I somehow left Onslaught's debut album, Power From Hell off of my review queue, and I made sure not to make the same mistake with their second kick at the can, The Force. The Force picks up where the debut left off, except that there's a different vocalist and a more classic thrash metal sound to it. There are riffs aplenty here, and things start off very well but the album really gets going with "Fight With the Beast", continues with "Demoniac" and smashes you in the face with "Flame of the Antichrist". The sound is very aggressive and mosh-friendly, not unlike some of the better Bay Area output like Bonded By Blood or even Kill 'Em All but there's nothing really new here. With The Force, Onslaught solidifies themselves as yet another band in the seemingly endless army of blue collar thrash bands -- good enough to headbang to, not memorable enough to make a dent in your skull once the music is over.
1. Let There Be Death
2. Metal Forces
3. Fight With the Beast
4. Demoniac
5. Flame of the Antichrist
6. Contract in Blood
7. Thrash 'til the Death
Score: 7/10
Back in the 90's, there used to be this commercial for light beer that this Necronomicon album made me think of. It went "If I wanted water, I'd ask for water." In this case, substitute 'water' for 'Destruction', and that pretty much sums up how I feel about this one. Necronomicon, at this point, are a poor man's Destruction, as they are sloppier than and not nearly as good at writing songs as those card-carrying members of the Teutonic Trio. In fact, there's really not one single song that is totally solid -- just when you think things are looking up, a weird guitar lead comes in or the vocalist does his best castrato impression. Necronomicon is a forgettable affair, and best left to idiots like yours truly to discover.
1. Dark Land
2. Possessed By Evil
3. Bloody Revenge
4. Insanity
5. Blind Destruction
6. Hades Invasion
7. Magic Forest
8. Iron Charm
Score: 1/10
While Nasty Savage's debut was campy, goofy heavy metal with thrash metal influences, the band's second full-length on the other hand, is thrash-fucking-metal! They don't make you wait for it, either. The opening track, "Stabbed In the Back" kicks things off right with a downright dirty (maybe even nasty?) thrash riff. The rest of the album continues in much the same vein, with fast, twisting riffs offset by slower, groovier pieces. Nasty Ronnie's vocals have also improved. While he still hits those King Diamond-esque high notes, he mostly sticks to a lower register, snarling and shouting his way through all eight tracks (track nine is an instrumental).
The subject matter has gotten more serious as well. While the debut album had song titles like "Dungeon of Pleasure" and "Metal Knights", Indulgence tackles heavier subject matter with songs like "Distorted Fanatic" and "Incursion Dementia" (which is a fucking monster, by the way). All in all, Indulgence is a hands-down winner, and if nothing else, signalled to California, New York & Germany that Florida was listening, and thrash metal's influence was growing.
1. Stabbed In the Back
2. Divination
3. XXX
4. Indulgence
5. Inferno
6. Hypnotic Trance
7. Incursion Dementia
8. Distorted Fanatic
9. ?
Score: 8/10
Mortal Sin's debut is a bit of a throwback, as the band channels Metallica's Kill 'Em All with some Motorhead thrown in for good measure. The material here is neither very evil nor heavy, but it would definitely make for some good fun in the pit. Had it been released earlier, it would garner some higher marks but as it is these Aussies are just recycling what they've heard from their American counterparts.
1. The Curse
2. Women in Leather
3. Lebanon
4. Liar
5. Blood, Death, Hatred
6. Mortal Slaughter
7. Into the Fire
8. Mayhemic Destruction
Score: 5.5/10
Well, it's clear that at some point after Living Death's second full length, Metal Revolution, the band decided that they wanted to start getting serious about thrash. The common thread in this four-song EP is speed; vicious, relentless speed. Vocalist Thorsten Bergmann screams along in a register probably only reserved for Overkill's Bobby Blitz at this point, and the rest of the band screams along right with him. The songs themselves aren't exactly all that memorable or groundbreaking, but the aggression the band shows here is definitely a step in the right direction.
1. Nuclear Greetings
2. Bloody Dance
3. The Way (Your Soul Must Go)
4. Child of Illusion
Score: 6.5/10
If Deathrow's Riders of Doom (originally named Satan's Gift, which was banned or something so they renamed it) was as good as the crushing, dynamic instrumental that opens it, "Winds of Death", it would be one hell of a debut! Unfortunately, these Germans are a little overzealous and most of the album sounds as if it's in danger of becoming unhinged. There is a clear influence from bands like Slayer and Kreator, and there are parts of this record that actually sound fucking vicious, but the band has trouble putting it all together without sounding kind of ridiculous at times. Overall, a pretty enjoyable, albeit flawed album.
1. Winds of Death
2. Satan's Gift
3. Riders of Doom
4. Hell's Ascent
5. Spider Attack
6. Slaughtered
7. Violent Omen
8. Dark Tales
9. Samhain
Score: 6.5/10
It's not like Cyclone's debut album is without merit. I mean, depending on what you heard first, maybe you like it better than Feel the Fire, or Eternal Devastation, but I doubt it. This is not a groundbreaking release in any way, and while it may be a pretty spirited affair, the over-the-top vocals and pedestrian songwriting make sure it becomes nothing more than an also-ran in the great 1980's thrash race.
1. Prelude to the End
2. Long to Hell
3. Fall Under His Command
4. The Call of Steel
5. Fighting the Fatal
6. In the Grip of Evil
7. Take thy Breath
8. Incest Love
Score: 4/10
