Lividity - To Desecrate and Defile (2009)

Lividity are one of those Midwestern death metal bands who have been plugging away for a very long time at what they do, 16 years in fact. To Desecrate and Defile is their fourth full-length effort, and a tight one. I've never really gotten into any of their previous releases, and this isn't about to change that, but I will admit that the band sounds better than ever before, with a good, vibrant thrust to the album (no pun intended) that lovingly delivers the bands sadistic, sexually charged debauchery. As usual, the album is loaded with samples, some from more obvious sources (like Jason Mewes or The 40-Year Old Virgin) and some from porn obscurity. Lividity have always had a stronger hand at these than most bands, they know where and when to place them to deliver the most 'thrills' (never just at the intro), and I'd almost consider them an instrument at this point.

The vocals are your typical Carcass or Deicide twin clusterfuck, with bludgeoning guttural death grunts and savage snarls. The drumming is fluid, and the guitar tone kicks ass. While the band's sound isn't quite original, rooted in the forefathers Suffocation, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, and Morbid Angel, they have been at this long enough that they are no simple carbon copy. There is a playful edge to their deliciously menstrual ministrations that often erupts into some total slam death cheese (Lividity are one of the forefathers of that whole scene, whether the countless copies realize it or not), but I'm not complaining, because when these rhythms erupt I usually feel the urge myself. Just the right amount of compact, thick palm mutes, squeals and concrete rhythm. To choose some of the more standout tracks here, I'll go with the lurching "Surrounded by Disgust", which very carefully builds upon its slow pace with a caustic atmosphere of grinding guitars; "Cadaver Dogs" has a deceptively simple groove that becomes incredibly infectious once you give yourself into it; "Funerary Chambers" glistens like a freshly bloodied surgical blade, and "Orgasmic Flesh Feed" has some winding, hostile old school death rhythms which ride above its pummeling undercurrent like a subway molestor.

Also of note, Lividity offer up two covers of the German legends Blood: "Wie Krieger Sterben" and "Roman Whores", which are both thoroughly entertaining with their mix of samples, orchestration and grinding holocaust. On the whole, To Desecrate and Defile is an entertaining album. The band is not loaded with riffs like some of their peers, but the combination of samples, entertaining slam segments, and fist fucking faster death metal makes for a nice evening to spend with the kids. It's the best I've heard yet from the band, and perhaps good enough that I should take the stick out of my ass and listen again to their past efforts. Death metal, done American, done sexy and done justice.

Highlights: Surrounded by Disgust, Cadaver Dogs, Funerary Chambers, Orgasmic Flesh Feed

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/lividity

Nominon - Omen EP (2009)

Nominon have released this 4-track EP as a teaser for their upcoming album, now signed through Deathgasm Records. Once again, this is a release purely for the fans of the band, as there would simply not be enough value contained within to lavish money upon it unless you are collecing their releases. Nominon are another of the Swedish bands who (for years now) have been promoting and performing a very old school brand of death metal, which tempers the sounds of Swedish classics Entombed/Grave with some early American influence. I've enjoyed some of their full-length efforts, especially Diabolical Bloodshed and Recremation, but for all its loyalty and energy, I only found a few of the riffs here satisfying.

"Omen" leads off, the representative of their forthcoming new album, with a feral, grinding energy that hits a pretty catchy old school riff before the minute mark. The lead and churning rhythm below are also quite intense, but otherwise the song did not catchy my attention. "Invocations" is a re-recorded track from the band's Blaspheming the Dead EP (2003), and it explodes at you, with a killer lead off hook. The solo here is once again cool, as Juha Sulasalmi's vocal echoes over it and the guitars chug along beneath. Though it's old news, this is probably the best song on this release. "Through Dead Dreams Door" is another newer track, but it's another good song (and better than "Omen" in my opinion), which evokes a horrific atmosphere, as if you were being stalked through some condemned hospital by a mad surgeon intent on some malpractice. The fourth and final cut is a live rendition of their great "Submit to Evil", from Recremation (2005). Sounds like it would be pretty sick to experience in a live setting, but kind of hard to make out on this recording (except the vocals, which sound great).

If you're already a big fan of Nominon and their Swedish death peers like Paganizer, Ripspreader, and the like, and you're collecting all their output, Omen is 16 minutes you might not want to miss. The re-recorded "Invocations" and "Through Dead Dreams Door" are the meat of the material, but I could care less for the title track or the live. It's ever the burden of an EP to entertain you enough for its short playlength, which is why so few are really worth the time (the best being EPs that contain 4-6 tracks of exclusive material). If you're new to Nominon's sound, I'd highly advise checking out their first two albums before any of their shortform releases.

Verdict: Indifference [6/10]

http://www.nominon.com/

Coven - Boneless Christian (1993)

It was hard being a thrash band in 1993, unless your name was Metallica, or Sepultura, or Pantera. And yet, others were plodding along, including Coven of Washington, who released their third and final 'opus' Boneless Christian. It had been four years since Death Walks Behind You, and the time away had certainly made a few changes in the band's sound. You have a few different guitar players adding guitar solos here, some new members, and some of the songs were written by an outside contributor. The core of the band's sound remains: meaty thrash metal with sacrilegious and bordering on stupid lyrics. But there are quite a few subtle differences that made this album a letdown.

Let's talk about improvements though. The bass and drums on this album are a far cry better than the previous releases. The bass really pops along below the thick palm mutes, and the drums feel far more vibrant and punishing. Before it was the guitar and vocals that drove the band's compositions, the rhythm section was simply hanging along for the ride. Listen to the bass in "Christsycle/Reaming the Pope" to hear the change. No, on this album, it's actually the vocals that take the back seat.

Sure, they still have the tendency to infect when they start opening up, but I found most of patterns here kind of silly and dumb.They bounce around in abandon over a slew of busy if not so memorable guitar rhythms, and while an argument can be made that this is the band's most 'polished' studio effort, it's also very cheesy and feels like the well of Hell has finally dried up. I think the ridiculous "Fuckin' a Nun" has the only set of guitar rhythms here that I could get behind. Even when the band gets a little more thoughtful in the riffing, like the almost proggish thrash that starts to take shape in "Boneless Christian", I wasn't hooked. The vocals throughout most of the album are weak, aside from a few points at which they carry some of their earlier, Tom Araya influence.

Fed up with a diet of force-fed religion
With every problem, therein lies it's own solution
We could feed every Christian
To the hungry and the homeless
But before you do, you'd better
Make sure they're boneless!

By this point, devouring Christians and having sex with nuns were old hat. Death metal bands like Cannibal Corpse had arrived and spewed such sickening gore that the metal fanbase was quickly becoming desensitized. Bands like Coven, who once had the shock value to match their freakish riffing and vocals, sounded tame by comparison, and this album really falls flat. Where before the band maintained a crunchy, wild composure to their writing that hooked me for two albums, Boneless Christian very much feels like a phoned in failure to achieve a past glory. The musicianship is not all that bad, but there just aren't any songs here that I can sink my fangs into. Seriously, not a single song that I would ever want to replay.

Highlights: Nun?!? I meant none.

Verdict: Fail [4.5/10] (this is the tale of Satan's tool)

http://www.myspace.com/911fun

Coven - Death Walks Behind You (1989)

Another year and another Coven album, the Washington scum sacrificing a little of their absurdity for a slightly more cohesive and serious affair. Don't be mistaken, there are still some giddy moments on Death Walks Behind You, but I found the band a lot more convincing this time around, if not really improved. While this album certainly sounds cleaner and has a few more overall riffs than its predecessor, it seems to deflate outside of a few better tracks, and the studio sterility robs a little of that grisly charm which identified Blessed is the Black. Jay Clark had tightened up his vocals, but they still possess some charisma and the ability to just fly off the handle like he did so often on the previous album.

This album starts off with one of Coven's better overall tracks, the mighty "Too Late to Pray", with the similar, excess crunch you were expecting. The vocals are on fire, and the riffs transform from a mid paced thrust to some breakdowns (i.e. mosh pit fuel), yet the excitement never slips away. "Ministry of Lies" is an average thrasher, reminding me of something off Sacred Reich's Ignorance only not as dense or pulverizing. "Spellbinder" has an outrageous energy in spite of its simple, flowing riffs, there is a forward momentum which recalls a song like "A Lesson in Violence" from Exodus, and this is definitely one of my favorites for this sophomore album. "Succubus" is another of their slower, rocking tracks, with some sloppy, squirrelous leads and a choppy crunch to the riffing which would not have been out of place on an album like Znöwhite's Act of God. It also has some of their most entertaining lyrics since "Iron Dick" on the first album.

Bitch of death and disease, whore to hell's master of slaves
Slut, going down on her knees, sucking you into the grave
Spreading her legs in air, Succubus weaving her spell
Consumed by her cavern of death
She opens her gateway to hell

The title track is about the equal of the opener, a pulse pounder with a great rhythm, again in the Exodus camp for its juicy cruelty, like a thrash steak simmering on a barbecue afternoon. "Frozen Bones" and "Propaganda" are both solid tracks, the rival of anything else on here except maybe the opening track, and "Justified Suicide" is anchored by a crazy vocal performance from Clark, his range rising and falling like a meat cleaver in a Sorority House. There is a nice breakdown here which should have had any pit in stitches. The serial killer anthem "Ted Bundy" is also pretty good, and unlike Blessed is the Black, the late album ballad here, "Silent Night (Violent Night") has some actual teeth to it, though it stands alongside "Ministry of Lies" as a skippable track.

Death Walks Behind You is truly a more solid lay than its slutty, older sister. It lasts longer, and there is more thrust to it, but it fails to reach the climax that came out of that raw, cavernous volcano of skin. Most of the tracks are as heavy if not heavier, yet you get the feeling it had already been done, and there is very little evolution aside from an obviously superior budget and attention to the mixing process. It's definitely good, just not great. If you enjoyed Blessed is the Black, then it does not deter from that path.

Highlights: Too Late to Pray, Spellbinder, Frozen Bones, Propaganda

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] (he contemplates the price that he has paid)

http://www.myspace.com/911fun

Coven - Blessed is the Black (1988)

While Washington State is best known for its grunge/rock movement, it always had a pretty thriving metal scene, heavily dominated by melodic bands in the 80s like Queensryche, Fifth Angel and Sanctuary. However, the grimy underbelly of the Northwest also had its cruel side, and that manifested in underground thrash titans like Forced Entry, Bitter End, and the oh-so-Antichrist Coven. Which a riff style similar to a chompier Slayer, and a hostile vocal dementia, this band were out to destroy all through a no-frills, meaty thrashing and a mockery of all things Holy. They produced three albums from 1988-1993, and of them all, their debut Blessed is the Black still shines the most, like the gleam of a succubus wing.

Coven were not a complicated band. The formula is very simple: write riff, and clobber. Write another riff, and clobber some more. It took me some years to adapt to their crunchy guitar tone, but I think now I can say that I enjoy it, at least across their first two albums. Jay Clark's vocals are simply insane here, like early Hetfield/Araya if the two were being crushed in a vice with their balls about to explode against one another. Every now and then he'll break into some uncouth scream which almost places the band in cheesy power metal territory, but most of the riffs here remind me of one particular band: Venom. Sure, Coven were a little more modern, a little beefier, and certainly heavier, but there is a humor to what they do which recounts the shock tactics of England's most hated (and loved) band.

Blessed is the Black breaks out the big guns first, in the title track. A melody winds along aside some of their grainy, Cap'n Crunch guitars, and to be fair it's quite a good riff that tears right out of the speakers and has your head banging hard. Clark's vocals are fucking beautiful here, a throat no longer possessed by a human being, but whatever demon has sauntered forth to dwell within. "6669" erupts with a riff reminiscent of later, filthy late 80s street Venom, while once again Clark captures the listener with some very catchy, fun vocals. This is pretty awesome, especially some of the band's tongue in cheek lyrics, like:

Six six sixy nine
Copulation with a corpse
Demons rape her rotting hole
Fucked and left to die

Sense of humor aside, these were some pretty blunt and disgusting lyrics for 1988, and it often feels like the band uses them for shock value, but at least on this album, they really jibe with the riffing. "Burn the Cross" has an infectious, slower paced riff, I would totally blast this out of my car. This is what they were actually listening to in Hell while Twisted Sister was on Earth TV playing "Burn In Hell." "Out of the Grave" develops a creepy acoustic segment, and the band is more restrained, with Clark using a cleaner vocal style not unlike Erik A.K. (Flotsam & Jetsam) from No Place for Disgrace. This could be considered a heavy metal power ballad by Coven standards, but honestly...it's pretty good. "Rock This Church" is more like "Burn This Church", a fist pumper which creates visions of hairsprayed 80s youths throwing bricks and beercans through the stained glass fixtures at their local cathedral. And then we arrive at "Iron Dick", which is so goddamn lame that I can't help but smile at the ridiculous lyrics.

Pulsating steel protrudes from my thighs
She who spreads is she who dies
Long as my arm and five times as thick
You'll die at the end of my iron dick

"The Monger" boasts another of the infectious speed rhythms that flourish a little melody while maintaining a meathook core. Fans of Piledriver, Hallows Eve and other early, dirty thrash metal felt right at home here, and even the retarded lyrics of "McDonaldland Massacre" cannot completely piss on the parade of its charging mosh pit angst. You don't want to admit it, because it's just so dumb, but you would bang your head to this and sing along, and so would I. "Another Life" is a pretty bland ballad, though it is still identifiable as Coven it really does not belong here. The acoustic riff is aimless and the keyboards sound like shit, only the vocals shine. But the album ends on another high note, the melodic thrasher "Creature of Duty (And My Duty is Death)", which pops with Hellish glee as it sparks into another Hallows Eve, low-down charge.

How does it hold up? I'd say for the 6-7 stronger tracks on the album, quite well. The sound is so crisp and crunchy that it might take some getting used to, but if you liked vile and dirty thrash metal in the 80s which really sold itself on the wild hostility of its vocalist and a solid set of backing riffs, the appeal is obvious. This debut remains the most fun of their catalog, and while the band is often overlooked for the more impressive, technical speed/thrash metal acts of their day, this album at least is worth owning for collectors.

Highlights: Burn the Cross, Rock This Church, Iron Dick, The Monger, Creature of Duty (And My Duty is Death)

Verdict: Win [8/10] (brought to life a slave of death)

http://www.myspace.com/911fun

Bestial Warlust - Blood & Valor (1995)

One anno later, the hellish minions regrouped and recalculated their assault upon the pearly gates of taste and heaven. Over a feast of charbroiled and barbecued angel wings and cherubim fat, the plan was to recruit two new bastard motherfuckers for the guitar and bass, as Corpsemolester and K.K. Warslut were finally, completely consumed by the fiery flames (well, the latter faked it and went on with his other affront against God, Deströyer 666). Enter Battleslaughter, master of sharpened axes, and Fiend of the Deep, his bludgeoning counterpart. Infernal communion was taken, a pact of virgins blood and ill intentions, and then the band churned out the superior and cult worthy sophomore effort Blood & Valor.

The style here was not largely different than Vengeance War Till Death. Still a mix of black and death metal extremity, leaning towards the former, but what stands out here is the great production. Where the previous work was simply the back alley metal band of downtown Hades, this new Bestial Warlust were equipped to rock the finest underground clubs and tear the ears from their listeners, leaving them wanting even more. Damon Bloodstorm's vocals here took on more of a direct, malevolent hostility, though maintaining the previous tones. On a scale of all things evil and punishing in Australia, Blood & Valor ranks up there with Hobbs' Angel of Death, Ivan Milat and Sadistik Exekution.

The title track is de-Christened in noisy feedback before the thriving black/death rhythms erupt. A lot less start and stop of the drums here, Hellcunt has his shit together and just steamrolls you for pretty much the entire album. "Death Rides Out" follows, an entirely sinister piece which is probably one of my favorite tracks from the band. Driving, uncompromising, with vocal slather which feels as if the devil were a cannibalistic inmate at some backwater prison, just escaped and is taunting and devouring every person he encounters. Stopping for a cigarette (before lifting the grate and throwing the lit butt down into the reservoir), we hear the acoustic holocaust winds that introduce "Prelude: Descention Hells Blood", another pretty damn good song with some acidic guitar work and sheer hostile intent. "Barbaric Horde" features some solid grinding black ethics, but I didn't get much out of it aside from the expected feeling of having been bulldozed. "...'till the End" has some chaotic vitriol in the chorus, and the bridge rhythm is quite lovingly disgusting with the way the vocals interact over the chords. And then, at about 1:20, the song unveils its hidden evil with an excellent riff.

Striving through the distant land
Through storms of fire
In search of a battle unforgotten
The one we desire
Lost is the force of will
Our pride still defies
We shall forge on relentless
Even till the end of time

The lyrics here almost feel subdued compared to some of the previous album, yet another field in which Bestial Warlust have improved. "Within the Storm" is a 5:30 instrumental track, and while pretty good, it might not have suffered for vocals. It does have some moments of careening leads, and morose melodies; perhaps the choice was made to forego lyrics and slowly build and highlight these specific parts. "Legion of Wrath" opens with a volley of fists and a brief, bloody shredding over the surge of guitars. This is pure fucking warfare, and another of the Australian band's most excellent songs. Simple, violent and effective, much like the following "Orgy of Souls (Hallowed Night)", though it blasts a little harder, flesh eroding flesh like a witch who has been knocking leather boots with the devil for too long. "I the Warrior" is a grim march into oblivion for both the album and the band, though it strikes hard and fast with some chaotic riffing and unforgiving drum work.

They would release one further demo (and a song on the Headbangers Against Disco Vol. 1 split with Sabbat, Infernö, and Gehennah), but a few years after Blood & Valor, it was all the end for Bestial Warlust. But the band ended their career on a high note, as Blood & Valor completely crushes their debut album. Sure, it's a little less hilarious, and it has a few tracks which lag behind the rest, but this is a bonafide classic of early Australian extreme metal, and should do well by any fan of the band's constituents (Abominator, Cemetary Urn, Gospel of the Horns, Deströyer 666, and so forth).

Highlights: Prelude: Descention Hells Blood, ...'Till the End, Within the Storm, Legion of Wrath

Verdict: Win [8/10] (avenging, killing, destroying, charging)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestial_warlust

Bestial Warlust - Vengeance War Till Death (1994)

Did you grow up a metalhead around a bunch of friends, family, lovers, and co-workers who didn't understand the genre of music you enjoyed? Were you constantly berated? Did your peers and parents ever ask you why you listened to that goddamn noise? Did people ever exclaim to you 'Music? That's not fucking music!' My friends, the band they were all referring to (specifically) was named Bestial Warlust, and they were a 5-man wrecking crew from Melbourne with handles like Damon Bloodstorm, Chris Corpsemolestor, Keith Destroyer, Joe Skullfucker, and my personal favorite, Markus Hellcunt. Up to this point, they had been dubbed Corpse Molestation and released a slew of demos, but Vengeance War Till Death was their debut album after the name change, and Gods what a fucking racket we had here.

Yes, Bestial Warlust would honour the negative stereotypes of their art and then go personally yank the spines out of every naysayer with their blasphemer, then rolling over their quivering, gelatinous corpses with a tank forged with the steel of Hell. If this sounds like a rousing recommendation for the album, well, it's not exactly. Musically, there is not much value aside from the ripping extremity, but to quote my favorite local gas station chain's slogan, 'It Kicks!' Vengeance War Till Death is a grinding, roiling mass of black metal hostility with barks and snarls and tinny start/stop drumming. The lyrics are absurd, like Venom taking a pair of shotguns and embarking on a pig hunt through the nine layers. If Paul Hogan took a bowie knife and then killed and skinned all humanity, before sitting down for a beer, and then the credits rolled, this would be playing over them.

The band's m.o. "Bestial Warlust" pours out of the speakers like the hellish cavalry that grace its cover art, a mass of flailing limbs that pick up guitars and grind the horrid fuck out of you as the drums play some pretty annoying, stop/start blasts and the guitars burst into shred leads and otherwise high velocity death metal rhythms. Bloodstorm almost sounds like the bully down the street invading your shitty grindcore band's practice and groaning on growling, but you are too afraid to say anything lest he kick your ass. "Dweller of the Bottomless Pit" begins and you ask yourself, 'haven't I just heard this song?' More or less, it strikes at the same relentless pace as the predecessor. Maybe the drums thunder a little. Maybe at 1:40 they bust out a pretty good death metal rhythm under some more of their shredding, which disappears into the thrusting mass. "Satanic" starts with some nice bells and doomy background rhythms, and then erupts into another charging, infernal rhythm, but for some reason I really enjoy the atmosphere created through this track. "Heathens" has another good old death rhythm, the bass menacing below with a pumping fervor, though it becomes repetitive before long.

Dancing orgastically in a form of possession
Draped in robes drinking the juice of vein
The chalice lies upon the ceremonial stone
Unfortunate soul hooked from the uterus

No, Bestial Warlust were not about to steal a literary award from Maya Angelou, but their vile, and often strange lyrics were a good match for their compositional tyranny. "Hammering Down the Law of the New Gods / Holocaust Wolves of the Apocalypse" is practically a poem unto its own song title, but the track itself is anything but beautiful, a slow crash and crawl that transforms into a more refined, driving force than most other pieces on the album. "Storming Vengeance" again breaks out all the stops to deliver a pretty firm ass splattering. It's like the band were slowly evolving through the album, writing better songs as they went, but throwing the entire process onto disc. Vengeance War Till Death ends with its most 'epic' length track, at six minutes, "At the Graveyard of God" opens with noisy, droning guitars and samples, then goes volcano with some shredding bewilderment and scathing, horrific black metal. Another of the better tracks.

What if Blood Duster and Mayhem were to form a Charles Manson cover band? Bestial Warlust would probably come over to their jamspace and kick their asses for sounding like pansies. This was a new elephant in the room for Australian metal...alright, not an elephant, but a behemoth, trampling everything in sight and setting a new standard for blasphemous extremity. I don't love the album, and I honestly don't even enjoy enough to listen without thoughts of harming myself. It's noisy and doesn't really develop any worthwhile riffing. It will piss off your neighbors, your friends, your girlfriend, your parents, even your pets. But taken in the right amounts, under the proper circumstances (I suggest speedballing and whiskey), it's damned funny.

Highlights: Fuck the lamb of God!!! Wow, they were even prophetic.

Verdict: Indifference [6.66/10] (I'll hunt you down like a pig and eat your fucking throat!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestial_warlust

Antidote - Mind Alive (1996)

The third and final act of Antidote's career, Mind Alive, is another evolution into a more modern sound, though once more the band had not entirely abandoned their thrashing roots. The album does have a good share of weak tracks, but I was quite surprised to find that the band's better writing here is of the melodic variety, and not the heavier edge that made their first album so good. There is a lot of progressive rock influence to the record, which was first bearing its teeth on Total, but comes into full fruition here, manifesting through the bass, guitars and even perhaps a little Jon Anderson influence in the vocals. I might be reaching a little to that comparison, but I do detect it on certain tracks, even though Nino doesn't work in the same range.

Most of the problems on Mind Alive, when and where they do occur, stem from the songwriting. Many of the tracks here are simply not that ambitious nor are they memorable. Like Total before it, the album has an extremely polished production which robs many of the heavier moments of their potential power. Nino Laurenne has once again altered his vocal approach, and it's difficult to believe this was even the same singer from The Truth. Here he sounds like he's fronting a prog metal band, and in fact...he probably is. I would say that overall the production of Mind Alive is superior to the previous album, from a professional standpoint. The guitars and drums are radio clean, the vocals are at their most melodic and tranquil of Antidote's history.

The mediocrity begins with the title track, which arrives and departs without much concern. A groovy thrash rhythm opens the track, and some tiny melodic guitars shine for a few brief seconds, but then it becomes formulaic, with dull acoustics to carry the vocals back to the metal rhythm. The vocals are really melodic, and perhaps a little too safe here. "Fall With Disgrace" begins with a network of crisp guitars, and then a charging, almost power metal rhythm. The vocals again feel secure and sterile, but the bridge is pretty and this is sadly one of the stronger pieces on the album. "The Aggressor Within" sounds muddy by comparison, with some pretty dumb groove riffs that raised my expectations for a Zakk Wylde or Phil Anselmo guest appearance. Alas, this did not happen, the track gets a little more thrashy, and Nino's accent makes the word 'aggressor' sound endearing, but not the song. Fortunately, "Icon of Hate" almost returns the band to its roots, with a solid thrashing and some melodic vocals. I wonder why Antidote didn't just write the whole album in this vein? The song is memorable, especially the vocals, and might be the best they've written since The Truth. "Dying to Be Dead" is a slow, balladic track which evolves into a crawling thrash. The music is rather underwhelming, but Nino does carry it forth from oblivion with his singing.

"Wallow in Vice" ignites with a Pantera-like swaggering rhythm, and really does not pick up until the 2:00 point, where there is a fairly catchy vocal hook. Otherwise, skip it for the brief and thoughtful acoustic interlude "Bridges", which introduces "In the Land of Nod", a solid if unmemorable track. "Masked Dance" is another song with groovy, simple thrash rhythms that just can't carry it, leaving the rest to Laurenne's vocal charms, which simply don't suffice. "Attitude" is a screamer, sounding much like the band's early years, but it just barely breaks a minute. What exactly was the problem, was the band afraid to go back to being good? Even in a minute's time, this song kicks most of the record straight in the ass. "Books of the Moon" is a slower track, but builds a pretty powerful atmosphere with a minimal thrashing. The last nail in the coffin.

Viewed comparatively, Mind Alive is the worst effort from Antidote, and the band did not end on a positive note. Certain tracks could be cannibalized from this release and combined with the better parts of Total to create a decent EP, and we'd all be better off for it. Aside from "Icon of Hate", the painfully short "Attitude" and possibly "Fall With Disgrace", there is nothing here that I would willfully listen through again. Though it was the finale for this band, it was not so for the members. Nino Laurenne and bassist Titus Hjelm (who had replaced Pete Peltonen here) would later create the band Thunderstone, and drummer Mikael Arnkil would later do time in Sinisthra, and is currently a member of the great Impaled Nazarene (where he plays bass).

Highlights: Icon of Hate, Fall With Disgrace

Verdict: Indifference [5.5/10]

Antidote - Total (1994)

I am not an opponent of change in a band's sound, provided that change reflects a willingness to grow, evolve, and improve. I'm sure Finland's Antidote thought they were doing those very things when they released Total. No stranger to horrible album art, they have outdone themselves with this one...which looks like some reject that Triumph or Journey decided not to use after all, or some lost fragment of 70s modern disco deco. As for the sound, the band comes across as more mature on this album. More restrained. Even laid back. But as we are about to discover, this is not always a positive, especially when you are following up an album like The Truth, which lived and died on its viral accessibility and pounding steel rhythms.

The biggest difference on this record would be the vocals, which are still Nino Laurenne, but he's lost a lot of the low end grizzle that he used on The Truth. Most of the singing on the album is a laconic, melodic mid to higher range, but he'll still bust out the howls, only here they sound more like Peavey of the German legends Rage. There are still good riffs to be found on Total, and in fact, a few of them are excellent. But I really wish that the band had cut loose more in the production here, because a few of the songs sound a little too sterile and polished, and might have benefited from some chaos.

In retrospect, "Cold" may not have been the best way to start the album. It's a pretty boring track, not putting the band's best foot forward. Later, when Laurenne emits some of his siren-like Rage wails, the track begins to warm up, and the solo section is decent. But the major riffs driving the verse sound far too restrained, and the drums sound too poppy and lifeless. "Woe Betide Them" is more successful, opening with a playful, folksy melody that transforms into a Prong-ish thrash groove. The drums crash a little more, and Nino's got some edge to his voice here like the debut album. The chorus has some great backing vocals, and the solos are great, before the band busts back into that opening melody. Easily one of the Total highlights. It is unfortunate, then, that the next track, "Life is a Lie", is a garbled mess. It starts off with some screeching guitar feedback, then a deep rhythm that might have worked if they built it into the drum groove, yet they fuck around with it and we are treated to another of the band's decent dual melodies, before falling apart into a rhythm that sounds part cheap Pantera garbage and part Prong groove. Nino's vocals range from Peavey to Hetfield on this one, and while there are a few interesting points later in the track, like a nice, easy lead and a cool vocal/backing vocal interplay bridge, the song could have been a lot better with the weaker elements chopped out.

"Rain" crawls along at a doomed gait, and if Nino didn't often belt out a brash vocal line here or there, I would hardly be able to tell this is the same band, but the song does have a decent melody in place of a solo, and it's far from the worst here. "Multiverse" enters with the same, slowed pace as "Rain", but the riff here is very much like a slowed Metallica, as are the verse vocals, and the rest of the track is pretty interesting, pensive and drawn out thrash metal which definitely supports the title. "My Million Years" has Pete Peltonen plodding below another, basic thrash chug that transforms into some churning grooves and then a nice, old school metal riff below a melodic guitar. Basically, whenever the track lays off the far too simplified central chug, it gets quite good, like the screaming guitars in the distance at the 3:00 mark. The rhythms that introduces "You Medicate" sounds like outtakes from The Black Album, but the song picks up and it's another of the better pieces on the album.

"Slowmotion" uses a guitar like an air raid siren over a groove metal rhythm, then breaks into a bizarre verse with Peltonen's bass wandering about, briefly summoning up a comparison to Mekong Delta. The bass work and the guitar effects throughout the track are pretty engaging, especially at 2:45, but the rhythms below are mediocre. "Life Recall" has another Beg to Differ-style rhythm that chugs along into a hardcore groove, and Laurenne again uses some of his Hetfield tones. As a whole, the song is unusual, but one of the worst here. "Into the Dreamside" competes with "Woe Beside Them" for 'best of show', with some emotional vocals similar to the first album, and great melodic guitar work throughout.

Total is an hour of peaks and valleys, as Antidote seems to struggle for an identity. There are many interesting ideas, and this album could be labeled 'progressive thrash' without offense, but not all of them succeed. I believe that there are enough worthwhile moments for a fan of The Truth to at least listen once, but the album is less cohesive than that predecessor, an inferior product in all categories. If this had been an EP, with "Woe Beside Them" and "Into the Dreamside", and the rest of the songs chopped up and reconfigure into two more, good songs, I would give this a passing grade, but as it stands, it just isn't something I'll revisit.

Highlights: Woe Beside Them, Into the Dreamside

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

Antidote - The Truth (1992)

Most thrash bands arriving in the year of 1992 were doomed from the start, as the genre had taken a spin towards the more meat headed 'modernization' of bands like Pantera and Machine Head, and many fair weather metal fans packed their bags and headed out to pasture with the grunge and alternative music that was becoming all the rage. Yet still, there was a residual string of signings and output from thrash and speed metal bands, many trying to adapt to the times with funk, hardcore, death metal, or whatever else would keep them afloat and earn a few packs of cigarettes. Finland's Antidote, who had formed 6 years earlier, finally got their debut album, The Truth, out at this time through Shark records, and at least for this offering, they were pretty much pure thrash, with a sound somewhere between earlier Artillery and countrymen Stone.

The big, forceful guitar tone on this record sounded to me like the mark of a band ready to roll up to a gig in their 18 wheeler, unpack their equipment from heavy steel containers and then grind up a crowd. Really, of their three albums, this one remains the best sounding today, holding up a little better than fellow Finn 'A' thrashers A.R.G. or Airdash. Nino Laurenne's vocals on the album were at their most wild and infectious. He's hunting high and low, with a higher rasp not unlike Flemming Ronsdorf, or Chuck Billy when he used to scream more; and a lower growl that, at one point, flies off the hinges into death metal territory. The nine tracks of The Truth are dynamic and strong, and any thrasher looking for a genuine bite of late 80s dementia outside the Bay Area or German styles could enjoy this.

"Symphony of Death" features a few seconds of swelling orchestration with samples of wind and evil grumbling, before the loud and present bass begins popping into the guitar rhythm. A breakdown groove later, the band erupts into a slow rhythm (very similar to Pestilence's "Chemo Therapy") and then Laurenne's stressful tone pours over the mix like wet concrete. The leads here are wild and fun, and the rhythm behind rocks pretty hard. "Within His Power" starts with rolling mutes below a twangy, chorused clean guitar, then charges into a nice rhythm reminiscent of Destruction's more surgical work. The lead-in to "Act of Violence" has some really cool, if depressive, acoustics, working into a brief march and then some of the most energetic riffing on the album. Nino's on fire, with a great lower range over the verse and then letting the throat rip open for the bridge. But the opening volley of "Melancholia" is probably the musical peak for the entire effort, with a pair of kick ass, flowing speed rhythms that break for an excellent, restrained thrashing in the verse.

Aside from the catchy lead breaks late in the track, "3rd Time in Greenland" was not one of my favorites on the album, but "Rosemachine" more than makes up for it with a bluesy, grooving rhythm that picks up steam and shatters into another half dozen great riffs. The "Grandiloguent Passaway" saunters forth with a fist shaking, the vocals dark and morose, with a cool chorus very reminiscent of the earlier Testament. "Subordinated People" clenches some great mute picked melodies, and Antidote save one of the better songs for last, "Spaced Out", with its loud thrumming bass and pounding rodeo thrash, and more of Laurenne's Chuck-Billy howls, and an evil Slayer-like climax riff.

Four or five years earlier, these Finns would have been off to a great start and this record might have had a larger impact internationally. There were probably enough thrashers still kicking about (in Europe, at least) to shower it with some affectations, but obviously it was not successful enough for Antidote to stick strictly to this formula. I would certainly recommend The Truth to a fan of old school Testament (The Legacy, The New Order), Artillery (Terror Squad, Fear of Tomorrow) and also Lääz Rockit, Stone, Metal Church, and Reverend. It shoots from the hip, it still sounds good today, and probably deserves a minor cult status, which I am now giving it!

Highlights: Act of Violence, Melancholia, Subordinated People, Spaced Out

Verdict: Win [8/10]