they had to go about the business of coming up with some new music, while dealing with metal labels that didn’t know what to do with them.

Well, it’s those labels’ loss and No Sleep Records‘ gain, because the band has returned in a major way delivering one major catharsis of a record.

Taking a look at the song titles such as “Misery,” “Days Grow Cold,” and “Death Obsessed,” one can obviously see where their heads were at when writing this. But instead of wallowing in misery, these songs provide an ass-kicking example of how to exorcise your demons. The band has rediscovered its voice in the midst of tragedy.

“Skinwalker” starts off with quietly strummed guitar before building into an explosion of distortion and breakneck speed, before going mid-paced and ending on a more doom-y note. “Misery” is bolstered by a thrashing riff and a ripping solo, while “Days Grow Cold” has a more up-tempo dirty rock and roll feel to it, and is one of the more outwardly melodic songs on the album.

The title track reintroduces the acoustic guitars before it crashes and burns with a whole bunch of gnarly punk/metal riffs, and another blistering solo. “Death Obsessed” is a slow burner, while “Pure Hell” — which was the statement written on the back of Daniels’s jacket — is out of control thrash, and would surely bring a smile to his face. It’s a fitting tribute to their friend. Album closer “Quietus” starts fast and then downshifts a bit, and ends on a more reflective note.

With this record, the band has undergone a glorious rebirth, one that shows them honoring their past while building a bridge to the future. Anyone who caught them on their 2012 jaunt with Skeletonwitch and Havoc witnessed a band who can still bring it, and this record is a testament to their newfound vitality and fire.

(No Sleep Records, 16651 Gothard Street Unit E, Huntington Beach, CA 9264)