Ever since he was unceremoniously ousted from Metallica in 1983, Dave Mustaine has vowed to be better than Metallica. This album was the closest he ever got. Sure, it's better than every single Metallica album, except for one. Ride the Lightning beats Peace Sells just because of the simple fact that it's totally fucking perfect, but Peace Sells is really, really damn close. There's so much to like about this album. First of all, the overall sound is really pleasing. It's a shame that albums don't sound like this anymore. The guitars crush, the bass is clearly audible, the drums and vocals are both where they should be. The songs are very well written too, all of them excellent, varied pieces of thrash metal that expand on Dave's original vision from Killing 'Em All is my Business. Then there are the riffs. Oh good fucking god, the riffs! These riffs are so twisted and neck-snapping that only an egomaniacal control-freak with a substance abuse problem like Dave Mustaine could write them. What about the guitar solos? Well, my friends, almost every solo on this record is the type that makes you air guitar and stick out your tongue, prompting passers-by to wonder about your sanity. Yes kids, this is fucking THRASH METAL, capitalized forever. The fact that the so-called 'unholy trinity' gets talked about when talking thrash in 1986, the fact that Master of Puppets gets talked about when talking thrash in 1986 before this albums gets talked about is a fucking travesty. This is the best of 1986 (that I've heard so far, anyway -- maybe Anvil Bitch will change my mind!) and it would be absolutely fucking perfect if it weren't for one thing. THAT STUPID FUCKING COVER SONG!! Why, Dave? Why?! It's not a bad cover by any means, but it totally fucks with the momentum of this masterpiece. It also cuts the album's awesome closing track, "My Last Words" off from the rest of the album. Silly. Metallica kept all their covers on separate releases, Dave! D'oh! 1. Wake Up Dead 2. The Conjuring 3. Peace Sells 4. Devil's Island 5. Good Mourning/Black Friday 6. Bad Omen 7. I Ain't Superstitious 8. My Last Words Score: 9.5/10
Back when I was a semi-serious musician and used to play in a band, my bandmates and I had a saying about what constituted a good thrash riff. Basically, if the riff made you pull a stupid face and bob your head, it was a good thrash riff. When I listen to Destruction's second full length in my car, people must think I'm borderline retarded because Eternal Devastation is chock full of good thrash riffs. Eternal Devastation opens with an excellent song, closes with an excellent song and has some pretty good stuff in between. Destruction's style may not be as tight and polished as Metallica, nor as evil and oppressive as Slayer but they have a wild, rebellious sound that finally starts to really work after a pretty good EP and a debut full-length that had its fair share of issues. Everything just kind of clicks here, and Mike Siffringer really stretches his legs in some places, mostly in the rhythm guitar department but he also plays some tasty leads. This album made me realize that at this point thrash is finally its own genre. The NWOBHM leanings are gone from most of the really good albums and bands have had a chance to listen to, digest and be influenced by albums like Kill 'Em All, Show No Mercy, Ride the Lightning, Feel the Fire, Bonded By Blood, etc, etc, etc. Eternal Devastation, while not incredibly dynamic is an excellent example of a THRASH album, and one that is often overlooked because of the year in which it was released. 1. Curse the Gods 2. Confound Games 3. Life Without Sense 4. United by Hatred 5. Eternal Ban 6. Upcoming Devastation 7. Confused Mind Score: 8.5/10
This album is so laughably amateur that it's almost enjoyable. I'm actually surprised it's still floating around the internet, but then again, I've found some other pretty obscure (and bad) stuff that makes this album sound awesome. This isn't totally awful, but just ridiculously outclassed when you think of what came out even two years earlier. Apparently, these guys changed their name to Poltergeist after this album. I've never listened to them. Stand by! 1. Shark Attack 2. Antichrist 3. Games of Evil 4. Restless 5. Demon's Child 6. Avenger 7. Evil is There! 8. Marshall Law 9. Torero Score: 2/10
I've never paid a whole lot of attention to Tankard. I've listened to songs here and there, but they've always seemed a few notches below the Kreators, Sodoms and Destructions of the world. By the way, it seems that way because they are. This album is a chore to listen to the whole way through because it's one dimensional as fuck! Pick a random song and you can get swept up in the speedy alcoholism, but more than a couple tracks and it starts to fade into the background. Not only that but every single damn chorus is "Song Title! Song Title! Song Title!" with some gang vocals sprinkled in from time to time. This album may have been OK in 1984, even though Ride the Lightning bends Zombie Attack over and inserts random objects inside its behind, but this is 1986, the year of the big thrash blow-up. OK, I realize this sounds like an incredibly harsh review, and while I don't care for this album, it's not absolutely horrible, just quite of mediocre. 1. Zombie Attack 2. Acid Death 3. Mercenary 4. Maniac Forces 5. Alcohol 6. (Empty) Tankard 7. Thrash 'Til Death 8. Chains 9. Poison 10. Screamin' Victims Score: 4.5/10
Sentinel Beast are the third female-fronted thrash band we've heard from, and easily the best -- at least in 1986. This is some very good, intense, classic thrash metal, much in the vein of Metallica or a more melodic Slayer from a few years before. There's also a strong NWOBHM influence here, with Iron Maiden being a key influence as well, and not just because of the excellent cover of "Phantom of the Opera", but because it's quite obvious that vocalist Debbie Gunn has tried to emulate Paul Di'anno, and has done a pretty admirable job. She has a nice, husky voice that is more attitude than it is technical ability, and even though she isn't the most inventive vocalist and sings along with the guitar lines often, the overall results are usually more than acceptable because of that aforementioned attitude. All in all, this is a band that probably should have recorded more albums, but for whatever reason, didn't. From the firey bursts of pentatonic guitar fury to the surprisingly clear production, this album is a relatively early and unexpected winner. 1. Depths of Death 2. Mourir 3. Dogs of War 4. Corpse 5. Evil is the Night 6. Sentinel Beast 7. Revenge 8. The Keeper 9. Phantom of the Opera Score: 8/10
