Pariah - Unity (1998)

After taking quite the hiatus, Pariah would return in 1997 and release a third album in the following year. Gone were Michael Jackson and original drummer Sean Taylor, being replaced here by Alan Hunter (of NWOBHM band Tysondog) and Ian McCormack (ex-Satan, Battleaxe). Hunter's vocals were cleaner, not a far cry from Jackson's Grim Reaper-like tone on Blaze of Obscurity, albeit a little less corny sounding. The music certainly does not lack for the aggression of the past, because the riffing picks up right where that album left off...only with a more modern sound that makes them even crisper. There may be a slightly larger influence from rock and progressive rock on Unity, but it's not too distracting with the exception of 1-2 tracks.

The title track is the first, and it's also one of the best here...with Tippins and Ramsey returning to their well-composed, busy technical riffing, full of flighty little muted rhythms and some nice, shimmery acoustic breaks, all of which seem rock solid below Hunter's approach. "Reactionary" is one of those more experimental tunes...with some moody, mysterious rock breaks that pick up into a pretty generic NWOBHM rhythm, very Venom or Priest, but polished and clean. "Walking Wounded" is passable, but has some pretty dull groove rhythms to it, whereas "No Exit" features great speed metal licks beneath some atmospheric blues guitars and a cool effect as the chorus is ringed out into the stratosphere of the guitars. Also, nice leads on this one. "Snakes & Ladders" has some guitar masturbation for under a minute before the crisp thrashing tone of "One of Us" bites it on the leg. The riffs here are great, the vocals...not so much.

You try so hard but always fail
You might be something but to no avail
'Cos unless you're one of us
You'll never make the grade
And if you're one of us
You've got it made

Well, alright then! As you can see, the lyrics of Unity are mediocre at best...like so many metal bands in the 90s, trying to appeal to the emotional and downtrodden like most popular music, but not in an interesting way. More like horse shit. It stinks, and you don't want to step in it, but you're not about to clean it up off the street yourself. Speaking of shit, the guitar work in "Saboteurs" is anything but, featuring jet fueled guitar rhythms which keep themselves busy as they meander below Hunter's whims. "Mutual Street" opens with some plodding bass and vocals, becoming another rocker with lame lyrics and Hendrix-like riffs. "The Jonah" is great, with some excellent speed picked rhythms and great little melodies below the bridge vocals. "Learning to Crawl" is a classical acoustic guitar piece with some vocals, to end the record. Not bad, though the antiwar lyrics are a little corny.

Of their three albums, Unity took the most risks...and because of that, paid the highest price, as it is probably their least appreciated album, even by the handful of old guards who even acknowledge this band's existence. I feel like there are 5-6 really great songs on this album, on par with Blaze of Obscurity...but the rest, like "Mutual Street" and "Walking Wounded" are mediocre stabs at something the band is not, and the calm, brief guitar pieces also belong elsewhere. This was the 2nd curtain call for Pariah. By the time it released, Skyclad was already climbing in popularity and it is unlikely the pages of this dusty old tome will be re-opened again. But we are left with a legacy of quality metal music, much of which still sounds fresh and relevant (well, some of the lyrics and vocals aside...)

Highlights: Unity, No Exit, The Jonah

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10] (exporting your own brand of terror to us all)

Pariah - Blaze of Obscurity (1989)

The Kindred may have marked a solid debut for Pariah, but Blaze of Obscurity blows it straight out of port, on charges of failure to deliver the promised amount of product. You will notice a few differences here: Michael Jackson sounds pretty much identical to how Steve Grimmett sounded when he took over Onslaught. Not as harsh or vicious as the previous album, and to be honest, I preferred the vocals there to this. However, the guitar riffs more than compensate, as they draw from few of the technical edged attacks on the debut, and then pummel the listener over and over with brilliant, hammering patterns of notes...so good that when I first heard the album, I had to often stop particular songs just to go back and listen to particular riffs. Yes, Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey were working overtime in the preparation of this record, and their writing is up there with many of the better technical speed/metal acts of the day...not going as far as Coroner or Deathrow, but certainly better than the majority of the flock. Their power/heavy metal influence only shines, as the solos and riffs can be a little more melodic than the average.

"Missionary of Mercy" is not the best song to open the album, but nonetheless it does. I don't love Jackson's vocals on this all that much, but once you get past the initial thrust of the verse rhythm, the guitars are simply intense. "Puppet Regime" is just mindblowing; the initial riff winds and curves about the fretboard like a shredder on mescalin, and the perky speed licks that frolic below the verse are unbelievable, in a good way. The solos in this track are also quite excellent, and it may just be the best Pariah song in their entire discography. "Canary" comes close though, which more interesting, complex riffs that dance about the beat like a cartoon parody of thrash. An interesting title for a metal song, but it works well when it arrives in the chorus. The title tracks alternates between an emotional acoustic with some of Jackson's 'tender' vocals and a grooving thrash metal rhythm...the vocals don't really work for me during the latter, but there are still a few interesting riffs.

Every hour is dark, life is scarred
with degradation and scathing remarks
pride just chose to hide
leaving you alone with no strength
to carry on, but you carry on

"Retaliate!" brings back the guitar force with an immediately catchy, popping note selection that thrusts straight into the next, with a nice sporadic lead and punctual heaviness to the pre-chorus that breaks into a glorious charging speed metal rhythm and killer chorus. "Hypochondriac" wins out for its wild leads and rhythms, though the verse vocals are pretty lame (they get better at the chorus). The album closes with the scorcher, mid-paced "Enemy Within", which builds to another great lead, and "The Brotherhood", which features some pretty hot, bouncing riffs and a few nice gang chorus bits. The lyrics throughout the album are very typical for thrash at the time, anti-corporate anthems and other social political ideals out in force.

Blaze of Obscurity was a great album, and certainly deserved more attention that it got. But then, this was 1989...many huge bands were just having their careers hit the upswing, and Pariah were not coming out of a popular background with Satan. I don't love the vocals here, they drag it down a notch in quality...though Jackson still delivers when he breaks away from the Grimmett style. But it's a must listen for fans of great 80s guitar work in thrash and speed metal, with some rhythms that still sound fresh 20 years after the fact.

Highlights: Puppet Regime, Canary, Retaliate!, The Brotherhood

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (won't you sing for us)

Pariah - The Kindred (1988)

Pariah was a UK thrash metal band formed as a separate project of the members of Satan, including the 'other' Michael Jackson, who also fronted that band. To make things even more perplexing, Pariah was formerly called Blind Fury, and released a great album under that name in 1985. The band was also a stopover for Steve Ramsey (guitar) and Graeme English (bass) before they left to start Skyclad with Martin Walkyier (of Sabbat). Still following me here?

Their music was not a long haul away from Satan. Like many other UK bands of the period, they were playing thrash metal that still had a foundation in the raw heavy metal that had dominated the country for the past decade. Old habits die hard, but The Kindred is pretty much a thrash metal album at its core, with dirty and punctual muted rhythms and crazy leads. Of the two Pariah albums he fronted, Michael Jackson's vocals were superior here, sounding a bit like Suspended Sentence. Like most everything these gentlemen ever released, The Kindred is a solid if not wholly impressive debut. Think of a more modernized Onslaught.

"Gerrymander" opens with some bass, samples and melodic leads that erupt into one of the better aggressors on the album, though the stomping of "The Rope" is superior, with a raucous edge that reminds me of Bay Area stuff like Vio-Lence or Exodus. "Scapegoat" and "Foreign Bodies" remind me of Satan, and I especially like the intro to the latter, though the riffing meat of the track itself is average. "La Guerre" is an acoustic intro to "Inhumane", well paced thrash and speed with some good vocals and riffs that at least create a good momentum. The bridge riff to "Killing for Company" is pretty good, but "Icons of Hypocrisy" doesn't really deliver after a nice intro piece. That leaves the "Promise of Remembrance", which opens in a really cool, atmospheric acoustic segment and proceeds to tear through some of the better riffs on the entire album. The final track "Disciples Anonymous" is actually quite good, though it doesn't receive any billing on the CD, it has some frantic little technical thrash rhythms at the minute mark which are amazing.

The mix here is another of those timeless 80s jobs which simply doesn't lose face after several decades. Vocals are right in the middle here, but the riffs and rhythm section are more than adequate and the entire affair feels crisp and aggressive. The musicianship is really good, these guys had the chops to be one of the better tech thrash outfits in England, though they never overly flaunt them. The Kindred is a good debut, and I'd recommend hunting it down if you like other UK thrash like Onslaught or Xentrix. But it's not their best.

Highlights: The Rope, Inhumane, Promise of Remembrance, Disciples Anonymous

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] (murderous cowards, show your face)