It would appear that this album was released last year, before it was picked up by a label and released again now. As for the band, they’ve been around since the early 80’s and are probably better known for being a footnote in Metallica’s history than in their own right. Having only released a single album ‘Scratch and Scream’ in ’84 before disbanding in ’85, with original vocalist Donny Hillier and drummer Kris Gustofson reforming in 2013 to support a re-release of their début album. They followed this with their second album ‘Rapture and Wrath’ in 2015 and are now re-releasing their third album with their current line-up, which includes Steve Robello and Joe Fraulob on guitars and Greg Christian on bass.
From the fact that The Rage has an official video I’m guessing it’s their first single from the album. And while the message is quite strong, I admit it’s not my favourite track on the album. I far prefer the next track, as the vocals are a little whiny and nasal for some reason. You’d be forgiven for thinking that From Here To Hell is just going to be a rapid drum barrage after the opening 30s onslaught, but they steady and the guitars begin to soar giving the vocals plenty of room to do the same as the chorus flows effortlessly encouraging you to join in. Slow and bluesy at first As The World Dies builds on a full head of steam before subduing itself again giving Donny plenty of range to use before the intricate lead trade-offs take to the fore.
Gun To Your Head is a bit more of a straight forward thrash track with rapid snare beats and a quick rhythm that changes every couple bars to keep the vocal pattern consistent throughout the song. There is a lot more depth to Last Rites as the layers of guitars gently envelope the vocals and while the song is filled with leads, they are definitely complementary rather than vying for attention. Heading back to a bit of a nasal warble Run For Cover has me listening intently, more because I’m struggling with the enunciation than anything else, but somehow the cadence is more important than the words themselves to keep the tune going. Add to that the mournful leads during the slowest part of the song and you have something quite enjoyable.
A little slower, but heavier because of it Asylum has a great groove to it which is transferred to the lead as it is a constant during the song, but never detracting from the melody. A nice and simple tempo with an emphasised bass accompaniment has the subdued guitars bring the vocals to the fore for Entropy before they break free during the leads and wind their way around everything. Cool Aid is a quick but punchy song with an interesting dual vocal on the chorus to give a bit of an off balance feel, that suits the song perfectly. They end on the really strong Savage with a great sing along feel to the chorus but far faster verses to keep things more dynamic, as do the chromatics.
While it’s not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, there are moments when it can feel a little underwhelming, but all in all if you’re into early 80s thrash or just old metal, then this should be easily digestible.
(7/10 Marco Gaminara)
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