For Heathen’s fourth studio album, The Evolution Of Chaos, the Bay Area thrash metal band returns with intense guitar riffs as well as a lot of loud singing (okay, “yelling” might be a better word for it).

Heathen, which consists of members David White (vocals), Lee Altus (guitar), Kragen Lum (guitar), Jon Torres (bass) and Darren Minter (drums) may not play music suited for the majority of the public, but for fans of heavy metal looking for more songs they can bang their head to, The Evolution Of Chaos should be taken into consideration.

The 10 tracks (not including the introduction) on The Evolution Of Chaos all include fast-paced guitar chords and solid drum beats. Though at times it can be hard to distinguish each loud song from its counterparts, there are a few tracks that seem to stand out. One such song is “Red Tears Of Disgrace,” which starts surprisingly slow in both an instrumental and vocal sense. White takes a break from his usual “scream-singing” and showcases his legitimately superb singing voice, which is a unique mix of husky and smooth. About a minute and a half into the song, it takes a sudden turn as the drums begin and the guitar speeds up while White’s voice returns to its normal volume.

“A Hero’s Welcome” is another track that starts slow and ultimately escalates. The bass creates a somber tone that is matched by the lyrics that include the lines: “There is peace as well as freedom/ But they both come with a price” and “Will we ever understand what it means to sacrifice?” The song continues in a slow pace until the electric guitars and drums kick in about a quarter way in.

The first track, “Dying Season,” is like the majority of the songs off the album. It starts off in a fast-paced manner and continues that way throughout the entire song. The guitar is strong throughout and compliments White’s harsh singing. But it is so similar to many of the tracks that it doesn’t stand out.

Most of the tracks on The Evolution Of Chaos follow a similar pattern of a slow intro followed by abrupt forays into earsplitting guitar riffs and drum accompaniments. Though each song is performed with precision, the album itself begins to become monotonous with every predictable continuous track. The guitar and bass blare while the drums keep a quick, constant beat, and White’s voice adds the expected layer of harsh vocals with every song. It is hard to stay focused with every song due to the length — the average run time is about six minutes.

With the release of The Evolution Of Chaos, Heathen brings out loud instruments and vocals to match. Though the album lives up to its unruly name, The Evolution Of Chaos comes across as repetitive and brings nothing to the table but loud music and screamo that, rather than showcasing interesting lyrics, makes it hard to hear anything but angry mumbling.

Two stars out of five.