Holy Moses: Redefined Mayhem

Stunning return from Germany’s thrash underdogs

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

Routinely overlooked during discussions about the genesis of German thrash, Holy Moses’ contribution and catalogue are such that they deserve to be hailed alongside Kreator, Destruction and Sodom as seminal purveyors of Teutonic annihilation.

Revitalised by a new lineup, veteran vocalist Sabine Classen is on typically vicious form here, but it’s her new comrades’ state-of-the-art precision and wildly inventive riffs that ensure that Redefined Mayhem is as explosive and thrilling as any thrash album released in the last decade.

From Hellhound’s bellicose labyrinth of metallic hate through to the mid-paced menace of Into The Dark and on to Whet The Knife’s raging high-velocity attack, this makes most modern thrash sound cautious and aimless by comparison, with Sabine’s reptilian hiss a bewitching focal point throughout. Thomas Neitsch’s production elevates the whole violent escapade to a higher level of impact and intensity, analogue warmth and digital bite merging seamlessly as mutant buzzsaw riffs screech past your ears like a near-miss with a swinging scythe.

Smart, brutal and full of surprises, the Germans’ persistence and bravery have taken them to new heights.

Dom Lawson
Writer

Dom Lawson has been writing for Metal Hammer and Prog for over 14 years and is extremely fond of heavy metal, progressive rock, coffee and snooker. He also contributes to The Guardian, Classic Rock, Bravewords and Blabbermouth and has previously written for Kerrang! magazine in the mid-2000s. 

Latest in
Linkin Park 2024
Linkin Park launch "the best song we've ever made" Up From The Bottom
Vera Farmiga in 2021
The Conjuring star Vera Farmiga announces debut album with her heavy metal band The Yagas
'Emo' Ed Sheeran busking
Watch Ed Sheeran cover Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club on the New York subway while disguised as an emo busker
A close-up shot of the Marshall Major IV on-ear headphones on a turquoise, blue and black background.
I’ve never seen the Marshall Major IV headphones this cheap before - get them for half price in Amazon’s big spring sale
Evanescence in 2025
Evanescence release new song Afterlife from Devil May Cry TV series soundtrack, have their next album in the works
Tony Banks
“You only have to hear the opening sweep to reach for your lighter and wave it in the air”: Tony Banks' greatest Genesis moments
Latest in Review
The Horrors
Ghouls Aloud: The Horrors come back from the dead with "a dazzling nocturnal spectacle of sombre reflections and oozing catharsis"
/news/the-darkness-i-hate-myself
"When the storm clouds clear, the band’s innate pop sensibilities shine as brightly as ever": In a world of bread-and-butter rock bands, The Darkness remain the toast of the town
Sex Pistols at the RAH
"Open the dance floor, you’ll never get to do it again." Forget John Lydon's bitter and boring "karaoke" jibes, with Frank Carter up front, the Sex Pistols sound like the world's greatest punk band once more
Arch Enemy posing in an alleyway
Arch Enemy promised they'd throw out the rule book for Blood Dynasty. They didn't go quite that far, but this is the boldest album of the Alissa White-Gluz era - and it kicks ass
The Darkness press shot
"Not just one of the best British rock albums of all time, but one of the best debut albums ever made": That time The Darkness added a riot of colour to a grey musical landscape
Roger Waters - The Dark Side of the Moon Redux Deluxe Box Set
“The live recording sees the piece come to life… amid the sepulchral gloom there are moments of real beauty”: Roger Waters' Super Deluxe Box Set of his Dark Side Of The Moon Redux