Betrayal has improved quite a bit since its debut--"RENAISSANCE BY DEATH"--last year. This album finds 'em matured in the songwriting and current in today's scene. Most of the tunes are heavy-duty doses of intensity--a la The Crucified. It's almost a regular all-star jam, since there's several guest vocalists here. One tune sounds uncannily like Precious Death--musically and vocally. This comes as no surprise, since Chris Scott is guest vocalist on this song. Another tune sounds like Deliverance, because guess who's singing? Jimmy P. Brown II. The variations present include hardcore vocal delivery, industrial onslaughts, jazz interludes and plenty of 16th note riffing and wailing. With this album, Betrayal is emerging as a band to be reckoned with. This one succeeds and shows improvement in all the areas that made "RENAISSANCE..." weak.