Review by Greg on January 31, 2026.

Revival thrash's eternal runners-up Vindicator, admittedly, surprised me with their third full-length, United We Fall, the classic example of an album you rarely feel like coming back to, but can consistently enjoy when it's on, yet the band must have been on the edge of a crisis since, despite never calling it quits, they have been basically silent since 2014. They chose 2021 as their comeback year, with their new release titled Communal Decay (which was also the name of a pretty mediocre song off The Antique Witcheries, curiously enough. I'd better start with a remark: Vindicator's previous albums always had 9 'regular' tracks with vocals, and then an ever-increasing number of instrumentals. Communal Decay's tracklist consists of 8 total tracks, 2 of which are instrumental, leaving a grand total of SIX songs with vocals... oof.

Better move on with the review. I appreciated the brave choice of putting the longest track as the opener: 'Hymns of Oblivion' starts with a mid-tempo part, with the verses strangely reminiscent of Metallica's 'Escape' (don't ask), and goes on for more than half its length before the band members remind us that they still wanted to thrash, after all. The latter component is just teased in this song, but the rest of Communal Decay doesn't exactly love being at full throttle.

That's quite a shame since I always found Vindicator more effective on the brief tracks, and 'Poison In Us' and 'Spiders' are indeed the most fun. The former's verses have a certain pop-punk vibe, but maybe that's just me. Elsewhere, 'Kill the Rich' might have benefitted from some ulterior bpm's, but it's a classy, mostly mid-tempo song, with new recruit, and 4th lead guitarist in just as many albums, Billy Zahn, showing off all over it. Said 'Spiders' is a high point of the leadwork as well, and the rather unremarkable 'Social Schism' and 'Life Support' are also vastly improved by it. Vindicator always had a certain gusto in the axeman choice, even if I've never understood their immense love for instrumentals. Vic Stown is still in charge of the mic, and nearly ten years after United We Fall, his voice has become even squeakier, closer to Hirax's Katon de Pena (especially The New Age of Terror-era). Still in the middle of the road, but also still decent, at the very least.

Like almost all its predecessors, Communal Decay sounds perfectly fine, but it's hardly likely to change your opinion about the band. Also, only six songs really leave a bitter aftertaste, especially after so much time has passed. I'm not a Vindicator fan enough to be offended, but I'm surely a thrash fan enough to be disappointed.

Rating: 6.8 out of 10