Clearly a product of the Bay Area scene, Testament were probably the first of the "second wave" thrash bands (if there truly was such a thing) to release a full-length album. Obviously influenced by the likes of Metallica and Exodus, Testament were melodic, technically sound and uncompromisingly vicious. Most songs are played at surprisingly fast tempos, given the difficulty of the material, especially when taking into consideration the speed at which they would be played some 25 years later by the same musicians, save one (drummer Louie Clemente).
Testament's main strength is the proficiency of their members at their given roles. They lucked out big time when Steve Souza left to join Exodus and hulking frontman Chuck Billy stepped in. In his prime, which evidently was some time around 1987, the man could sing, shout and shriek like no other, sounding like the unholy descendant of James Hetfield, Tom Araya and a pack of wolves. Lead guitarist Alex Skolnick is probably the first true virtuoso we've seen in thrash metal. His leads range from damn good to awe-inspiring, leaving pentatonic-rager Kirk Hammett and whammy-bar afficionadoes King and Hanneman in the dust while giving Dave Mustaine a run for his money. Eric Peterson has always been underrated in the riff-crafting department, but it's clear he was excellent right from the start, blazing through firey riff after firey riff. The rhythm section of Greg Christian and Louie Clemente is nothing if not solid, and while neither player shines, they lay the foundation for the others to do so.
The main gripe with early Testament was always the production, and this is a valid complaint. The guitar sound is muddy, and while it is nowhere near the worst among mid-80's thrash records, it is certainly surprising given that it was released by a major label. There's a whole lot of good stuff here though, as most of the songs are thrashers of the highest order, with only the odd clunker -- one being "Do or Die", a song all but forgotten in the Testament catalogue, and a few songs undeserving of the 'classic' label bestowed on them, namely "The Haunting" and "Alone in the Dark". Of course, there's also the fact that Testament doesn't really present anything original on The Legacy, largely echoing their predecessors. The execution though, leaves little to be desired.
1. Over the Wall
2. The Haunting
3. Burnt Offerings
4. Raging Waters
5. C.O.T.L.O.D.
6. First Strike is Deadly
7. Do or Die
8. Alone in the Dark
9. Apocalyptic City
Score: 9/10
Once the title track of Voivod's third release kicks in, it's pretty clear that we're not in Kansas anymore! Vicious riffs coupled with odd chord choices assault your ears, while a driving, distorted bass and pummeling drums make you look to the sky in fear of alien invaders. Then, a madman prophet starts shouting and screaming in your ear, and you realize... this is what Voivod was meant to be! Voivod's first two albums were sloppy, messy blasts of punkish thrash that left much to be desired. Their third though, is easily the most unique thrash album to be released at this point. The band does a wonderful job of creating a filthy, horrifying, robotic atmosphere in almost every song, that you truly feel as if you are lost in space, as one of the tracks suggest.
What's amazing to me is just how much of a total mindfuck this album is. I had never enjoyed this album when I spun it over 10 years ago after thinking myself a true thrash metal fan. Even when I listened to it the first time for this review, it didn't click, but I heard something interesting, so I persevered and I'm glad I did for Voivod is not truly a thrash band and thus they do not play a conventional thrash style. The feel, the atmosphere, the drive behind the music is different than say, Slayer or Exodus. Voivod exists on a different plane -- not necessarily a higher one -- where Slayer delves the depths of human depravity, telling tales of murder and satanism, Voivod looks to the skies and wonders what evil lurks above?
The execution is not totally perfect, of course. There are some parts of songs that feel totally disjointed from others, which is an expected result of a band trying to become more progressive and focused but an undesirable one none the less. Snake's vocals are also a bit of an acquired taste as he talks, whines, shouts, screams over the exotic soundscapes below, but then again, how many metal vocalists aren't acquired tastes?
At any rate, personally, this is huge. Until a week ago, I hated Voivod. 20-year-old me is shaking his head, going "dude..." It just goes to show you, just because you hated something before, if you allow yourself to be open and to grow (I can hear my wife laughing now), you may find some value in that thing you hated.
1. Killing Technology
2. Overreaction
3. Tornado
4. Forgotten in Space
5. Ravenous Medicine
6. Order of the Blackguards
7. This is Not an Exercise
Score: 8.5/10
After two full-length releases, Anthrax have proven that they are quite capable of writing music that is catchy as hell while remaining every bit as heavy. Their second album, Spreading the Disease featured whiplash-inducing thrash riffs coupled with infectious choruses infused with gang vocals and lead singer Joey Belladonna's soaring vocals -- the latter being a feature that separated them from the rest of the thrash metal pack, who's lead vocalists could usually be heard shouting, screaming or growling over the same type of riffage.
Enter Among the Living. The vocal approach has remained largely unchanged from Spreading the Disease. Belladonna is still truly singing over thrash riffs with barely even a hint of gruffness to his voice. The gang vocals seem even more prevalent however. It's almost as if Scott Ian has heard the Metallicas and Slayers of the world, and decided to add some sandpaper in the vocal department to match the ridiculous heaviness of the instrumentation, which is indeed ridiculous. There are very few albums at this point in time that sound as bone-crunchingly heavy as Among the Living does. "Caught in a Mosh" in particular embodies the Anthrax sound -- heavy as all hell, but every bit as catchy as anything Motley Crue could write. Songs like "Indians", "One World" & "NFL" follow suit, thrashing like mad and engraving themselves into the minds of bangers the world over.
There is a problem, however. That problem is filler. Songs like "A Skeleton in the Closet", "Horror of it All" and even the title track certainly present heavy enough music but are too simplistic in their riffage, so much so that the overall result is rather underwhelming. The feel is more punk than metal, more "go through the front door" than "find a second-floor window and kill 'em from there". There is a savage cleverness to albums like Ride the Lightning and Peace Sells, but that attribute is not always here. Anthrax writes front-door, smash-you-in-the-face riffs, and that's it, and it's OK for the most part. If this is Anthrax's finest moment (which, in the eyes and ears of many, it is) then it is no wonder that they are considered "Band No. 4" in the Big Four.
1. Among the Living
2. Caught in a Mosh
3. I Am the Law
4. Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)
5. A Skeleton in the Closet
6. Indians
7. One World
8. A.D.I./Horror of it All
9. Imitation of Life
Score: 7.5/10
It's funny the way you place things in your mind when you haven't put a whole lot of thought into where those things go... I always thought Taking Over was a bit of a step down from Overkill's brilliant debut, but upon further listening and really doing a hard comparison of the two, it's a real tough call. Taking Over is at least Feel the Fire's equal, and maybe even a couple points better!
The overall sound on Taking Over is the same as it was on the debut, which is no surprise given that a lot of these songs were written around the same time as those on Feel the Fire. The guitar tone on Taking Over is heavier though, and the band sounds tighter as a whole while retaining Overkill's already trademark reckless snarl. Songs like the opener, "Deny the Cross" as well as the eyebrow-raising tandem of "Use Your Head" and "Fatal If Swallowed" string neck-snapping riffs together in an almost organic fashion, making this one of the more complete and developed albums in the major growth period of the genre.
There are some weak points of course, like Blitz's vocals at times which seem to be just too clean, most notably on "In Union We Stand", though this is certainly not the rule but the exception. Overall, it's a very solid thrash album, and if nothing else, listening to it a few times with such a critical ear made me realize that my favourite band is even more awesome than I originally thought!
1. Deny the Cross
2. Wrecking Crew
3. Fear His Name
4. Use Your Head
5. Fatal If Swallowed
6. Powersurge
7. In Union We Stand
8. Electro-Violence
9. Overkill II (The Nightmare Continues)
Score: 9.5/10
Enthusiasm. Blood Feast does have that going for them, at least. They play heads-down thrash, fast and dirty with vocals just about as shredded as Possessed or Kreator, but the material presented here is just not that good. The songs blend into one -- a blur of furious riffs, over-the-top vocals, and their best attempts at Slayer-inspired guitar solos. The band snaps you out of your thrash-haze every now and then with slower, darker riffs but it doesn't last very long. Heavy and fast this is, important or worthwhile, not particularly.
1. Menacing Thunder
2. Kill for Pleasure
3. Cannibal
4. Vampire
5. Suicidal Mission
6. Venomous Death
7. The Evil
8. Darkside
9. RIP
Score: 3.5/10
If you were to put me in a time machine and send me back to say, March 1987, and then ask me who I thought was the best German thrash metal band at that point, I'd be hard pressed not to say Vendetta. While their brethren in bands like Kreator and Destruction were pushing the boundaries of extreme metal, Vendetta were clearly paying attention to what was going on across the Atlantic as they sounded much more like bands playing in California rather than Germany.
Right from the start, there is a clear emphasis on riffs. With a crisp and clear production, there are passages that are as fast as any, but the band also demonstrates a clear understanding of dynamics with chugging, grooving parts that echo some of the better offerings by bands like Metallica and Exodus. Vendetta even border on prog at some points, keeping the listener wondering with riff and time changes throughout the album's 38 minutes.
It's baffling that Vendetta didn't make a bigger name for themselves, because this is a very excellent addition to the thrash metal story. Sure, the vocals aren't anything special but certainly don't take away from the music, and while some songs seem to meander or lose their way at times, they are definitely well-executed for the most part. This is probably the best yet of those diamonds-in-the-rough that have made this exercise so damn enjoyable.
1. Suicidal Lunacy
2. Go and Live... Stay and Die
3. Traitor's Fate
4. System of Death
5. Drugs and Corruption
6. Revolution Command
7. On the Road
Score: 8.5/10
In a scene as crowded as the NYC one was, already boasting the likes of Overkill, Anthrax, Nuclear Assault and Carnivore, it must have been difficult for a band like Primal Scream who, while not awful, didn't exactly have it all put together like those other bands. Primal Scream were one of those meat-and-potatoes thrash bands, who thrashed hard and probably lived much the same way.
Like many of their New York brethren, Primal Fear had more of a punk vibe than their West Coast counterparts with Rob Graham (or was it Steve Alliano? I have no idea) bellowing Cro-Mags-style over some pretty quick riffs. Probably the most striking song on the album though, is when one of those aforementioned vocalists actually decides to sing over some more melodic instrumentation in "Kill the Light". At any rate, Primal Scream's one and only volume is an enjoyable enough experience, as pedestrian as it may be.
1. State of the State
2. War and Sin
3. Last Breath
4. Scream Til You Bleed
5. Kill the Light
6. Poisoned
7. Ignorance Is No Excuse
8. Megaton
9. Mr. McCreedy
10. Shot On Sight
Score: 6/10
