Metal Underground.com

In the liner notes for their EP, "Get Dead," Scottsdale, Arizona thrashers Age Of Evil describe their fans as being "metal as fuck." That's a pretty apt description for the 25 minutes' worth of headbanging fun you'll be having when you hit play.

Rocking is the family business in this band, with brothers Garrett and Jordan Ziff on drums and lead guitar. Jacob Goldberg hammers out a steady beat on the drums while his brother Jeremy handles vocals and rhythm guitar.

The "metal as fuck"-ness starts off with "Cruel Intentions," in which Jordan Ziff immediately lets loose with a "how'd he do that?" warp speed guitar solo. It's got a thrashy feel that alternates between old-school and a newer skate-punk style.

"Get Dead" is more of an old-school thrasher, though once again, Jordan Ziff dazzles us with some amazing fretwork. Like "Cruel Intentions," it's about killing someone off, but unlike that one, there isn't a weird, almost sexual component to the lyrics.

The covers, "Slave To The Grind" and "The Hellion/Electric Eye," are respectful to the Skid Row and Judas Priest originals. They're fun enough, I suppose, though Jeremy Goldberg doesn't really have the vocal chops for for the latter song.

After that, the band gives us live versions of "Eye For An Eye" and "Glimpse Of Light" from their 2007 album, "Living a Sick Dream." Both songs seem a bit heavier than the rest of the album, partly because of the lack of production gloss. The band's level of playing certainly doesn't flag in a live setting, though — especially on the high-speed "Glimpse Of Light."

This is a fun EP, with lots of technical flash, but it lacks a bit of substance. The disjointed nature of the disc (two new tracks, two covers and two live songs) doesn't help with that feeling.

Age Of Evil's "Get Dead" offers up 25 minutes of thrashy fun. No, it's not the most original, thoughtful work ever, but something tells me that when you're playing air drums on your steering wheel while blasting it in your car with the windows rolled down, you probably won't care.

"Metal as fuck," indeed.