Midwestern arse (obviously that should be ass but we appreciate proper spelling here at Sentinel Daily) kickers Prehistoria bring a lot of piss n’vinegar to the table with their ever so strident debut, Cryptic Halo.

Muscular riffs, thrashing rhythms and a devil take the hindmost attitude all combine to make for an exciting three quarters of an hour or so with these blokes and, though there is little in the way of originality to talk about, if it’s pure, unadulterated heavy metal thunder that floats your boat then I’ve got no problems whatsoever in nudging Prehistoria in your general direction.

Alonso “Zo” Donoso is a close relative, vocally, of Hansi Kürsch, which can be a bit distracting at times but there’s no doubting he’s got the throat to helm this full-force heavy metal machine; It takes a big set of tonsils to get in front of a band delivering concerted assaults on the senses like standout cuts Paradise Lost or Everlasting Legacy, and my word Donoso handles everything the band can throw at him. Similarly, Cody Johns puts in an MVP performance behind the kit (can we have two men of the match? Ed); he’s all over the place, in a good way, obviously, but he doesn’t miss a beat, providing solidity over which the stringed instruments can lay down a hellstorm of covering fire.

Ian Bender has that marvellous ‘grumbling’ bass sound that complements the axes of Shaun Cothron and Max Otworth perfectly, and it’s has to be said that the compact tightness of Prehistoria’s sound is an absolute thrill to listen to.

So there you have it; As debut full lengths go, this is a bit of a ripper of it’s type; if the band can now just inject a little more of themselves into the overall sound then I think they might be worth keeping tabs on – great stuff!

Cryptic Halo releases on February 11th.