Forbidden

Forbidden have long been the youngest, hungriest and most ambitious of the Bay Area thrash bands, emerging from the same scene that helped launch Metallica and Machine Head. With a reconstituted lineup, Craig Locicero and Matt Camacho have shaped an hour-plus set of thrash intensity, emotive movement and prog-minded reach. From opener Single Point Failure to the philosophical 9-minute closer Flower of Life, this is Forbidden pushing far beyond Forbidden Evil and Twisted Into Form. Produced by Zach Ohren of Machine Head, Forbidden feels less like a comeback and more like a true reinvigoration. For a quintet whose history includes members connected to Machine Head, Voivod and Imagika, it lands as a powerful new chapter.