DESTROY ERASE IMPROVE

"Destroy Erase Improve", the band's second effort, improves on the previous record by deepening the grooves and incorporating more experimental rhythms. The album also makes heavy use of lead guitarist Fredrik Thordenal's experimental soloing style, a staple in all future band releases. Frequently described as a kind of jazz fusion, the solos are really just dissonant and spacy interludes designed to heighten the level of sonic insanity. Experimental flourishes aside, the album still embraces the band's thrash and groove metal roots.

Destroy Erase Improve is a good album but, like most extreme metal, it begins to seriously drag 5 or 6 tracks in. Its legacy is as a bridge between the classic thrash sound and the modern sound that followed.