Lazarus AD have clearly moved forward since their explosive first album "The Onslaught" in 2009, with tighter instrumentals, effortless hooks and ultimately a more varied sound; a true progression in music. Whilst their previous work has been more angled at combining traditional metal with thrash, "Black Rivers Flow" incorporates this whilst oozing with Pantera-esque southern grooves. There are plenty of exciting, head-banger friendly tracks, perfect for playing live, the opening track "American Dreams" is a punchy and satisfying, whilst "The Strong Prevail", "Black Rivers Flow" and "The Ultimate Sacrifice" are all rich with a blend of complicated guitar riffs, Lamb Of God style chugging and flawless drumming.

The only criticism I can really find with this album is that, like far too many others, there is nothing to make Lazarus AD really stand out, and there's a danger of falling into the trap of sounding like a typical generic metal band; clearly talented, but lacking originality. However, this is one of those albums which does require more than the first play to really get into it. The more I listened to it I started to truly appreciate songs like "Casting Forward", which begin to add more clean vocals, keeping the album fresh and interesting. From beginning to end this is a great metal album, a great blend of progressive, thrash and groove metal. Definitely worth a listen for fans of good ol' fashioned heavy metal.

Album rating: 7.5/10
For Fans Of: Pantera, Machine Head, Unearth