FINALLY, we get a taste of the most anticipated release of the year: the first album in 25 years by the recently reunited Nitro. Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler and bass legend Victor Wooten have been tapped to chip in alongside the band’s core lineup of guitarist Michael Angelo Batio and vocalist Jim Gillette.

And, uh, WOW! This isn’t what you were expecting.

The biggest surprise is that it’s basically a modern metal track: yeah, there’s a ridiculous guitar solo, but the writing style and production are current, there’s growled vocals (!), there’s a fucking breakdown in the middle and Gillette doesn’t ever reach his famed upper register. Any band from DevilDriver to an unsigned act in bumfuck Indiana could’ve released this track in 2017, and that would’ve seemed normal. It’s not a Nitro throwback at all.

I can’t decide whether to be impressed or disappointed: I shouldn’t have expected these guys to have any interest in making O.F.R. Part II, but I do think that’s what most fans amped up on this reunion were expecting. Either way, it’s a solid track, and it’s notable that both Adler and Wooten’s contributions show through (you know them when you hear them).

Check out “It Won’t Die” below. You can pre-order the album by contributing to the band’s crowdfunding effort here.