RAGINPIT MAGAZINE

Rebirth
The Process of Obliteration
Released: 2007

Track Listing:
1. Cold World
2. Isolation Therapy (Empty Shadows)
3. Anthem of the Black Hearted
4. The Beast In The Heart of Man
5. Forged By Pain, Driven By Fury
6. Heroes Die By Gunfire
7. Castrating The Insecure
8. In The Wake of Desperation
9. Severence From My Love
10. He of Self-Destroy
11. Reconcile Your Fate
12. The Second Coming

It’s hot in Arizona. Hell, everyone knows that. I don’t know how the heat affects you, but the heat makes me aggressive and irritable. My point being; it’s possible I’m not the only one that reacts like this to the heat. Marshall “fucking” Beck’s band Rebirth hails from Scottsdale, AZ, and considering the aggression that fills the ones and zeroes of this CD, The Process of Obliteration, I would venture a guess that the heat bothers them a little bit as well.

So are you ready for a vocabulary lesson? I present to you the definitions of some words that I feel describe this release:

dy⋅nam⋅ic [dahy-nam-ik]
-adjective
1. pertaining to or characterized by energy or effective action; vigorously active or forceful; energetic: the dynamic sounds from the band Rebirth.

From the opening track, “Cold World,” this was the first word that came to mind. The song starts out with a punch in the face. No long fucking keyboard intro, movie samples, or any other bullshit filler. You are coerced into headbanging from the opening notes, which is the “effective action” as mentioned in the definition above. Clearly, this is a high-energy album and as one track ends and the next one begins, you will be caught up in a maelstrom of adrenaline flowing through your veins.

ver•sa•tile [vûr'sə-təl, -tīl']
-adjective
1. Capable of doing many things competently; having many aspects, uses, or abilities: a versatile musician

Moving track by track through this album, one can hear multiple styles musically; ranging from old school thrash and hardcore to progressive metal, and vocally; from Beck’s hardcore scream/growl to clean background and gang vocals from the band. Bottom line is that they nail the old school thrash style, while injecting modern flavors into the mix and, in my opinion, they do it well. Exodus is one of my favorite bands of all time and when listening to a “thrash” album, I use them as a benchmark of comparison. Congrats, Rebirth. On the scale of thrash I will listen to frequently, you rank up there near Exodus.

in⋅spire [in-spahyuh r]
verb, -spired, -spir⋅ing.
1. to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence; to produce or arouse (a feeling, thought, etc.): to inspire listeners to fuck shit up in the pit

For instance, take the song “Forged by Pain, Driven by Fury.” As I listen to this track, I can visualize the circle pit set on spin cycle as the crowd members are inspired to relentlessly beat the shit out of each other to this soundtrack of destruction. And “Castrating the Insecure” is an 8-minute epic that I’m sure (much to my dismay) inspires hardcore kids to punch and karate-kick their way into the pit.

The musicianship on this album is top-notch. The kick drums are not over-processed and “clickety-clack” triggered which I hate, but are well-defined in the mix. Like I mentioned before, the album contains an amalgam of old-school thrash and the more modern hardcore sound, bringing forth a dynamic, versatile, and inspiring release that would be a good addition to any thrasher’s metal collection.

I heard through the grapevine that Rebirth are in the studio recording some new material, with new blood such as Duane Timlin (ex-Dying Fetus) on drums, and Novy (ex-Behemoth, Vader) on bass for their 4th studio album. I’m looking forward that shit!

So unless you’re a complete dumb ass, you will get The Process of Obliteration. Check out http://www.myspace.com/rebirth to find out how to get it. Buy some merch and support local music, you tight-ass motherfuckers! Haha!

Love,
The Shocker

**Disclaimer** There may be some statements in this review that may be offensive to some. My suggestion is to understand that I’m a crusty old-school metalhead and those are my opinions. Yes, I believe hardcore dancing should be outlawed and punishable by death. If that offends you, here’s a razor blade and a tissue.