Fallen Angel - Faith Fails (1992)

It's difficult to imagine a region of metal music in which the Swedes weren't a dominating force, especially considering the past 20 years, but 80s/first wave thrash metal was clearly one of them, and only a trickle of acts came from that particular scene, several of which were simply too late to the dance to find a partner. A prime example of this was Fallen Angel, who were writing in a decidedly late 80s style with only slight advances in their production values to separate them from a whole host of US acts. Makes sense, as the group was formed in the middle of that decade and even the material on their sole Massacre full-length, Faith Fails was cultivated from earlier, unsigned output like a self-released EP in 1990. Of course, by '92 this style was already on the way out, The Black Album and Seattle music scene had changed just about everything, and even Fallen Angel's chief influence had begun tweaking its style towards something different...

That being Testament, whose guitar composition on albums like The New Order and Practice What You Preach really rubbed off on this band at the end of the 80s, to the extent that there are points on tunes like "Premier Parish" and "Ice" in which I felt like Eric Peterson had hijacked one of the rhythm guitar positions. Precise, thick palm muted picking drives a lot of mid-paced headbangers with splices of surgical melodic fills that wouldn't have been out of place on either of the aforementioned West Coast outings. Hell, they've even got the requisite power ballad (the title track). The only thing really missing is Chuck Billy's vocal presence, because Johan Bülow had a style which was more like a petulant imp in the lower range, but sounded eerily like Nuclear Assault's John Connelly when he's straining to fill the higher octaves. Otherwise, this might have been a natural successor to Souls of Black if Testament had not chosen the moodier heavy metal nostalgia of The Ritual (though I'm glad they did). That said, while the Swedes were not onto anything new, and ultimately a composite of American forebears, they do manage to develop some variation and tight songwriting that actually prove worthwhile.

This is a pretty clean sounding affair with a lot of punch to the rhythm guitar and a somewhat sterile drum mix, but keep in mind that we were still in an era in which many thrash drummers were confused as to whether they needed to become Gene Hoglan thunderstorms or better represent the hard rock and punk influences that initially fueled the subgenre. To be fair, there are some decent, measured double bass patterns strewn throughout, and some powerful snare strikes, but I did get the impression that a lot more power could have been applied to a beneficial effect. The bass is thick and plunky, another parallel to the Testament influence, but I found that the lines often got buried beneath the guitars, especially when the lead harmonies break out in tunes like "Premier Parish" and they totally steal the spotlight from anything else. Speaking of which, the melodies throughout the album are fantastic, mixed to great effect to instantly add more depth and character to the entire experience, elevating even Johan's vocals when they are performed in conjunction (like the chorus of "At Night", which is superb).

Once you get a little deeper into the track list, other influences start to rear their ugly heads, like a bit of later Idolatry-era Devastation or Void Terra Firma/Beyond Recognition Defiance due to that tightness and polish of the rhythm guitars ("Hangover" for example). "Dental Surgery" is clearly an attempt to resurrect Metallica's "Battery" so much that the initial charge rhythm sounds almost exactly like the verse guitars in that song. "Another One" has an interesting, clinical composure reminiscent of Destruction's Cracked Brain album. I think the main thing Fallen Angel really had going for it was the gorgeous, gleaming harmonies that weren't necessarily a factor on any of the influences, but I also won't deny that they were solid songwriters who kept the pacing varied throughout the 49 minutes of material, with very few songs that I couldn't at least enjoy by banging my head to. "Hangover" was rather weak, and I could have lived without the "Faith Fails" ballad, but the latter was well enough conceived with the lush acoustic guitars and ambiance that I don't hold much of a grudge for it...and I like that you can really make out the bass fills there.

I'm pretty sure that this was virtually unheard of outside of Europe, and I for one knew no one here in the States who had ever listened to it, but when playing it for a few Testament fans in junior college it elicited some strong reactions, followed by requests for a dub. Faith Fails is a well written example of a craft that had already more or less breathed its last (for the time being), and honestly this is the sort of thrash metal you really won't hear anymore, since most of the modern revivalists hone in on other West Coast US or German influences and build off of them, while originators like Testament, Heathen and Forbidden have evolved their own styles into a more modern milieu. But, at the same time, that ensures that Fallen Angel, derivative or not, have a rarity and obscurity about them which makes them fun to revisit on occasion, and fans of clean as a whistle, turn of the decade US thrash like Practice What You Preach, Twisted Into Form, Beyond Recognition and When the Storm Comes Down might very well appreciate it.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] (hoping to survive the day)

Erotikill - Virgin Speed (1990)

Alright, let's all stop laughing so I can write this review. Yes, the cover image to the sole full-length of California's uber-obscure Erotikill is the very definition of 80s cheese, but I've got to give the lass some credit. If some toothy beast was about to clamp its jaws down on my voluptuous body, I'd probably look a little more terrified. But look at her arms! I'm willing to bet she's luring the creature closer, to then break her bonds and strangle it with them, using the fiery ring surrounding her to cook it up for dinner. A total Red Sonja moment, mother fuckers! At any rate, Virgin Speed is a little more difficult to write-off musically than it is visually, being that it is comprised of some low-down, mean, dirty speed/thrash metal which is perhaps not so riff-tastic as other acts in the whole Venom, Bulldozer, Piledriver and Destructor mold, but fits the bill for those among you who might be seeking out such uncompromising, low brow aggression for cracking beer cans over your skull or ogling issues of Hustler from 1986.

The mean vocals and meaner licks here remind me of some union of earlier Whiplash, Juggernaut, Anvil Bitch and Hallows Eve, a poor man's Power and Pain with a Baptism Under Fire finish; though I'd not be surprised to find copies of Kill 'Em All, Show No Mercy, Welcome to Hell and Metal Inquisition in the members' collections, because many of the basic riff progressions seem to hail from that train of thought. However, what is probably most surprising about Virgin Speed is that the Californians actually pace out their debut album with a number of slower or mid-paced riffing sequences that really round it out as a package deal...the measured, melodic intro to "Slay Ground" or pure power/speed riffage that sets up "Enemy in Our Midst" are just a handful of examples of how they weren't simply trying to be the straightest, most repetitive of thrash outfits. Leads and harmonies are wild and frivolous and frankly the most exciting component of the band's songs, like the beginning of "Betrayer", but when it comes to pure riff architecture they're definitely in the familiar mindset of the mid to late 80s, which is probably why Virgin Speed seems as if it were born too late to the world.

Of course, that was 'then', and in the 'now', nostalgia has totally taken over the metal scene, and a record like this would surely be a sought after sound for those who pine for that era of big hair and bigger...yeah. But some might have reservations as to the production here. Personally, I didn't mind the brash and raw guitar tones (think Sentence of Death but a bit less tinny), though they often seem to get smothered by or smother the trash-can drums, and I like how they are combined with a pretty substantial picking arsenal that, while never technical or innovative, is at least keeping busy without endless repetition cycles. However, I think a lot of folks would single out vocalist 'Vic Van Wie' as the most charismatic component of this album...he's got a raucous bark not unlike a Harlan Glenn (ex Juggernaut) or Nasty Ronnie (Nasty Savage) but not above some comical dude-whining inflections (in "Betrayer", for example). Granted, the guy's a bit loose in delivery and some of the whinier lines are like annoying pimples against the more aggressive, carnivorous voice he generally favors, but at least he's never boring...

As for song quality, the album is pretty shaky. Most of these tracks have a decent flow with solid if not ultimately memorable riffing configurations, gang shouts, and clear choruses that are somewhat less of a payoff than you'd want from your average Megadeth or Metallica tune of the 80s. Cuts like "Enemy in Our Midst" and "Patriot" are appreciably pissed off and you could probably toss half the album into your favorite dirty speed/thrash playlist and it wouldn't manage to stink up the experience, though there would not be hooks that sink into you like "Black Metal", "Die by the Sword", "Jump in the Fire", etc. I would say that Erotikill deserved a little more lip service than they've gotten, so in this day and age they might prove an entertaining haven for those hunting down spikes, skulls, leather and aerosol babes and just a raw, rowdy record which doesn't take itself (or anyone else) too seriously. I guess I'd describe this as 'okay', but an amusing 'okay' that somehow simultaneously recalls puberty, bad 80s horror flicks, and bad pulp sword & sorcery fiction (though the last two are merely due to the artwork).

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

Monarque - Lys Noir (2013)

Production was one of the personal selling points of Monarque's sophomore full-length Ad Nauseam (an expanded demo rerecording), and it's also proven a forte for Lys Noir, an effort which streamlines the Quebecois act's sound into a flood of wretched, resonant emotion. I admit to not paying much attention to the intermittent series of EPs and splits that vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Monarque has released since that 2009 offering, but upon receipt of this new album, I instantly recounted the cover artwork for that last record, and was excited to hear the developments in his compositional skills and atmospheric flourishes he might have brought over from some of his other projects (like Déliquescence). Admittedly, my expectations were met, if not entirely exceeded. Lys Noir lacks the benefit of that initial impression that so engrossed me those several years back, but it's a textured, competent, consistent rush of agony and ecstasy nonetheless.

Though it's artistic lineage hearkens back to 2nd wave Norwegian classics like De Mysteriis dom Sathanas, In the Nightside Eclipse and Transilvanian Hunger, Monarque actually conjures up comparisons to recent fare from Finland's Sargeist or Sweden's Arckanum in that it implements deceptively simple tremolo picking progressions that cultivate a breadth of depth, sorrow and glory, like a last, desperate, suicidal charge into the afterlife. But the differences here are in the atmospheric dressings like the organs that roil across the landscape of the rhythm guitars to create a more fulfilling, 'classy' sense of aggression, a cultured and musical wall of force. If I were to break down a lot of the specific riffing patterns, they'd not be too impressive on their own merits, but if placed into the context of Bardunor's rapturous blasting patterns, simmering melodies of both the guitar and the organs, and Monarque's substantial, resonant rasping, it's difficult not to be overrun by the sheer weight, syncopation and momentum of the thing. Granted, the blasting does become a trifle monotonous, as it will in most records that rely too heavily upon pure speed over tempo variation, but at the same time, Lys Noir might not be so effective without such a sense of unfiltered, tempestuous exposition.

It's not all rampant force, of course, and there are segues in which clean guitars and chill ambiance take over, deep in "L'Appel de La Nuit" or dominant through the beautiful interlude dubbed "Solitude", which was one of the most inspiring points of the entire album. The closer, "Comme Les Vers; Sous la bannière du Lys noir" also takes a mildly different approach with flowing, slower chords reminiscent of late 80s Bathory that shift into some beautiful, mesmeric and simple tremolo picked patterns. Lys Noir also serves as a tasteful pseudo celebration of Quebec black metal, not only by featuring Sébastien Robitaille of the esteemed Sorcier des Glaces on "Comme Les Vers", but also a cover of Frozen Shadows' "Au Seuil des Ténèbres" from their 1999 debut Dans les Bras des Immortels, a bit of a cult classic for this scene, and flush with the originals if a fraction more savage in disposition. Once again we experience this sense of unity, self-idenity and defiance  among the musicians that is also reflected in the Quebec culture as a whole, which is one of the reasons I admire the place and its people.

Tonally, Lys Noir was precisely what I was hoping for, with the abrasive, sustained rasping of Monarque taking command of the album's vaulted, starry ceiling, and an unapologetic, violent fluidity to the rhythm section. Bass and drums are still relegated to 'support staff' for the riffing, organ and vocal arrangements, which does inhibit the potential rhythmic variety of the album to an extent. Personally, I'd like to hear some more interesting fills or change-ups to round out the excellent accelerated segments of the songs, but I do realize that a lot of proponents for this style would beg to differ. However, when Monarque does slow down to breathe, it's quite transcendental, so you can understand why I'd like a stronger balance between the two dynamic poles. Ultimately, while it is hardly a novel or masterful exercise in its medium, Lys Noir is damned solid, a bullrush of stamping feet in the bleachers of a cosmic arena, while a thousand chalices of blood are toasted to the sky until they become crimson-stained stars. Wish fulfillment with a razor.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.facebook.com/monarqueqc?ref=ts

D.A.M. - Inside Out (1991)

1991. The Black Album. Thrash Armageddon. Armed with a cover art that was arguably worse than their debut album, and one of Andreas Marschall's worst, England's D.A.M. waded heroically back into the fray to seek redemption one last time, before getting their connection to Noise Records and stardom severed forever. And would you believe it? They actually, as far as these things went, surpassed themselves with room to spare, tightening in on the riffcraft and overall songwriting to create a respectable justification for their existence. No, this is not the sort of cult classic you need to bust out and bloodhound immediately (though a recent 2012 reissue ensures you can do just that if interested), but I admire that D.A.M. managed to refine themselves without at all changing course from where they were on the debut, and even if it was too late to really make a difference, since the genre was coming off its incline to the decline, they can listen back on this with some pride.

First, Jason McLoughlin's vocals here are dramatically improved, focusing in more on his higher range and shrieks successfully to create a sort of wretched wickedness somewhere between David Wayne, Eric A. K., Leszek Szpigiel and Bobby 'Blitz'. The guy is generally a pleasure to listen to throughout the album, often shrill, spectral and haunting when he hits his peak, even if a few of the lines become repetitive during verses. Also, the approach is a better complement to the music, which has taken on a more desperate, melodic presence through a more memorable selection of riffs. They still implement a lot of mid-paced muted picking as the norm, but the deeper chords and chugs are measured off against a more clinical sense of harmony, while retaining the solid ear for lead-work that was one of the few positives off the debut...hell, these are even better structured, like the solo through "House of Cards" which actually carries some emotional depth. Honestly, the record is so piercing and melodic that it flirts with power/thrash territory, not as technical or nuanced as something like Toxik or Realm, but the angry riffs and vocals might certainly appeal to fans of groups like Apocrypha, Sanctuary, (early) Hexx, Toranaga, (late 80s) Fates Warning, Vicious Rumors and Metal Church, especially on the moodier pieces like "Winter's Tear".

The rhythm section is likewise stronger here, with more reverb and power behind the drums and a lot more meat on the bass to help distinguish it from the rhythm guitars. That's not to say the beats are necessarily aggressive or demanding, but the mix alone ensures they feel more exciting alongside the other instruments, and you'll feel every stick clap in your ear and kick rumble in your colon. Inside Out does occasionally lapse into some bland riffing patterns, and a few tunes (like "The Innocent One") are outright hit-or-miss, but even the worst material through the hour of content (assuming the CD 'bonus tracks') is superior than sitting through the drab, insipid slog that was Human Wreckage. Lyrics are meek and topical, with songs about domestic violence, abortion, etc, but like the first record, generally no worse than a lot of the other second or third tier thrash acts (especially from the US).

This is not a perfect record, not even a great one, but there's this vibrant, constant notion of 'this is our last chance, let's go for the posts' that pervades the experience. Score! Though I admit I grabbed this out of a bargain bin for about $2 US a few years after its release, having no faith or expectations and just wanting it for my collection, I remember being almost floored at how the band had upped the ante. Hell, if they had released a third record with a comparable, incremental rise in quality, they might have created a bonafide, timeless classic on an ailing British scene. Bittersweet, because yeah, too little, too late, but at least they've got something to smile about, as do those of us in the limited audience. En garde, 1991.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] (don't they know that we exist)

https://www.facebook.com/DAMmetal

D.A.M. - Human Wreckage (1989)

Perhaps one of the least distinctive bands on the entire Noise Records roster (along with Grinder), Morecambe's D.A.M. was snapped up near the tail end of the thrash craze of the 80s. But to be fair to these Englishmen, sticking out amidst a stable that included Coroner, Voivod, Helloween, Celtic Frost, Kreator, Sabbat, Tankard, Destruction, and a dozen other legacy acts of their caliber would be difficult for anyone to accomplish, so one can hardly count this among their faults...but fear not, because they've got plenty of others, beginning and ending with the fact that their songwriting and overall style were so painfully average that their acronym is about the only thing I could remember about them unless you were shoving this record directly into my face. And that's the problem, here, because by the time their debut Human Wreckage arrived, the medium had already been kicked into the stratosphere both commercially ('the Big Four') and artistically (Coroner, Artillery, and others either had released their brilliant showstoppers or were on the verge of doing so).

So...what was left of the pie for D.A.M. ('Destruction and Mayhem') to gnaw upon? Just a few chunks of apple or peach at the bottom, scraped up with a dull and rusted fork and swallowed with a stale pint. Now, I'm not trying to make the case that these gentlemen were incompetent by any means: Human Wreckage is comprised of the standard, serviceable sort of thrash you'd find in many urban/suburban neighborhoods in both the States and Europe throughout the 80s. Most of us had a handful of local bands on this level in either the demo stage or getting their first label break before the wave broke with The Black Album and grunge, but D.A.M.'s own bit opportunity placed them among giants, or rather, giants-in-the-making. So I guess I must state up front that some of my unfavorable reaction to this record was colored by expectations I held for what was easily my favorite label of the time. There was a particular standard of quality I imagined for all efforts under the Noise banner, with the possible exception of some of the borderline hard rock/metal light releases. Yeah, there were disappointments, like Cold Lake, but these were 'after the fact', poor decisions made by the artists and their management that had the misfortune to follow masterpieces.

But with a band like this, it seems like Karl-Ulrich Walterbach and crew might have just randomly chosen a tape out of the slushpile (sheer speculation, for all I know they were the object of a bidding war). Human Wreckage is composed of incredibly bland 'street enforcer' thrash with a distinctly New York feel highly reminiscent of not only Anthrax (Among the Living, State of Euphoria) but occasionally some of the hardcore/thrash crossovers like Cro-Mags or Leeway. The standard practice here is mid-paced, palm muted rhythm guitar progressions configured into 90% completely predictable patterns, with only the rare exception to appreciate. Everyman thrash in redux. Fist pumping, 'plain Jane' riffs that have almost no inspirational qualities which are often accelerated into basic tremolo picked speed/thrash sequences which are just as dry of compelling notation as the mosh parts. No superb melodies inherent within the rhythm guitar riffs, and almost no capacity to incorporate wicked sounding minor riffs to create anything despotic, threatening or evil. So it's 'street thrash' without the meanness. About the best you could say for the writing is that they're pretty good at tacking on a little atmospheric lead here or there to spare the listener from utter boredom...

This was a Harris Johns production, so the guitars are going to rule the roost, but obviously not one of the better records he worked on. Clean, but at the same time, sterile. The drums have dreadfully little power, generally just slim snare-driven beats over the mid-speed stuff and then occasionally a clumsy and ineffective semi-blast when they speed up, the kick having all the character of a plastic bucket. Bass guitars thump along with all the presence of a salaryman passing you on the subway, effortless echoes of the rhythm guitar, almost like a pale shadow of Frank Bello without the muscle and personality. Attempts to 'dress us' Human Wreckage with classical guitar intros ("M.A.D.") and interludes ("Vendetta") fall flat on their faces since the material they setup is just so drastically uninspired, and a whole lot of weight is left on the vocalist's shoulders to entertain us. And the guy tries, using a bitter layman inflection which shifts between a mid and higher range, spinning a bit of acid and vitriol in there that reminds me of a lot of second tier Teutonic thrashers' accents, with a bit of Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth influence for good measure, and some gang shouts to back him. Definitely a loose cannon, and a lot of his lines outright suck, but one gets the impression that with better music he would have become much more unhinged and entertaining.

Most of the lyrics are far from terrible (though the chorus of the title track tries hard), but just combing over the song titles seems like they just lifted them from other bands' names or song titles, and it only adds to the generic quality that has plagued Human Wreckage for going on 25 years. A drooling teenage Noise fanboy, I picked this up for the label association alone, and it was one of those tapes I put on my headphones and then quickly shelved, thinking that perhaps I just wasn't 'getting it' and I could go back to it later. Turns out that wasn't the case, this is just really banal thrash that might give Sabbat's Mourning Has Broken a run for its money as a sleeping aid. A few tolerable tunes like "Terror Squad" and "Aliens", but even those lack the big hooks and choruses that I did then and do now continue to demand of this genre. D.A.M. obviously enjoys performing thrash metal (otherwise they would not still be at it), but sadly Human Wreckage was straight-to-the-bargain-bin shovelware. The surplus of a beyond-saturated signing spree.

Verdict: Fail [4.25/10] (pumping your body with all that shite)

https://www.facebook.com/DAMmetal

Solothus - Summoned from the Void (2013)

At the risk of juggling semantics, one of the factors I found most compelling about Solothus' 2011 demo Ritual of the Horned Skull is just how much the 'doom' half of the doom/death equation plays into their actual construction of riffs. Pure, sorrow-stoking and gut-churning Sabbath-ian riffcraft above which the 'death' manifests as a guttural narrator with a deadpan dictation that feels like someone digging up your corpse and then repeatedly kicking your tombstone over onto your unwary remains. It wasn't just boring, slowed down death metal chord progressions with ominous, cavernous growls, but actually groovy and depressing in the tradition of bands like Candlemass or (earlier) Cathedral, albeit with the difference in vocals. Thankfully, the Finns have kept this formula intact for Summoned from the Void, their full-length debut coming out through the Spanish label Memento Mori.

Certainly this is crushing enough to tide me over until the next Hooded Menace record, but where Lasse Pyykkö's project is imbued with more of a camp classic horror kitsch to it, and employes more distinctly melodic riffing techniques, Solothus are brooding and bleak. At their perkiest, they'll erupt into a total old school death metal tremolo picked progression amidst the roiling low-tuned chugs and grooves, but holy fuck do they keep this shit HEAVY. There are subtleties among the generally lengthy cuts, especially the second guitar which often hovers at the edge of perception with cleaner picked notes or harmonies, but somehow they manage not to put me to sleep even with the straightforward palm muted pressure applied through a piece like "Plaguewing". Simple, atmospheric leads just explode over the facade of the chords ("Magus of Doom" has a measured ripper in there), and the listener is never allowed to escape the oppressive murk of the mix, or the steady, dirge-like drums interspersed with toms and monolithic tribal fills.

Bass is definitely 'felt' on the album, but it's not creating a lot of harmony or interesting depth below the rhythm guitars, something that might actually spice up the writing more with some fills. That said, when the layered growls nail you with that stereo effect, like simultaneous emanations from several alcoves in a sepulcher long abandoned by the living, and the guitars are drudging below, all the sunshine disappears instantly and you feel like you've got a gaping stomach wound and have to drag yourself around in agony. So, in other words, Summoned from the Void works as intended, and this is a positive step for the Finns with a truly negative, tunneling atmosphere that death/doom purists will truly appreciate. It's not amazing, perhaps, but with it grabs you immediately with the harrowing organ intro "Frostbane Overture" and then never lets you escape into the daylight again.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://solothus.com/

Besieged - Victims Beyond All Help (2010)

Victims Beyond All Help was originally self-released and passed around the underground a few years back, but is seeing an official CD issue through Unspeakable Axe, a new sub label of Dark Descent that focuses on thrash, crossover and other niches the parent imprint doesn't generally deal in. Canadians Besieged are naturally a good fit for the family, since they mete out a hybrid of traditional 80s extreme thrash and proto-death metal we have only rarely heard outside its initial surge, and is likely to appeal to purists seeking something more vicious than your standard crop of  West/Coast Bay Area worshipers or pizza thrash dorks. Not that the former doesn't play into Besieged's sound in a big way, but they push the parameters a bit more than, say, Warbringer.

This is short, fast as fuck, and completely to the point, musically and vocally reminded me of Dark Angel's Darkness Descends if it were ramped up into a current studio production scheme and peppered with some death metal influence circa Morbid Angel (Altars of Madness) and Ripping Corpse (Dreaming of the Dead), or perhaps even more accurately, Morbid Saint's Spectrum of Death. Riffing progressions are often reminiscent of records like Slayer's Reign in Blood, Sepultura's Schizophrenia and Beneath the Remains, Razor's Violent Restitution and Kreator's Extreme Aggression, yet explosive enough to scratch that 'hyper-thrash' itch one might feel for a band like Japan's Fastkill. To be honest, when broken down into individual patterns, the rhythm guitars aren't particularly interesting or catchy, largely comprised of chords or mutes in sequences you've likely experienced before, but they'll add just enough of a melodic texture in there to keep the fists flying and the punches effective and balanced (as in "Buried Alive").

The writing is in general frenetic and more concerned with reaching and exceeding the speed limit more so than sticking on the brain, and thus the compositions are rarely as evil sounding as their influences, but I think there's certainly room for this sort of sheer abuse, and enough variety with some mid-paced breakdown neck wrenching rhythms that it doesn't grow too stale or monotonous. Vocals are barked roughly in the vein of Don Doty or an earlier Max Cavalera, occasionally with a sustained, faintly guttural growl. Drums have a pretty natural mix with the snares at the forefront, typical for this sort of thrash. Leads are rampant and efficient but not dowsed in excess effects, so they can seem a bit arbitrary and dry as opposed to giving the tunes an extra boost in atmosphere, but then again I could not imagine this style without them, and there is clearly enough technique being applied. Probably my only gripe with the production was the lack of really notable bass, it's just sort of weaving and hurtling along with the rhythm guitar and doesn't stand out.

Did I enjoy Victims Beyond All Help? As a sort of high intensity therapy, or a brain-flossing of frustrations in my daily grind, I'd say it was fun in small spurts, but didn't leave a huge impression on me in terms of the mix, the songwriting or the vocals. The playing is tight, the aggression is there in spades, but thrash for me has always been about writing those massive hooks that carry the day, and Besieged does not have many such instances through this exhibition of ferocity, and part of that is just because I've heard a thousand similar riffs over the decades. I did find myself temporarily raging along to a few of the tunes like "Internal Suffering" and "Trapped Inside", the latter of which is like a fusion between Vio-lence and Dark Angel, but even these started to run off of exhaust after a few cycles of repetition. But, as I hinted at above, there are not a lot of bands occupying this specific niche, so if a composite of the influences I listed earlier sounds appealing to you, then this is a no-bullshit, no-gimmick emission of pavement-tearing testosterone.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

https://www.facebook.com/Besiegedthrash?filter=1

Megadeth - Super Collider (2013)

I think I'm at the point now where I hold absolutely no expectations for whatever Dave Mustaine thinks up next, because for nearly two decades now, it's never been a question of 'will this be mediocre or will it suck?' but rather 'just how mediocre, JUST HOW SUCK.' Sure, Endgame was a great time, but only because he saw fit to return to the record that blew the ceiling off Megadeth's career (Rust in Peace) rather than forge off into a compelling new direction. This guy is hands down one of the worst decision makers in the medium, which is a pity, since you have to admit that he has no issue morphing the band's sound to fit whatever whimsy he's got this year or next. In the proper hands, that can be a positive and potent trait for a musical franchise, but in Mustaine's it has become a piece of cheap putty that rarely takes the shape anyone in the audience would enjoy. Cryptic Writings, Risk, The World Needs a Hero, The System Has Failed, United Abominations, Th1rt3en, and now Exhibit G of the Megadeth Trainwreck: Super Collider, an effort which is so creatively misguided that I had to dial 911 for a pair of EMTs to come and jump start my brain again with electrodes. And so pathetic that it makes its superstitious predecessor almost triumphant by comparison!

It's a little bit late to write this off as a midlife crisis ('everybody gets one'). No, this is just outright weak. The Dave Ellefson bass lines that set up "Kingmaker" gave me a few seconds of hope that I was about to get my ass kicked, and then it all falls apart, with a track that is more or less a series of dull swaggering chugs that had me fearing a "Sweating Bullets II", busting out into a chorus that is essentially a rehash of "Symphony of Destruction" with the descending melodic chords sped up. "Super Collider" is a rock song with Pearl Jam bass guitars, angsty filtered vocals and the one bright spot being the first few seconds of the lead. "Burn!" is boring, effortless chug reduction with bluesy wah wah leads. I had complained on the prior album about just how insipid and uninspired a lot of Mustaine's riffing choices have become, but this takes it to a whole other level of miserable, with songs that couldn't have taken the guy more than five minutes to assemble. This is the same person we used to venerate as a guitar god...for fuck's sake, just listen to his playing on Rust in Peace. Listen to how the songs were crafted, the techniques employed and embedded into even the rhythm playing. Super Collider is more like a sequel to Youthanasia, only with that record the catchy choruses were legion enough to compensate for the simplified, slower pacing and rock structure of the songwriting. Not so much this time, where you'll almost never hear a surprise melody or vocal hook worth repeating.

One could definitely characterize Super Collider as a mix of Dave's hard rock influences (felt through a lot of the groovy picking progressions on tunes like the bridge of "Dance in the Rain" or "Built for War" (the latter having a slightly modern Metallica feel) with the 'bare minimum' of what makes a Megadeth metal track. They're not about to throw in the towel entirely, and remind us through the leads and occasionally a riff of the sleek and dextrous playing that built the band's following. But it's all for show...I never came away thinking it was integral for any particular song, and even when you've got a middling, inoffensive piece like "Off the Edge", Dave will go and cock it up with some generic layman lyrics that disintegrate any potential interest. A pity, because there are actually a handful of positive things I can say for the disc. The bass-playing, while not strong in its note choices, sounds voluminous and really helps round out the overall balance of instruments, so we know at least one of the members is 'performing', he merely needs better songs to work with. I would also laud the complete production of the record...it's modern, but fresh, in more ways than one an update to Youthanasia's concentrated layers of depth, rhythmic punch and brightness. Good guitar tones, lead effects, good vocal mix, and anything Shawn Drover applies a stick or foot to is clear as day, though he too is quite restricted by a lot of the predictable rock beats.

I'm also not going to write off the record strictly on the whole 'guest vocalist' debacle, with David Draiman of Disturbed appearing deeper into "Dance in the Rain", because: A) Who gives a shit!? I might not like his mainstay band either, but the guy genuinely digs metal and Megadeth, and was happy to be a part of this; and B) because the explosion at the end of that song, with Dave and David shouting vocals in uniform, is set to the best pure Megadeth riff anywhere on this thing. If there were a dozen or even a half-dozen more instances of this throughout Super Collider, it would have been a more pleasurable experience. But therein lies the issue: a moment of intensity and passion like this one serves only to cripple and leaden the rest of the record. At best, you're going to get a semi-catchy piece like "Beginning of Sorrow", the strongest overall use of riffing and melody with the nice male/female backing choir chorus, and a structure that reminded me of what I enjoyed off the Countdown to Extinction/Youthanasia era. On the other end, you'll get "The Blackest Crow", where the idea is to dress up some very boring, basic crunch riffs with a fiddle intro and outro to create a 'country Megadeth'. Gosh, man, you are so eclectic and open minded that it tickles me! The cover of Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat" is passable, I suppose, but I just wish most of the originals were actually heavier than this...

In another, just world, records like Risk and Super Collider would have been branded as Dave Mustaine solo efforts, dicking around with mainstream rock and hard rock music, blues or whatever he felt like and not polluting the joy that was once Megadeth. Granted, I am not now or ever opposed to a band experimenting with its sound for any reason if the end result is good music, but Mustaine has yet to prove to me that he can pull it off with any lineup. You might 'outgrow' thrash and speed metal, sir, but you'll not surpass it with the likes of this unmemorable tripe. Super Collider is a bargain bin effort before you've even hit the cover tune, with often middling lyrics and even more unimaginative music that simply can't be ignored because he threw a cello here, or a fiddle there. It's also, unfortunately, the worst Megadeth record in 14 years, second only to Risk in serving as rock bottom for their entire career. The twist is that there are a good 5-7 minutes of ideas here that serve as a painful reminder to just what we're all missing out on when this man is not on his game. Vic turned his back on us the last time, and now he's nowhere to be found. Frowny face. I might not be holding my breath for another masterful record like Peace Sells... or Rust in Peace, but some part of me still believes in your musical ability, Mr. Mustaine. We don't need "Holy War 2" (you already did that), but for the love of whatever God or philosophy you're following this week, stop fucking around and KILL US WITH RIFFS.

Verdict: Fail [3.75/10]

http://www.megadeth.com/

Charged - In Vice (1989)

I think it's understandable that many metal fans at large became familiar with the Finnish scene through either its death or black metal scenes of the 90s, or perhaps the Gothic metal explosion that was headed up by acts like H.I.M. or The 69 Eyes. All had a far higher visibility than the country's thrash or trad heavy metal output from the prior decade, and personally I found the stuff pretty hard to find. Oz' Fire in the Brain, Tarot's Spell of Iron and the first three Stone records were about the only things I could find as a teen, until I was posthumously introduced to the obscure trinity of Antidote, A.R.G. and Airdash, who put out a handful of good albums. Certainly, though, this was not a place known for a prolific thrash subculture (like Germany), so in the years since its been a quest of mine to track down any obscurities I can find from the area, like the fantastic Vantaa act Protected Illusion who are the very definition of a 'diamond in the rough'. Charged is another I've come across, an unknown who were playing an answer to the style of speed/thrash popularized by Metallica in the mid-80s with Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets...

...and In Vice is clearly honoring that influence, especially in the formation of charging guitar riffs embedded with the dense muted picking. Tracks like "A.C.N.R." and "Firedancer" sound more or less like outtakes from those very albums, only given a bit of fiery radiation circa later 80s Nuclear Assault, and rougher sounding, everyman vocals more reminiscent of other Metallica-inspired thrashers like Boston's Wargasm and Meliah Rage or England's Xentrix with a fraction more of an impish/crossover splatter. In fact, this is quite like a composite of Why Play Around?, Kill to Survive and Shattered Existence, and anyone heavily into those records would probably derive the most enjoyment out of Charged's well-meaning but ultimately unambitious effort. That it sank so quickly into the slushpile of the sub-genre doesn't really surprise me, since few bands after '88 were really able to cash in their chips for an enduring legacy in the medium, and this was on a small label with zero promotion (I at least don't recall reading about it or seeing ads in my magazines); but In Vice captures the time and place of its inspiration well enough that I'd easily trade in a bunch of half-rate teen thrashers of the 21st century aping Exodus and Anthrax for another listen. Hell, the fact that it's a 'one and done' effort for the Finns gives it a sort of fatalistic appreciation, like you're discovering it in an attic of broken or abandoned dreams.

Hi-octane, meaty speed/thrash riffing progressions rule the roost here, void of any real technicality but primal and pulverizing as they always were, and tunes like "Surprise Kills", "A.C.N.R." and "Surgery" are admittedly viral enough to flood the valves with teenage testosterone, especially the last of the three which has some cruel guitar tails/fills redolent of Vio-Lence, Destruction, Death Angel and Whiplash. They often break up such 'rush' rhythms with some more scalpel-liked melodic picking, harmonics or spotty cleaner guitars to provide a busier atmosphere, though they tend to shy away from notable leads which in my opinion can lead to an emptiness at the center of a 3-4 minute song moving at such velocity. The bass and snare drums are fitful and forceful, with the cymbals hovering just above the rhythm guitar and hardly stressful on the ear, just a 'ssssshhh' here or there that creates a percussive reverb. Bass guitar lines, on the other hand, are thick as swill, especially on a piece like "Inquisition" where you can make them out the most, yet they're not prone to carving out the most interesting strings of notes and are too often subsumed by the rhythm guitars. As for the vocals, I rather enjoyed the production, they have just enough filth to them, and some reverb that helps waft them up into the record's rafters where from where they mock and caution the listener.

For all purposes, In Vice is also a well structured effort where the speedier pieces are broken up by some mid paced pure headbangers like "Firedancer" and "Metal Eyes". They even experiment with a slower and moodier, but no less riffy 'epic' number in "Twisted in Vice" where the vocals are occasionally layered to create a more hazy atmospheric effect, though in that very same song some of the drearier lines sound like ass. In general, the note progressions are reasonably hashed out, I just think they suffer from a severe lack of creativity, and aren't good enough to stand out when bands like Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica, Paradox, Deathrow, Coroner, Artillery were producing such top notch, interesting material. If you were to line up Charged against, say, Rust in Peace, or By Inheritance, the more intricate and exciting guitars of those would make this look like a wheezing marathon runner nearly unable to cross the finish line. My enjoyment of In Vice started and ended with its nostalgia factor: this isn't bad by any means, and with additional years and records' worth of development they might have made a name for themselves...but it was just too late in the 'Golden Age' thrash cycle, and neither the band cared (splitting up after the album) nor anyone else.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

Butcher - Astral Karma (1993)

A band so obscure that I'm sure its own members have difficulties trying to recall it, Brazil's Butcher was nonetheless an interesting commodity in that it was performing a far more classically tinted, progressive brand of thrash metal amidst a scene rife with dirtier, black and death-fused acts or others clinging desperately to the coattails of the national heroes and pioneers Sepultura, who were by that time blowing up across the world to the point that labels were interested in headhunting a few other South American acts who might compare. Astral Karma was the quartet's sole full-length effort, released through Cogumelo after years of demos, but my own first encounter with them was the Warfare Noise III split (same label) that featured several other equally-unknown groups who had themselves only ever gotten to the demo level. Props to Butcher for cranking up its career a notch, however futile or fleeting the end result, and also for taking such a unique approach to the medium, which is simply unlike anything else of its time in its geographical region.

The writing here is characterized by a heavy use of technical, often indulgent riffing that walks a fine line between pure neoclassical shred, fusion jazz influences and a surgical depth redolent of the German bands Mekong Delta and especially Deception Ignored-era Deathrow, which is naturally what drew me into Astral Karma, being an incurable whore for that style. In fact I would not be surprised to find that album, The Music of Erich Zahn, Voivod's Dimension Hatross, Watchtower's Control and Resistance, DBC's Universe, or early Coroner and Psychotic Waltz in the guitar player's collection, because he manages to put his own spin on comparable picking techniques that are easily the dominant factor on this album. The bass playing is likewise intelligent, fluid and busy, far more than you'd expect of peers like Sepultura or even The Mist, though it suffers from being a little lower in the mix than the rhythm guitars and vocals, so you can't exactly bask in the man's skill even when you want to (but it's audible enough to brand the guy a South American Ron Royce). Solos are heavily technique driven and not all that compelling on their own merits, but then again, most of the rhythm progressions could be considered 'leads' for other bands, so you're getting plenty of fretboard exploration at any given moment.

There's not a lot of 'boom' to the kick drums, but the snares are dominant and powerful enough to allow the listener's mind to access the contours and momentum of each rhythm guitar sequence, while laying in a number of great fills and grooves to the shifting landscape of technicality. Vocals are a gritty, grainy style that actually reminded me of Snake (Voivod) in the later 80s or when he was punking it up on the reunion discs. Obviously this is a lot more monotonous and exhibits less range than the guitars, but with just the right level of reverb on them I enjoy how they crash against the instruments and 'center' the recording, keeping it firmly rooted into the thrash perspective rather than letting the guitars fly off the hook. Which it could very easily do, because while Butcher was not as manic or dense as Florida's Cynic or Russia's Аспид (Aspid), Astral Karma was clearly focused on an audience of musicians rather than your garden variety hi-top sporting Anthrax and Nuclear Assault 'banger. 'Dressed to impress', despite the budget restrictions on the production, but unfortunately the 90s had become a dead zone for this style...why else would an album like Deception Ignored, arriving later in the previous decade, not continue to make ripples? Fuckin' gangster rap and grunge!

Now, Astral Karma is not without a few flaws. The lyrics read like pseudo-science prose, and contain a lot of cool imagery, but can seem a little hard to follow being that English was likely not the members' primary tongue. The pure prog/fusion rock pieces like "Spiritual Space" or "Analytical Soldier" are hardly mandatory, even if they open up the listener to the band's more eclectic than usual influences. Both are performed smoothly and help to break up the raging neighbors, but they don't serve much other purpose other to confirm the band's jazzier experimentation just shy of Pestilence's Spheres or Cynic's Focus. Inaugurating the song "UFOs" with a morsel of the Close Encounters theme is a little cheesy, but at the very least they compensate with a pretty incredible track that sounds like what might occur if Yngwie Malmsteen had guested on a Voivod record and made Piggy's eyes roll up in consternation. I also had mentioned that the leads are quite formulaic and predictable if you're a heavy fan of the scale based classical style, and this occasionally extends into the rhythm guitars of tunes like "Inside" or "Quest" which feel like pretty familiar patterns even for the 80s/90s. Astral Karma also cycles through so much material in attempts to flood its audience with content that it doesn't dwell on its more memorable riffs quite long enough...

That said, if you can track this down (and let's be honest, that will likely have to be in digital form), it's well worth the time for any fan of this small, limited niche of the thrash or power metal market. I wouldn't go so far to dub it 'brilliant', since it hasn't exactly molded or changed my life like No More Color, Deception Ignored or Control and Resistance, but for an 'out of nowhere' recording, Butcher's talents were substantial, and they packed a lot of effort into this that, in a just world, would have panned out into them securing further releases and building up a following. As it stands, Astral Karma is all we've really got to remember them by, but its well worth listening to, especially in today's environment where Vektor has (deservedly) become such a player in proving that intelligent thrash still has some life to it. You could 100% imagine Butcher as a proto-Vektor, just a bit rougher around the edges, so if that comparison lights up your groin, please check this out and revel in the might-have-been.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10] (in the story of a closed book)