Even though they failed to maintain the commercial momentum of 'Urban Discipline' and 'State of the World Address', Biohazard never stopped putting out good music. And I guess that hardly anyone who has ever liked them had expected anything different from their new album – especially since it is the release that marks the reunion of the band's original lineup that recorded the beforementioned classics.

It turns out though, that guitarist Bobby Hambel's presence in the band makes a significant difference – it is his playing in particular that makes 'Reborn in Defiance' more than just a good album. Without making him out to be some kind of guitar demigod, I can't help pointing out that his style and ideas fit Biohazard's concept perfectly. And obviously they have been something the band had been missing since 1994.

The opening track 'Vengeance Is Mine' features Danny Schuler's probably most frantic double bass drumming ever and it is a heavy, rough and angry monster of a song. So is the quite appropriately titled 'Skullcrusher', while the already well known 'Reborn' is a piece of magnificent fast hardcore that takes an unexpected dark and melodic turn.

The dominant trend in this album however is a melodic one, and it is the reason for some of Biohazard's best songs in 16 years. For example 'Vows of Hatred' that starts off with a piano that flows into a melodic riff that Evan Seinfeld calmly raps over, before exploding after the middle into hard riffs, angry vocals and killer solos in the band's finest fashion. And then the closing instrumental 'Season the Sky' is really something I had a hard time believing is actually a Biohazard tune. In the good sense – it is brilliant!

The production is handled by Toby Wright, who has previously worked on 'Jar of Flies' and the self-titled album by Alice in Chains, as well as Korn's 'Follow the Leader'.

The sound is powerful and thick and the guitars in particular crush you to the ground. The other good news is that Biohazard – thank God! – aren't trying to relive their glory days of hardcore basassery by recording another 'Urban Discipline'. Instead they have made an album that musically has a lot more to do with 'Mata Lеão' and 'New World Disorder' – diverse, melodic and overall more mature sounding; probably the CD they should have put out after their two biggest classics.

Well, they did it now – over a decade later – and even this way you don't really have a lot to complain about.