Incredible that August 29th, 2009 will mark Merauder frontman Jorge Rosado’s 40th birthday. The inimitable, one-man comedy show who has been as much a staple on New York’s storied lower east side as on the global metal scene since the release of Merauder’s 1996 landmark debut “Master Killer” is not only alive and well, but with the release of “God Is I,” in fighting form. To commemorate the Brooklyn-bred vocalist’s 40th, Merauder will headline a special one-off bill heavier than a bass amp rolling down some stairs and right into your face, featuring support from Reaper Records’ veterans Maximum Penalty, Inhuman (featuring members of Agnostic Front), Homicidal (featuring members of Agents Of Man, Bulldoze, TruthnRights, and more), The Judas Syndrome (featuring ex-Irate members), and more. While Merauder has more pull on their home turf than most NY acts, their global profile rises once again with “God Is I,” as renowned European label Regain Records have stepped up to the plate to handle this beast of an album, and Obituary bassist Frank Watkins is overseeing the entire operation as the band’s manager. Nearly non-stop gigging, including a notable opening slot on The Haunted’s North American Spring tour earlier this year, is contributing to the band’s reputation getting back on track, as years of lineup changes, drug use, and a lack of label support saw Merauder slapped with the label of being unpredictable and sketchy. This long-running turn of events, born from the dilapidated hoods of New York and a cruel world that drove past and current members to cope whichever way they could, is now contained on “God Is I.” Rosado’s lyrics deal with life on the streets, gangsterism, homelessness, broken homes, and a bold call for revolution, in what are perhaps some of the most thought-out words the fiercely proud Puerto Rican frontman has ever put to paper. With how long Merauder fans have had to wait for every album to be released, from the long-delayed “Master Killer” debut, to the similarly pushed-back “Five Deadly Venoms in 1999,” one should only expect the band’s sound to change and, dare it be said, evolve. The resurgence of Merauder’s popularity and live dominance in recent years has led to an entire new generation of hardcore and metal fans discovering the band and their renowned early works, which should undoubtedly be credited for having etched the band’s 20 years of groundwork into the history books of NYHC. But this is the new Merauder. Javier “SOB” Carpio’s tragic 2006 passing aside, some may question the absence of any other original members or songwriters besides Rosado, although ultimately the five current members of Merauder, who not only wrote and recorded “God Is I” and have been touring ceaselessly since the current lineup came together, deserve whatever credit is to be earned from now on. This album takes the band’s Cro-Mags, Carnivore, and Slayer-inspired early days and reinvigorates the Merauder formula to a more streamlined and pit-friendly approach that doesn’t stray as far from the classic sound as some claim. The direct influence of hardcore icons Hatebreed and their penchance for chugging can definitely be heard here, which is almost a fitting tribute to Jamey Jasta, who not only booked Merauder countless times in Connecticut from the early to mid-90’s, but wears the “Master Killer” album release show t-shirt in the liner notes of his band’s landmark Victory Records debut “Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire,” and to this day credits Merauder for having been one of the most influential bands on Hatebreed’s sound. Rosado also delivers his message in Spanish on an album for the first time with his tribute to nationalist independence figure Pedro Albizu Campos, “Ahora,” which is prefaced by the sampled “Don Pedro Albizu Campos.”