Lettingloose with a barrage of suitably aggressive thrash metal balanced byjust the proper amount of progressively-themed shredding, Canada’sMastery delivers an adept, commanding EP that will leave thrashsterswanting more. A brief intro and five blazing cuts form thisinstrumental release, which should be noted as being most interestingto fans of technical, yet melodic guitar work.

GuitaristMarkus Armellini masterminded the group, recruiting fretboard burnerJeff Dormer, drummer (and producer) Keavan Roy and bass guitaristAnthony Ristovski to round out the band’s line-up. When a suitablevocalist could not be found to front the project, the quartet decidedto forge ahead as sans-frontman, heading into Fifth Dimension Studiosto create Lethal Legacy.

Armelliniand Dormer show off an impressive array of chops right through themini-album, whether forming spiderwebbing licks as they do on the introcut Behold or opting for honed, galloping chugging as on Power Raceand No Tomorrow. Dormer’s inspired, ripping leads are appropriatelyscattered amongst bushels of blazing rhythms, revealing an aura that’squite similar to that of Death Angel and at times, Megadeth.

Roy’ssmart production starts with excellent tones. From there the mix is abreeze, with each of the instruments packing a major punch. It’sobvious that a great deal of effort went into the production of thesesix tracks, from the sharp, slicing lead tones to the perfectlycompressed drumming, everything about the overall sound quality of Lethal Legacy is top-notch.

Creatinga very solid foundation for the axe-duo to expand upon, Ristovski andRoy flail away at measurably domineering undergrooves, locking in astightly as a closed vice during the hair-whipper Numeration.Pinpoint precision accents by Roy further the technical aspect of therecord, while Ristovski’s wide-open thunder provides for a suitableanchor, giving a powerful backbone from which to build upon, whileincluding enough of his own blistering fretboard runs to be recognizedas a highly competent technical player in his own right.

Sureto score big with those who appreciate the more intense aspectsinherent in the Bay-area sound, Mastery delivers metal that issometimes awe-inspiring and often all the excuse that you need to bringabout a self-inflicted case of whiplash.