Protector - Misanthropy EP (1987)

A little over a decade back, I wrote an exhaustive amount of reviews covering the German thrash scene that I came up with through the 80s and beyond, not only the bigger names but a lot of obscure records as well that were interesting to go back and cover. I neglectfully decided to exclude Protector at that time, as I always associated them with a little more of a death/thrash hybrid sound, but in reality the first half of that equation is pretty scant throughout their catalogue, and I should have taken a run through the first 'half' of their career. Well, now is the time, because while they're not a group that's reached the highs of their better-known countrymen, this is a damn consistent band which has also never visited any of the lows of said peers.

Their albums were impossible to find when I was young, and in fact my first encounter with any of their music wasn't until the sophomore full-length Urm the Mad, but they started out pretty damn strong with their Misanthropy EP, which ironically showed the most in common with the developing 'Big Three' in their scene. Not a clone by any means, but if you had changed the logo here and tucked this into the Sodom discography between Obsessed by Cruelty and Persecution Mania, it would have fit like a glove. This especially applies to the faster material, where the churn of the guitar riffs is so reminiscent, but also in the vocals or Martin Missy, which sound a lot like Tom Angelripper with a little of Mille's bloodthirsty timbre. That said, the more mid-paced, headbanging material bears a little more resemblance to US thrash of its day, and as with their Teutonic fellows, there's always that Slayer undercurrent, especially in tunes like "The Mercenary" with those evil little guitar trills. Tankard is another comparison, at least the debut Zombie Attack, if only for that raw but rich rhythm guitar tone.

Despite the slight lack of novelty, this is still a superb start, with a good variety to the material that balances out the blitzkriegs with the more dialed-back, atmospheric riffs as in "Holy Inquisition". Most of the tracks hook you from their inaugural riffs, like the shuffle of "Agoraphobia" or the crushing simplicity of "Kain and Abel", and Missy's voice is the perfect complement to the dangerous and primitive edge of the guitars. Leads feel like steel whipcords being sliced through the meat of the rhythm section, never really 'catchy' but always added another level of atmosphere to the din of the recording, while the bass is present and creeping. They use a lot of breakdowns for introducing new fast riffs, not in a mosh sense but the stop/starts of the songwriting, and while that might show a lack of confidence in transitional moments, it's quite charming and 80s and they sound so authentic and fresh to this day that I wouldn't want it any other way. The drums are also really good, crashing and loud with some thunderous fills to again enhance the ballistic presence (i.e. the close of "Holocaust").

All six of the tracks here are good, and Misanthropy is easily the work which I'd point anyone towards if they were looking for more of what they enjoy in mid 80s-Kreator or Sodom, just that raw, evil, basic German thrash metal, but formed into solid, balanced tunes that you'll spin a lot more than once. Expurse of Sodomy, Pleasure to Kill, Zombie Attack, Sentence of Death, and then this. Though the DNA here will persist through their entire discography, in some cases more obviously than others, they will evolve away from this even as soon as Golem the following year, but this is 22 minutes of undeniable flesh-tearing glory from one of the unsung second-tier acts of that scene.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (You drank of the evil source)

https://www.facebook.com/Protector.666not777

Deceased - Ghostly White (2018)

Deceased have become one of our most enduring US death metal bands; granted they temper that genre with a lot of speed, thrash and traditional metal elements and have done so for the last 30+ years, but when it comes to their mainline releases, they've become synonymous with quality since Fearless Undead Machines and arguably even earlier than that. Ghostly White is another ambitious record where songwriting and pacing are key, structures and riffs are paired up alongside the lyrics and narrative of the themes, and there's absolutely no wanking or nonsense that doesn't serve the band's consistent style. The songs can pop off in 3-4 minutes or be blown out to over 13 and you don't get any noticeable dip in quality, everything is as it needs to be written.

To some extent, it might lack some of the 'surprise' from albums like Supernatural Addiction and Surreal Overdose, since we're so used to them writing in this style. It's honestly hard to even dub this proper 'death metal', outside of King's harsh vocals, but in a way, that's kind of why it is, like Root is to black metal, these guys are an outlier in their genre who think for themselves and rarely sound like anyone else outside of some of their original 80s peers. But if we're analyzing the music directly, it's a mix of thrash, speed and heavy metal which is enriched with creepy melodies and leads and that hoarse and unmistakable tone of the vocals. There's a rawness about the mix, more so than a few of the other albums, which renders this thing perfectly timeless, with brash rhythm guitars and wild leads that almost always sound awesome and well-rendered into the ghastly atmosphere that their productions always deliver.

I don't think "Mrs. Allardyce" is the best track on the record as an opener, I don't really start getting drawn into this one until "To Serve the Insane" with its descending, mournful chorus melody, or "The Shivers" which is another nice speed/heavy metal rager with a great, simplistic melody that pokes out into the night. The aforementioned 13+ minute opus "Germ of Distorted Lore" is quite good, having Deceased play with some slower, almost martial sounding sections to break up the thrashing outbreaks, and "Pale Surroundings" stands out as another catchier tune later in the track list with some eerie female spoken word parts. That said, there isn't actually a weak song here, it's just not putting its best foot forward, but drawing you deeper into its web before you get to the truly memorable moments, and that's often the calling card of a well-written record. Which this is, and it's another victory for one of our finest USDM institutions, and probably mandatory for horror metal fanatics the world over.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

https://www.facebook.com/deceasedofficial/

Megadeth - The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! (2022)

Is there some Secret Society of Highly Skilled Metal Musicians somewhere with the express purpose of joining Megadeth? I understand the band's a huge draw with a strong discography behind it, but it just seems like there's this endless carousel spinning around where Dave can summon up the most qualified candidates. This time it's Belgian dynamo Dirk Verbeuren joining on the drums, and though something like this thrash band must seem like a cakewalk for his capabilities, he's yet another guarantee, along with Kiko Loureiro, that Mustaine wants the very best for his recordings and for his fans. Oh yeah, toss in Steve DiGiorgio on bass for this album just for safety's sake, and you know it's all in good hands.

Now, none of these guys are exactly busting the seams on their individual instrumental prowess here, but instead playing to the level of the material, and that's once again competent and wholly aware of the past strengths that got them this far. Like Dystopia before it, The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! feels like it treads on a sideways path from a Rust in Peace or Countdown to Extinction, not exactly surpassing those recording in songwriting quality, but doing some justice to the speed and finesse the band possessed when breaking those new grounds 30+ years ago. There are riffs flying all over the place, a lot of them (as in "Night Stralkers" or "Killing Time") feeling just a whiff familiar, but putting their own permutations on the pre-existing patterns, spinning them off into a few new melodic hooks here, a decent lead there, and just enough memorable writing to compel a fan to repeated listens without any stinkers to sift through.

Like Dystopia, it's very consistent, with a good degree of variation, a band seemingly still in the prime of their youth. Dave's vocals might not have the exact melodic potential that he used to, but I think he covers that up more here than on the previous album, and if you told me this was him in 1994-1995 I'd buy that. Kiko's beautiful shredding pokes through in places, but never shifting Megadeth back towards his alma mater Angra, while Verbeuren and DiGiorgio make the rest sound easy. The production here is super clean and effective, with a little less punch to the rhythm guitars than some past efforts, but it's all so meticulously balanced, between everything from the cascading leads to an Ice T guest vocal. There's also just so much speed here, I don't know if I can scientifically calculate it across all their albums, but they're performing on average at the most agile clip since those early 90s, and the mainstream slowdown years now just seem like a memory.

At the same time, the songs here don't individually stand out for me as much as albums like Endgame or even Dystopia, so this whole album just feels like checking the stew to see if it's still boiling up correctly, and on target for a fabulous meal. If Megadeth is capable of this in 2022, there's really no limit going forward until Dave is literally having to put together albums from a hospital bed or beneath a headstone. There's a version of this with a cover of Sammy Hagar's "This Planet's On Fire (Burn in Hell)", and they even manage to give that number a swift kick in the ass and make it sound as fiery and thriving as ever. There is nothing sick, dying nor dead about The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!, and if nothing else, if not a standout against all the hits the band has generated, it's a veritable Fountain of Youth, Vic striding through its dystopian cover landscape as confident as ever, much like the performances here.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

https://www.megadeth.com/

Megadeth - United Abominations (2007)

United Abominations ushers in the 'Drover' era of the band, with Dave picking up brothers Glen and Shawn from the consistent Canadian power/thrashers Eidolon, about as perfect a fit that he was going to find from that scene north of the border outside of drafting Jeff Waters of Annihilator into the fold (which I still think should happen). The duo lends an instant seriousness and edge to the material which catapults this record right back to what might have been a follow-up for Rust in Peace, not that the riffs ever reach that same level of immortal, blazing catchiness, but this is clearly the product of much more effort than almost anything in the 15 years before it, with any cobwebs shaken out of the joints and the band sounding, I daresay it, 'young' again.

That's not to say it's the 'best' material in that timespan, but it joins the records sandwiching it as a sort of 'second wind' for Megadeth. Dave's vocal soar over the opener "Sleepwalker", as he shifts between a melody and more of his snarling, sneery attitude through the verses, with a busy lattice of thrash riffing and lead-work below that holds your attention, occasionally giving me a "Take No Prisoners" vibe. And it doesn't really apply the breaks, ever, I mean there's plenty of variation in tempo, but like its predecessor The System Has Failed, there's no real wimping out to honor some midlife crisis or emotional side of the creator's ego. A few tracks here don't work for me, like the title track on which the chorus of the title sounds a little obvious, repetitive and lame. Or "Amerikhastan" which also had some cheesy sounding vocals and political raving, not that I necessarily disagree with all his points but it just comes off in that cringeworthy "Sweating Bullets" intonation at some points.

The decision to revisit "A tout le monde" is also a strange one, though comparing this with the original from Youthanasia, it's got more pep and energy, lacking that version's darker, drearier mood. But both of them do fit within their surrounding track-list and production style, even though I don't need the guest vocals from Christina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil, and I'm half-wondering if that affected the decision to re-record it, because they needed a tune she should contribute to? Probably not. However, I'd rather have included the cover of Zeppelin's "Out on the Tiles", a bonus track from other releases of the disc, which is pretty well-rendered, although not as kinetic as the version Toxik did on their 1989 masterwork Think This. If there's one other complaint, I still don't think the bass playing is where it needs to be, because it lacks Dave Ellefson. James LoMenzo joins in here, coming over from various Zakk Wylde projects, and he's certainly a decent presence, but he just lacks that strength in his lines which could complement and even rival Mustaine in places; he's just a solid support.

For me, United Abominations is probably the weakest of the 'trilogy' in this particular Megadeth surge, since I thought the tunes on the glorified solo album The System Has Failed were catchier, and Endgame triggers all the Rust in Peace nostalgia in all the right ways. That said, it's still largely a quality album, and the one of the three that most feels like it could have had an original release in the 90s after Rust and Countdown. There are definitely some subtle callbacks, when you're listening to a tune her and remembering enough, for instance some of the low end in "You're Dead" brought back thoughts of the thrash/groove in "Architecture of Aggression", or the other I mentioned earlier, but no real direct rip-offs. It's a decent one, the Drover brothers were definitely the right guys for the job, and that would become even more apparent two years later.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

https://www.megadeth.com/

Megadeth - Rude Awakening (2002)

By the time this album arrived, I had already seen Megadeth a couple times in the live setting, so there wasn't any real sense of anticipation to hear how it would come off on the stage. When I watched Sabbat's The End of the Beginning VHS tape, for instance, that was a band I had longed for and thus became more satisfied for all its flaws to at least get the chance to see them. Here on Rude Awakening, two whole discs of live material (and to their credit, they gave it almost two decades before dumping this sort of release onto their fandom), it feels competent but slightly dialed in, probably with some studio overdubs, and not all that high energy despite a considerable two hours and 24 tracks that cover the good chunk of their career. Still, The World Needs a Hero lineup manages not to cock up the classics, and that means something.

Right away I can tell you that I'm not interested in the inclusion of material from the three studio LPs before this, but it was inevitable since that is what they were touring on. I loved hearing "Angry Again" here, but I would have much rather had "Go to Hell" or "99 Ways to Die" on the track list above "Trust" and "Almost Honest". Still, they unleash a nice trio of "Symphony of Destruction", "Peace Sells" and "Holy Wars" at the end of the double-album which is probably what any crowd would want, and you get some of my favorites like "Tornado of Souls", "Hook in Mouth", "Devils' Island" and "Wake Up Dead" among the choices, so the bulk of this is rock fucking solid. Dave sounds pretty great, you get some of the flaws or imperfections in his pitch, but they only add to the personality. Considering that you have Dave and Al Pitrelli, I think the guitars sounds a little on the wimpy side, like when a lead breaks out there doesn't feel like the rhythm guitar offers much support. The drums are steady and I can make out the bass well enough, but even though I like the general 'airiness' of the recording, I think a little more punch and power to the instruments would have improved my rating.

Overall, though, if you had been waiting almost two decades to wander down to your record store and buy a proper Megadeth live offering, I don't think this one would disappoint you much, they sound tight enough and offer you a robust selection of tracks from their whole history, leaving only a few noted obscurities behind and 3-4 awesome Rust in Peace tunes that would have been better than anything off the more contemporary studio material for the time. This one doesn't approach the timeless annals of a Live After Death, No Sleep 'til Hammersmith or Unleashed in the East, but it's professional enough not to totally waste your money. As for the cover art, a fun image, but I feel like it would have been better on an actual studio outing...say you switch the random person for Vic Rattlehead, include the logo along the opposing building, here it feels thrown away, and I don't get the point. There's nothing rude or offensive or even explosive about how this sounds, instead it's practiced and rigid.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

https://www.megadeth.com/

Megadeth - The World Needs a Hero (2001)

The World Needs a Hero is certainly not among the stronger albums Megadeth have released these last 40 years, but it's at least a step back towards a more decidedly metal direction, and kicks the shit out of its predecessor. To me, the production and songwriting here seems like a shift towards Countdown to Extinction, with perhaps a bit of the more accessible flourishes of Youthanasia, but at the same time there are riffs and structures here that feel fresher for the canon, grooves and ideas that were relatively well-developed. Jimmy DeGrasso had joined on drums for the previous album, but this was Al Pitrelli's debut in the lineup, and though I'm not ever going to be sure of the level of his input here, he brings a slightly different feel playing alongside Dave. It's also his only studio full-length in the fold, the rest of his tenure was live albums and compilations, so it's not like you're going to get a chance to settle in with his contributions.

This one is mixed slickly, reminding me a of a mix of Cryptic Writings and Countdown to Extinction, very mainstream and poppy but also a little digitized in the crunch of the rhythm guitars. There are also a few tracks which I found embarrassing, like the acoustic country/folk track "Coming Home" which goes all in on its rustic persuasions, and is honestly probably not bad for that style, but I'm just not into it, whether it's Bon Jovi or Dave Mustaine crossing genres. "Promises" is likewise akward, this is just not a ballad band, I'm sorry. "Moto Psycho" might be the real nadir here, though, an extremely goofy tune driven by mediocre riffs and really lame chorus; I remember this was one of the singles off the album, the first I heard and couldn't even believe how dumb it was, even just the title. The other acoustic stuff here is a mixed bag, like the setup in "Recipe for Hate...Warhorse", and his spoken word vocals made me cringe a little, but at least it has some good bass lines. The rest of the tracks are passable if not terribly exciting, slightly stronger than Cryptic Writings on a one-for-one basis, realizing that is not saying much. The truly blazing and unforgettable speed/thrash riffs are still evading this material, though there is clearly a sense that the band wants to ramp back up to that.

This even comes through on their own self-nostalgia so we get a "Return to Hangar", which is not even a fraction as memorable as the original off Rust in Peace, but thematically and stylistically it at least consistent, though it does sink so low as to ape lyrics and such, a pretty shallow way to handle a sequel, like trying to sell us an Expendables movie in which Arnold Schwarzenegger just rehashes his old one liners instead of coming up with new ones. That could never happen, could it? Well yeah, and it doesn't really come off any better here than it does on those songs where veteran bands just list previous song titles in the lyrics. On the flipside, the opening duo of "Disconnect" and the title track were at least solid enough to reassert my relationship to their style, and the lengthy closer "When" is probably my favorite with the acoustics, an atmospheric mid-pacer which might sound eerily familiar to "Am I Evil?", sans being a proper cover like Dave's alma mater put out in their early years.

Ultimately, this one suffers from the inconsistent quality of the tracks, and still has a few lingering olive branches it's trying to make with a more mainstream realm, which are totally unnecessary as they always have been, but in some cases aren't executed too poorly. There's a chunk of material I could live without, but still around 30-40 of passable mid-tier Megadeth which if nothing else shows a slight determination to get back on the bull, just a mechanical bull at the bar, on a low setting, with one or two friends raising a beer bottle to you, rather than a bucking wild animal in front of a crazed live audience. The cover art is also real shitty, Vic the Chestburster must have looked better on paper than in execution

Verdict: Indifference [5.75/10]

https://www.megadeth.com/

Megadeth - Hidden Treasures (1995)

Hidden Treasures was the last 'cool' Megadeth release before a steady decline in quality of their output for around 14-15 years. Yes, they held out longer than Metallica, whose ascent into vast commercial success came at the cost of creative bankruptcy, and to me they even outlived Slayer, who cease to be relevant for me after 1990 with the exception of popular live performances and an adequate track or two. Is that revenge enough for Dave, who was once thrown from the ranks of what would become the biggest metal band ever? I think on some level, it must be. Granted, this is not a proper studio album, but a collection of odds and ends from soundtracks and tributes that I appreciate because they're not all readily available without bailing out loads of extra cash. Industry: this is how you do a fan compilation correctly!

And I won't lie, even if it's not a 'proper' full-length, I enjoy Hidden Treasures more than any of the albums they have release since, with the exception of Endgame. Though it's not all recorded at the same time, a lot of the material here is quite consistent with the production and songwriting level on Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction, and Youthanasia. It's also a lot more ferocious than the album before it, with Dave sounding a lot nastier, the instruments flexing their muscles more, and as much as I did enjoy Youthanasia, this presented a nice snapback, even though I'd already heard most of the songs...hell, these days I think I've even got all of these films on Blu-Ray or DVD, including the crappy old Super Mario Bros. flick which my sons demanded for the collection. So you could say I was in the 'target' audience to experience a lot of these on the big screen, from the cheesy slasher Shocker to Last Action Hero to the Beavis & Butthead Experience. In some cases, the Megadeth tracks were the best parts of the movies, and while the cover choices here are hardly obscure, something like "No More Mr. Nice Guy" is the perfect vehicle for Dave Mustaine to capture his attitude like a fly to the amber of his influences.

But the originals are where this really shines..."99 Ways to Die" is a song I fell in love with the first time I heard it, with the amazing riffs in the verse and the acoustic bridge that leads to one of their most memorable chorus riff/vocal tag-teams ever. "Breakpoint" feels like an exercise in the groovy speed thrash of their Rust in Peace era, "Angry Again" is a cruise control thrasher which wouldn't have felt out of place on their 1992-1994 releases, and "Go to Hell" also has its moments. The one exception for me is the closer "Problems", the previously unheard track which channels a lot of shitty hard rock or blues vibes into a slightly more crunchy thrash riff or two, with a lame punk-like chorus. Both the Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper covers are decent, though, so I just have to end my listens to this about four minutes 'early' so that the experience stays consistent. You can't win 'em all, but I still hold Hidden Treasures as a sort of precipice beyond which there is a rather steep plummet to oblivion. Will they fall straight off the edge to their doom, or maybe grab a lifeline to halt their descent?

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.megadeth.com/

Megadeth - Countdown to Extinction (1992)

Rust in Peace is not an album you can really 'follow up', but since that had secured Megadeth on such an upward trajectory of popularity, they were certainly going to try, and I credit Countdown to Extinction for not only achieving the highest level of commercial success the band would experience, but also for not entirely cocking up the evolution that led to its creation, and not dishonoring its predecessors. It's not immediately evident with the first track that this is going to be a more accessible, polished and radio-friendly effort, but by the time it's over, I was left with that impression. Thankfully, most of the songwriting here is strong enough that I couldn't care, because there are still plenty of catchy tracks that would end up on any career playlist I could assemble.

The first three tracks are actually kick-ass, with "Skin 'O My Teeth" really tapping into the band's frenetic speed metal roots. "Symphony of Destruction" might come off painfully simple compared to Rust in Peace, but it's understandable why this became one of their biggest radio singles, and how it would actually foreshadow the following album Youthanasia with the mid pacing crunch, vocal effects, and focus on an excellent chorus. "Architecture of Aggression" is perhaps the highlight of the album for me, one of my favorite Megadeth songs, with some really amazing thrash breakdowns and leads, especially at the 2 minute mark, and a vibe that definitely could have placed it on the Rust in Peace roster. It's after this point where the results become a little more mixed. The band tries some acoustics on "Foreclosure of a Dream" and "Captive Honour", the former carrying a country vibe, but both do result in some solid metal riffing and emotional payoffs in the vocals. The closer, "Ashes in Your Mouth", is another personal favorite because it gives me a bit of a "Five Magics" vibe, at any rate it would also not have been out of place on either of the two albums before it.

There is some cheese present, however, in particular "Sweating Bullets", a song in which Dave's more conversational vocals really sound cringe and goofy despite the song having a solid, bluesy shuffle behind it. I just can't listen to this one and not feel uncomfortable, and there are a few lines elsewhere on the album ("Psychotron", "Captive Honour") that continue this trend. I thought the ship really sailed on this silly style after the title track to Peace Sells, so I tend to skip it as I'm listening through. Other than these few things, though, it's a pretty tight record. The instruments are reined in due to the more commercial nature of the material, but there are still quality leads throughout, and I wouldn't call any of it 'dumbed down' since there is still the potential to explode lurking around many of the corners of the album. Dave's voice is still pretty confident, but there are just those moments where he is getting a little too comfy with the crumb-sucking and lip-curling sneers and they sound kind of stupid against the more machine-like persistence of the music.

Production also feels more punchy, processed and digital, lacking the grace and packed power of Rust in Peace, and I question why they went this route when they clearly must have had the budget to replicate that one. But again, I'm outnumbered here, because this record sold gangbusters and for a lot of folks might have been their first exposure. Many compare to The Black Album, but I think I'd save that for Youthanasia, or Testament's underrated The Ritual, both of which strive more towards those heavy metal basics, that minimalism which might presumably reach a broader audience, for better or worse. There is still plenty of finesse here, and I listen to it as often or more than the debut or So Far, So Good, So What!; just a few songs that slack behind others, a production that seems a step below where they had been, and a handful of awkward vocal lines that could have been cut from the finished product.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://www.megadeth.com/

Megadeth - Rust in Peace (1990)

When I often think of my favorite bands or albums, I notice a prevailing thread that runs through them; they've each created their own 'language' or musical voice that is entirely distinct and capable of being picked out from a lineup of peers. Sometimes this runs the course of their entire career, for example Voivod, a band that has maintained its unique, alien nature throughout numerous stylistic shifts, or others like Enslaved and Borknagar, who have kept their Viking philosophies through the black metal roots into more progressive or folk leanings. Other times it's down to a single record...for instance, Artillery's By Inheritance, with its charging, fraternal, melodic thrashing interchange which might have its DNA in the earlier records, but hasn't quite been replicated since, or Deathrow's brilliant Deception Ignored, totally standout even against the rest of their discography, a cautionary, clinical, consistent orchestra of technical thrash.

Rust in Peace is the point at which Megadeth mastered its own 'language'. Killing is My Business... was the equivalent of cave paintings, Peace Sells... started refining that onto written scrolls, but it was 1990 when the speed metal monks started transcribing it into a complete text, one as timeless as the Bible for any hesher in the congregation. I know several individuals who consider this the greatest metal album of all time, and while I might not go that far, it's difficult to pose an argument. 39 of its 41 minutes are total thrash perfection, taking all the techniques and ambition of its predecessors to new heights of riff quality, melody and musicianship. This is especially poignant as a contrast to So Far, So Good, So What!, an album that certainly had its moments, but felt misguided and transitional, where Rust in Peace moves in almost complete lockstep. Part of this is the roster quality, as Nick Menza and shred god Marty Friedman joined the ranks, creating what is even today considered the band's premiere lineup, along with the two Daves who have proven here that they are both incredible writers and players that rivaled anyone in the genre at this point.

The result: magnificence. Skip a rock across the heads of the rock radio-fed masses in your vicinity, and you'll strike quite a few people who know the epic "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due" or the more accessible, Roswell tribute "Hangar 18", but Rust in Peace is an incredibly deep record with amazing hooks and interesting lyrical fare. The speed and precision of the licks are on a new plateau, but there's always a lot of melody and emotion, explosive and complex chorus sequences in tunes like "Tornado of Souls" or "Five Magics". Dave's vocals are at a career high, and he manages to balance off some of that sneering attitude ("Rust in Peace...Polaris") with a little vulnerability. While the thrashing edge of the material is fully fresh for its time, even so late in the trending niche as 1990 was, there's always a pretty direct lineage to the classic British heavy/speed metal like the breakout riff in "Poison Was the Cure" which reminds me of groups like Satan, just taken to a new level (for the time, anyway). Or the burning grooves in the verse to "Lucretia". Tradition tempered with progression, packed with new ideas, or stretching older ideas to their limits.

The playing is out of control, and yet entirely under control, with so many notes flying around in cuts like "Holy Wars..." or "Take No Prisoners" that you could get dizzy. And I did. Melodic and mean at the same time, I remember sitting in stunned silence trying to emulate as many of the riffs as I could back in my teens when I was only about 3-4 years into playing the guitar myself. It's no wonder that this became such a guitar hero album, worshiped in countless magazines. Add to this some of the best bass playing on any metal album in history, complementing the Mustaine/Friedman interchange with ease, and often standing ABOVE them, and Nick Menza's performance which was taut and flexible, but also knew not to try and challenge the incredible guitar work flying above it. Another point I'd make is that the leads here were far superior to the three albums before it, they were finally becoming the sorts of earworms that could match the rhythms and become a pleasure to listen to on their own. Production is also a highlight...Rust in Peace does not sound a day older to me now than when I first heard it. Clean, vivacious, youthful, but still anchored by a steady low-end that still thumps in my speakers.

Now it's not a popular opinion, but the one thing that holds this record back from perfection for me is "Dawn Patrol", a sort of spoken/whispered word piece over some fat bass lines and a beat. It's not that the band is goofing off, there's a serious message here, and Ellefson's bass is pretty good, but I just don't think it really goes anywhere, and seems rather abrupt and out of place. Whereas the amazing bass intro to "Poison Was the Cure" really offers a lot of payoff once the guitars arrive, this one doesn't, and I've often taken "Dawn Patrol" off my playlist in iTunes and gone straight from "Tornado of Souls" into the finale title track and then it all felt 100%. Again, there's nothing terribly wrong with it, but I think it would have been stronger as an intro for a full-length track, maybe on a later album. As it stands it's just a little bit of a scuff on the otherwise flawless paint-job that is Rust in Peace, their most iconic, and my favorite Megadeth album. The one that goes with me to the desert island, although I'd probably wait until the last minute before I bailed out Peace Sells.... You don't need me to tell you how fucking awesome this album is, it's the most fluent in a tongue which has been fairly muddled ever since.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.75/10] (to slay all the giants)

https://www.megadeth.com/

Megadeth - So Far, So Good... So What! (1988)

If So Far, So Good... So What? doesn't get mentioned in the same reverence as the records sandwiching it, that's probably for a good reason, because this is a strange one. It's Megadeth through and through, don't get me wrong, but the band is certainly taking more chances here than one might have anticipated, with some slower, more emotional pieces to contrast against the more intense battery, another cover that feels a little too cheesy against the originals, and a couple of cuts that don't quite get a Golden Star from the teacher. Ironically, this features a few of my favorite cuts from the band, it's just that they are not all created equally. In Megadeth's defense, they were enduring half the roster being changed out...Gar Samuelson and Chris Poland dropped for their alleged drug addiction, Chuck Behler and Jeff Young signing on board to replace them, so the idea that this would be a step up the ladder like Peace Sells... was from the debut was wishful thinking at best.

Weirdly, the issues I take here are almost the inverse of those few I had on Peace Sells... That album frontloaded all of its best material, where this time I think the opposite. The first three tunes don't exactly line up for me. "Into the Lungs of Hell" is a fine, anthemic instrumental, something more ambitious than the shorter intros like "Last Rites" or "Good Mourning", but it's a little too steady and never achieves the payoff it needs, certainly not in "Set the World Afire", a solid technical Megadeth track that once more that feels like a Peace Sells... outtake that can't quite compare. As for the Sex Pistols track, I think it does fit the band's attitude even more than those on the last two albums, but clearly this is a practice that had run its course. I realize "Anarchy in the U.K." was a limited hit, and they do slightly metalize it from the original, but not enough, and I was over this one by about the age of 16. Had it been tucked later onto the track list I might be more forgiving, but this is a skip almost every time I listen through the album the last couple decades.

That said, I REALLY like the rest of So Far, So Good...So What! "Mary Jane" and "In My Darkest Hour" are wildly successful attempts at building slower, more dramatic, accessible and melodic tracks without teetering into lame ballad territory, and they feel as poignant now in 2024 as they did in 1988, the former with plenty of the thrashing in the bridge you'd hope for, the latter having some amazing harmony hooks and perhaps the best Megadeth song to break out your lighter for. Pair these up with some superb speed metal licks on "502" and "Liar" and we're getting somewhere, but I have to talk about "Hook in Mouth", a personal favorite. I love how the crashing chords set up the bass lines and moody verses, and when it busts back into the thrash rhythm guitars around :45 I swear my puberty had achieved a new level. It's a strangely subdued track with a lot of pent-up energy, an an epic latter half where Dave's vocals just ring out under the sustained chords, a real gem with a great title that also manages to tie itself into the band's mascot.

The production on this is highly atmospheric, lots of reverb, guitars not always as bold as they were on Peace Sells..., and a lot more emotion being showcased through Dave's vocals. Perhaps natural as a response to the band's personal or lineup troubles, but it feels genuine and painful nonetheless. A few of the leads are awesome, others fail to land, but there's still a strong sense of musicianship, especially the two Daves, since the other roles felt temporary and mercenary even back then. What I take away from this is much the same as the debut...it's like a magnificent, chonky EP of material with a few extras tacked on that don't really flesh it out to a properly brilliant full-length, yet there's no question that this album also possesses its own sense of timelessness. The quirkiness and variation are interesting, and this isn't the last time a Megadeth album would take risks (ha ha), but in terms of sheer consistency or quality, records like South of Heaven, Eternal Nightmare, or The New Order send this one home on a stretcher. It had its charms...a good one to play for your girlfriend if you had one back then, and the better tracks hold up, but it can hardly shine the shoes of what would follow.

Verdict: Win [8/10] (every poem that ever was)

https://www.megadeth.com/

Megadeth - Peace Sells...but Who's Buying? (1986)

I mentioned in my Killing is My Business... review that I really dug one of the remastered versions, but I'm the complete opposite when it comes to its follow-up. You want the original Peace Sells..., the default version and an improvement over the debut album in every category. Alright, if you PREFER the rawness, the disheveled vibe of old thrash and speed metal demos or albums, then perhaps this one came across a fraction too polished. Personally, though, I thought this record was straight fire when I first heard it and I've never changed my mind in going-on four decades. If it wasn't for one other album, this would be my favorite from Dave Mustaine, but even then it's a close match, and the sophomore is one of the most mandatory and iconic works of its genre. From the amazing Ed Repka cover art (which put the guy on the map) to the Cold War themes, the incorporation of the mascot, the bold orange and violet colors, this is not an album you look at and forget. It's also not one you could LISTEN TO and forget...

From the opening, bass-heavy grooves of "Wake Up Dead", it's almost shocking how much these four members had matured within the span of a single year. Instantly, there is more 'control' to the songwriting and performance, and while that might sound unappealing for a reckless band like Megadeth, borne on attitude and twisted sneers, they still manage to keep that personality intact. This thing is a riffing fucking juggernaut, and Randy Burns and his staff knew how to capture all the lightning in the bottle. The songs have an excellent level of variation, atmosphere and pure power, whether the band's moving steadily along or at some unbridled clip. Rhythm guitars are imbued with a lot of punch to the chords, and crunch to the palm muting patterns. Ellefson's bass lines are some of the best sounding of the era, joining others like Harris, Lemmy or Burton as an exemplar of how important the instrument should be in the medium. Strangely, Gar sounds a little more subdued than on the debut, that's not to say the beats are lacking, but it's just part of the balancing act.

The leads are quite a lot more memorable than on the debut; they've harnessed that slight sloppiness into something more defining and melodic, but they can still feel a little reckless and uncouth, and incorporate a little more harmony alongside some of the low-end thrashing (as in the bridge of the title track). Dave's vocals are also reined in for the better, the nasally mid-range adding some nasty bite and wit to some really memorable lines. In fact, I think "Peace Sells..." is the poster-child for his sense of sarcasm and socio-political critique, his pinched delivery can often prove cringe-worthy on later tracks like the awkward "Sweating Bullets", but they come off perfectly in this track, and the lyrics are truly hilarious, inspired, and 'Murica (in a good way). And so much of this is just so goddamn catchy, the first four tracks are unassailable, from the neck-stressing breakdowns of "Wake Up Dead" to the evil trot of "Devil's Island", this is how to start off an album, and I'd run these up against almost anything else in the genre when it comes to structure, pacing, and riff choice.

The 'B-side', well, not quite so much. It's funny that I have some of the same complaints as on the debut, only they are minimalized due to the sheer momentum of the band's musical maturity. For example, I don't care much about the "Good Mourning..." intro, with its clean guitars and lead, but it's at least better at setting a mood than "Last Rites" on the previous album. Also, there's the obligatory cover, this time Willie Dixon's "I Ain't Superstitious", and unlike "These Boots", they are playing this one a little closer to the belt...it feels like a bar cover by a couple metal musicians, but until they get to the nether regions of the track, they don't really metalize it at all, and even then it's too late. Then again, "My Last Words" is quite good, and there's a case where the acoustic/bass intro really shines. "Bad Omen" seems like a largely instrumental flex, but a decent one, and "Black Friday" probably dominates this deeper part of the track list, it far exceeds its intro half with those churning little rhythms during the verses.

Because of these small B-side missteps (at least for me), Peace Sells... doesn't quite reach the perfection of the albums Megadeth's two West Coast peers put out in the same year. Yes, it's basically up against my two favorite metal albums of all time, in the same genre, from the SAME fucking State! Uncanny, but to be fair to Dave and the boys, this album really does hold its own, it's one I am constantly listening back to, and the many positives almost completely obfuscate its few flaws. Within a span of months, Mustaine had already manifest into the metal godhood for which he was destined, and what a joy it is to have been around then, to have heard this when it first came out, and grown up with it. Worth every penny, worth every drop of nostalgia, and a triumphant evolution that doesn't cede any of the band's intensity other than sounding like the product of a studio and not a shack.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.5/10] (Just not your kind)

https://www.megadeth.com/

Megadeth - Killing is My Business...and Business is Good! (1985)

Say what you will about the drama with Metallica that birthed this band, its status as arguably the most high profile 'revenge act' in metal, or the long and problematic history of one David Scott Mustaine. Even at a young age for me, it was obvious that this dude was going to make huge waves, not only for his distinction and talent as a guitarist, but the aura of sheer attitude that always surrounded him. From junior high to the real deal, he was one of the most often discussed musicians in the genre among not only my metal fan peers, but a larger audience of hard rock and glam fans whose underground dive went about as far as...Megadeth. So as I cover this debut, I'm not going to kick up a stink about what riff was taken from where, who wrote what, but just the work as it stands alone, and then maybe some meta-comparisons to Dave's alma mater.

Killing is My Business... was a fun, energized kick in the ass that was also a bit of a clutter, but excels when it hits its more accurate stride. While it exhibits a lot of the same roots as peers like Kill 'Em All or Show No Mercy, British-influenced heavy metal dirtied up in technique and meted out with a far nastier disposition, Dave's unique writing and riffing shines as something that you really hadn't heard on either of those seminal West Coast works. He's got a lot more game on the higher strings, and there's also a lot more of a hyper-bluesy groove on tracks like the titular "Killing", which certainly existed on tracks like "Jump in the Fire" or "The Antichrist", but it's in service to more complex, flashy rhythm guitars that characterize this band's sense of excess and indulgence. In many ways, this album serves as a prototype to one that you'd certainly have heard half a decade later, the same sense of finesse and momentum, but here the ore is just less processed and refined. Still, Dave in particular turned a lot of heads with this material, just because he was one of the most lethal six-stringers around at the time.

Now the leads here from Mustaine and Poland don't fare for me as well as the riffs themselves; they have that loose, frilly feel that you'd associate with Slayer and other early thrash bands, but even there I'm barely remembering the patterns or how they ever quite elevate anything else. They're functional and raw, but too straight-to-the-face with little payoff. It's the rhythm guitars that impress, but also the furious rhythm section, with some of David Eleffson's loosest and most effective playing mooring the whole production with a darker bottom end. Revisiting this once again, I have to say that I am also pretty floored by Gar Samuelson's work here, he's hitting the kit so hard that I feel like certain drums are about to fall off the thing, and yet it's well-controlled and pretty intense for 1985 with some nice kick and loads of strong fills. Mustaine's voice itself is already formed as a more nasally and angsty alternative to Hetfield's control, thriving in both that gravely constipated mid-pitch as well as the higher howls.

As far as the songs, I do think that not all the transitions are created equal, and occasionally there's a smidgeon of that clunkiness which can simply come with inexperience. For example I don't think the album starts out on its best foot...once "Loved to Deth" gets going, it has some magnificent riffs in between the verses, but the lurching rhythm of the verse itself seems a mess, and I also thought the "Last Rites" piano and guitar intro was really forgettable and the two don't complement each other in succession. That said, there is certainly foreshadowing in this track for betters to come, and once you get more into the 'meat' of the album, things become more consistent. "Killing...", "The Skull Beneath the Skin", "Rattlehead", "Chosen Ones", the atmospheric "Looking Down the Cross", and "Mechanix" make for quite a kickass 20-25 minutes, each of them also giving me prototype vibes in retrospect, but the opener doesn't always click with me, and I couldn't care less about the Nancy Sinatra cover beyond the fact that it does at least viably offer you that in a speed metal context. To be fair, it doesn't stand out too sorely from the originals, but it's a little goofy and unnecessary here. It's not nearly as cool as covering "Am I Evil?"...I had to say it.

So how does this hold up to the debut of Dave's previous associates? It's certainly more ambitious and advanced, even two years out, where Kill 'Em All toiled with its NWOBHM roots a little less glaringly as it began transmuting them into thrash. This was something more charged-up. Fresher. However, I've come to love every second of that 1983 masterpiece, it's one of my favorite Metallica records, whereas this one seems less consistent and something I'm less apt to revisit, especially if the choice is against some of Megadeth's later 80s material. It's certainly iconic, with the great cover photograph that introduces us to Vic Rattlehead, and belongs in a fan's collection, most of the tracks have plenty of rewarding replay value, but it's just not as seamless and developed as its successor. Also, perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I actually prefer The Final Kill remaster that dropped about a decade ago, I just dig the balance of the more muscular rhythm tone and vocals a little more than on this, but then again, that's not a deal breaker since this still holds its own. But if we're evaluating that version you might adjust my rating a few points upward.

Verdict: Win [8/10] (and I know just what to do)

https://www.megadeth.com/

Sodom - 40 Years at War: The Greatest Hell of Sodom (2022)

The prospect of re-recording albums full of thrash classics is obviously not lost upon the German veterans; Destruction has released a few of their Thrash Anthems comps, Tankard has done one, and even Sodom has issued a full, expanded re-recording of their cult In the Sign of Evil EP, and a handful of other tracks have been revisited on other albums and EPs. 40 Years at War: The Greatest Hell of Sodom is an attempt to throw together 17 tracks which cover much of the band's career into a new whole, and it certainly succeeds at that, in particular the earlier tunes that, while charming, were admittedly (and understandably) somewhat sloppy in execution when the guys were young. 66 minutes of Sodom, who are frankly on a tear with their last handful of new studio outings, honing their weaponry into a production level that can contend with their most recent albums, possibly welcomed by younger fans, and after blazing through this a few times, welcomed by this old fart too.

The track selection here isn't terribly predictable, either, so if you're just expecting the 'greatest hits of Sodom', they have avoided that to just focus on really improving some pieces. No "Nuclear Winter", "Sodomy and Lust", or "The Saw is the Law" here, but a ripping volley of tracks like "After the Deluge", "Electrocution", "Body Parts" and "City of God". Regardless of the material's original era, it has all been smoothed over to sound consistent as a whole, as if 40 Years at War were just another new studio album, and while you can figure out the differences based on the relative technicality or punky feel of the tunes, it still sounds like it all belongs to the same band. Tom's vocals sound flawless, Frank and Yorck have a tone that stays loyal to the later 80s recordings but pumps a little more power, and the drumming is as peppy as it needs to be to encourage all the sore necks. Lead guitars are functional and don't attempt to leap out of the mix too much, and the bass production is also pretty good although it lets those iron-clad rhythm guitar riffs take control.

Although the Thrash Anthems collections were quite solid themselves, Sodom has surpassed them with what must be the best of these re-recording sprees, because I can honestly tell you that in many of the cases here I'd probably prefer listening to these very versions. Not every song is amazing, but the fact they didn't just go with the safer picks raises the value of this in my estimation. Like their peers in Kreator and Destruction, Angelripper and crew show no signs of slowing down, even the older members sound just as strong as they did in their formative 80s years, and 40 Years at War is another worthwhile exhibition of their dedication and power. I also really enjoy the cover art with the band's two iconic mascots going at it with one another, very representative of the recording as a whole, that fusion of old school and later thrash.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

https://sodomized.info/

Cult of Horror - Hermetik Heretik (2020)

Another impressive band in that South American blackened speed and thrash scene, Cult of Horror deliver the raw, pummeling goods as pioneered by their influences, in a compact, bludgeoning, evil form that will keep you headbanging in a dingy basement forever. Hermetik Heretik is their sophomore full-length, and while the first was pretty decent on its own, this thickens the blood of that style a little without losing any of the menace. Because that is key here, this Brazilian band actually sounds EVIL, they harness all of the creepy, frilly riffing that you love out of groups like Deathhammer or Hellripper, and they do it with some heft to hoist up the speed metal. I don't wanna say that they're d-beat, but they have a similar rocking out feel adjacent to the response I get to a lot of groups within that niche.

The vocalist Pazuzu really adds a lot, not because he's super-nuanced, but his growling, oblique delivery feels as if you're being smothered with rotten mummy-wrappings, there are simply no fucks given here as he growls out sustained lines over the more agile guitar parts, which are constantly catchy even where you've heard them before, but will throw out some surprises when they opt for a more distinctly death metal tremolo picked riff, or a boogie heavy metal groove like they lay down in the depths of "Philosophy of a Knife", even a doom tune in "Promethean Reign". There are often a few riffs that are borderline TOO derivative, such as the opening to "Murder by Witchcraft" which mirrors Slayer's immortal breakdown in "The Antichrist", but I'm willing to bet that this is conscious with no ill intent, rather an attempt to take that vibe and twist it off into some new configuration. This is an exception though, because while they don't exactly write original riffs, nothing else is so obvious, it's all pretty dark and dim and awesome.

I hope some of these groups can get some further exposure, I know acts like Whipstriker and Witchtrap have come around on tour, but I'd love a chance to check out Cult of Horror, Atomic Roar and some of the other underground gems from down there. This guy's voice is grisly and awesome, the material is in general quite oppressive, constantly catchy and well suited to the mix of occult fixation and horror smut that the band covers lyrically; Cult of Horror is certainly that, and what they write is the perfect companion to nights of bad booze, VHS exploitation flicks and an inescapable whiff of blood-drenched leather.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://cultofhorror.bandcamp.com/
 

Witchnight - Old Steel Breath (2022)

Few would argue that they offer much by way of creativity, but so many of these South American bands seem like they are right on the cusp of excellence within the blackened/speed/thrash realm, which is obviously popular elsewhere in the world, but comes out in large concentrations from counties like Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. Witchnight's debut Old Steel Breath is appropriately titled and monikered, as a blast straight from the leather-clad 80s with all the appropriated influences, from Venom and Slayer to Bathory and Sarcofago, and an attitude and atmosphere to match. It's another record that could have come out 37 years ago and haunted the record bins until it was discovered as a sort of uncut gem, mainly for such pure devotion to its aesthetics.

It's got a rather clean mix to it, so it's not as muddled as those first two formative Venom records, and I'd compare it more to Brazil's Power from Hell, although it's also a bit sharper than their earlier work. The guitars have a savage but polished feel to them, nasty enough when they're spitting out chords, but also quite clear and strong with the more melodic tremolo picked riffs. The leads are a little more taut and structured than one might expect, and there's just a nice atmosphere to the mix. Drums are rather basic but get the job done, I think if they put a bit more thunder to some fills and breaks then it would strengthen the material, but it's not that I go into an album like this one expecting to hear them. The bass isn't doing much of interest, but you can hear it in there fluttering along to the guitars, and the vocals have a harsh bark to them which is offset by some Schmier-like screams, or perhaps a bit of Tom Araya's first couple albums with Slayer, you know those sorts of stereotypical screams for this particular style which seem almost caricature at first until you realize they are really awesome.

Things like the brooding synth/organ instrumental intro, and the atmospheric, creepy kickoff to "Revenge of the Vampire" really set an appropriate mood, and the metal itself does not disappoint, though they're not working with a very unique tool set. I think the difference Witchnight might have from other bands working in this field, like Midnight is just the clarity of their riffing, which is also a good contrast to the more smothering, mouthy vocals. This isn't super sleazy despite the great cover art, but it's well worth a listen if you're into this inescapable style, whether its contemporary heroes or the earlier works of the Teutonic thrashers or West Coast US dirt merchants. Add the band to a long list of talents including the aforementioned Power from Hell, Whipstriker, Atomic Roar, Cult of Horror and at least a dozen more from this burgeoning South American scene, and it's also a good time if you're into all your classic horror and exploitation from the 60s-80s.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100062809074462

Helloween - Walls of Jericho (1985)

To try and drive home just how great Walls of Jericho was at the time it was taken off the leash, take a look at what else was going on that same year in traditional European metal. You had Running Wild's Branded and Exiled, Warlock's Hellbound, Grave Digger's Witch Hunter, and Stormwitch with Tales of Terror. All albums I dig, by bands I dig, one of which would even go on to put out a couple albums worship even more than anything Helloween has done, if you can believe that...but not in 1985. When I compare this record to anything sort of the outbreak of thrash metal around the same time, they almost all fall flat, whether it's that German scene of the time of heavy metal abroad. The iconic cover artwork, still one of their finest to this day, makes a great analogy for this album running up against the others in its field. There's both a raw intensity and level of songwriting polish here that must have been the envy of so many other metal gods in its day, and an atmosphere that one just doesn't simply forget...I will be in 2' wide, 6' deep afterlife and my skeleton will still be jabbering out "Ride the Sky" until it becomes dust.

Amusingly enough, while the style is largely comparable to the EP preceding it that spring, I'd say they had already lost a fraction of intensity. Not that the results are any less well-written or well-rounded, but there's clearly a more grounded approach that flirts more with conventional metal rhythms and then spins them off in its own direction with Kai's vocals, a sparse and effective use of keyboards, and a lot of fist pumping anthems like "Reptile" to go along with the EP-level onslaught of "Ride the Sky" or "Metal Invaders". The bass playing here is off the chart for its time, clearly Grosskopf was a fan of Steve Harris and Geddy Lee, who really made the instrument count, and Markus is all over this thing, and ever curve he takes, every fill STICKS THE LANDING. The drums might not have gotten as extreme as what was starting to emerge out of the newer, more sinister underground sub-genres, but Ingo Schwichtenberg sounds like a living storm, and when you combine the high impact percussion with that washed out 80s style of atmosphere created through the reverb and recording process of the time, Walls of Jericho just has a magic about it that isn't produced much if at all these days, one that's really only present in some of the formative works of other German power, speed and thrash metal acts like Rage, Paradox, Scanner, etc. This is one of the records that put Harris Johns on the map, and deservedly so, because the guy just had an ear for keeping metal honest and vicious without leeching it of its melodic potential.

The album is nowhere near as dynamic as its two better-known successors, but that's alright, this is the one you turn to when you want the molten steel Helloween and not the radio-ready version. It's like a more hyperactive Iron Maiden, all sped up but using the same penchant for triplets and melody, with this anthemic side to it which would prove almost as influential as the English legends. Certainly you take a track like "Ride the Sky" or "Guardians" and there are like a million other bands that would go out hunting for those same exact styles of chorus builds, only they'd probably lay on the cheese with more orchestration and a more 'professional' sounding singer. But that's another thing that stands out, beyond his excellent guitar playing, Kai Hansen's nasally, unique vocals. Plenty of range, but he sounds like he's a soldier battling his way through the apocalypse. I mean Andi Deris can get fairly aggressive with his own style later on, but Kai's just had an 'attack' to them, when merged with the meaner sounding riffs, that really immortalized him, and that aesthetic does persist with his own band Gamma Ray; he's awesome in general, but the nastier and more intense the riffs, the better the voice works.

People...this album has a badass song about a fucking PINBALL MACHINE from 1979...do I have to say anything more? They also took the intro from the Silver Shamrock "Happy Happy Halloween" jingle, which is based on "London Bridge is Falling Down". How cool is that for myself and the other fifteen people on Earth who enjoy Halloween III: Season of the Witch? What I'm essentially getting at is that anyone who doesn't like Walls of Jericho is not your friend, and you should not trust them.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.5/10]

https://www.helloween.org/

MP - Get It Now (1987)

MP was another casualty of the 80s European metal surge, a band that might have stood out a little more against its flourishing scene if there were simple a few less sharks swimming in the pool. For all intensive purposes, they have a sound extremely similar to other German acts like Faithful Breath, Samain and the mighty Accept, but as a card carrying fan of all three, I don't know if I can quite get enough of that particular niche, so an album like MP's Bursting Out or their second, Get It Now is something I consider a treat. As a full re-release of this LP approaches through Dying Victims' sub-label 'Relics from the Crypt', perhaps its time to give a glimpse back at what I'd honestly consider the best disc of the group's four full-lengths between 1986-1992, one that cleans up well and certainly scratches my itch for well-written if slightly indistinct traditional heavy/speed metal from the middle of that decade.

Their debut Bursting Out (The Beast Became Human) was similar in structure, but suffered from a more brash, uneven production. Part of that gave it a nastier charisma, but as it turns out, the smoothed over sophomore exceeds it with better hooks, stronger choruses, quality lead guitars and, let's face, it a much cooler cover art that seems to be channeling Valeria from Conan the Barbarian. We're talking total traditional Teutonic steel here, they've got a bit of more energetic pep than Samain's Vibrations of Doom, with a similar, raunchy vocal style from Thomas Zeller, but then again he's not so explosive as his countryman Udo, and I think that's probably the reason a band like this got raked across the coals, there was just a much huger presence in that niche from Accept, Running Wild or Warlock, or the emergent power metal of Helloween in their earlier incarnation. But that's not to take away how damn consistent Get It Now is, firing off some catchy, pumping openers like "Not for the Innocent" or "Claws from the Night" that make for instant heavy metal magic, provided you can get behind that melodic but sleazy strain in his delivery, one of my favorite characteristics of this album.

The rhythm section here is likewise strong, with Zeller's throbbing if 'stock' bass lines driving a lot of the songs' momentum, and Michael Link giving a moderately-paced, tireless hammering. I really love the guitar tone too, shifting between the agile, often palm-muted patterns and leads, the latter of which have a bit of flair to them not unlike Rage's Manni Schmidt, only MP isn't overall near that band's level of intensity and innovation. The band does seem like another of the countless groups in the 80s that were still flirting with the idea of the hard rock roots, and this translates into cuts like the brilliantly titled "Rocktober Blood" (and I say that with no irony), or the strangely subdued instrumental closer "Slow Down", which is like a mellow rock thing just over a minute which seems like it was a fragment of some other song that could have used vocals. Thankfully the band never goes all out power ballad, "Cruel to the Heart" seems to tease that for a few seconds before rocking its face off.

I don't think there's a single track other than that instrumental outro which I find weak, but my faves here are probably "Not for the Innocent", "Claws from the Night", "Hawk of May", and "Never Trust a Woman" which is one of a couple tracks here that sound straight from the Wolf Hoffman playbook. If you don't care about pretention or requiring anything stunningly original in your metal, and you often find yourself leaning back on albums like Breaker, Vibrations of Doom, Gold 'n' Glory, Burning the Witches, and Gates to Purgatory, then I think you'll hear a natural affinity in this album and find it worth the time. It's definitely one of those albums where I can lead in by dating it or defining it as a chronological relic, but to these ears it really hasn't aged a day. It sounds because metal is indeed eternal and anyone trying to convince you otherwise is still your enemy.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

Rage - Invisible Horizons EP (1989)

"Invisible Horizons" is hands down one of my favorite Rage tunes ever, and in a just world it would have been one of the hugest metal hits of 1989, so it makes a lot of sense to me that it would see some sort of single release. I found the side-angled, solar sailing version of the Soundchaser here on the cover to be a curious choice, but I was in love with this mascot since Perfect Man before it, and again that steampunk/sci-fi aesthetic really jogged my teenage imagination, although it probably didn't have to do with a lot of their music (a couple lyrics, sure). Now this is another of those limited, short releases which history has now rendered entirely redundant; you can get the two tracks that weren't on the original Secrets in a Weird World on later versions of that album, but I'm kind of/sort of going through these Rage releases in the formats I originally encountered them so I get a little extra space here to speak of those B-sides.

I could go more into the title track when I cover its full-length album, but this is just a glorious cut with some low-down, mean and intense riffs that escalate into Peavy's climactic, anthem-like chorus lines. He was in full form back then and could hit every note necessary, and by the time this dropped he had even managed to shape his pitch to something a little less uncouth and shrieky (although I was a fan of that too). I remember first hearing this track on the local University radio show in advance of getting my own cassette copy of Secrets and I was utterly fucking blown away, and the song still rules today. This lived up to all the mastery they displayed on Perfect Man, but in a way that I found would be even more accessible to those who thought that album was over the top. And not to mention that breakdown groove at around 2:20 which sets up the killer lead. Again, as I'm visiting this I just can't believe that music like this didn't catapult Rage into the top echelons of heavy/power metal fame at the close of the 80s. The band was every bit as infectious as Iron Maiden, Helloween, and Judas Priest of the time, and in terms of the musicianship you could argue they had even more finesse.

The other tunes have no chance to live up to that, but they're still quite decent, "Lost Side of the World" being the one that I believe was tacked onto the original CD release as a bonus track. It's a moody, sweeping piece with some nice leads, maybe too many leads, but I feel like some of the progressions in the tune had sort of been done better on other Rage tracks and you can see why the band and/or producer found it to be filler. "Law and Order" is the more fun of the B-sides, definitely giving off more of an Execution Guaranteed or Perfect Man vibe with the frilly shrieking vocals and gang shouts, especially when he breaks deeper into that wild chorus. Still not a top flight track in their discography, but I'll crave listening to it once in awhile, lots of fast bass lines in there and some nice, slicing riffs and another cool solo from Manni. On the whole, though, despite the amazingness of the title track, this is just another glorified maxi-single without too much to recommend. You just don't need it these days as you can hear the extras on a more substantial product for your dollar. For a year or so it scratched a bit of an itch for more Rage, but today it just seems like another record label attempt to scrap together a couple more bucks for a vinyl and CD.

Verdict: Indifference [5.25/10]

http://www.rage-official.com/

Rage - Live from the Vault EP (1997)

The third in my series of Victor Records import EPs from Rage, Live from the Vault is a fairly early example of a commercial performance gone to retail (in Japan), and it's honestly not so shabby despite the fact that it's a mere 30 minutes in length. This one's not going to give you the comprehensive experience that From the Cradle to the Stage would give years later, but as an example of them being able to put their fans' money where their mouths are, it will suffice. For a lot of Rage fans, these mid-90s were the peak of the band's powers, as they had strong support from records like Black in Mind and End of All Days, so it's not too surprising that this is the era of material which they are largely catering to, a bit of a bummer for me since I'm more into their 80s run, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

The energy is definitely there, the band chugging along through tracks like "Sent by the Devil" and "The Price of War", favorites of the era, but all of the melody and rock & roll pizazz is also clear through the guitars. It's not some perfect soundboard recording, so you might hear a lead being a bit subdued, or Peavy a little too loud here or there, but it does its job as a genuine performance, and the crowd really seems into it, jumping in on the chorus parts for "Higher Than the Sky". The bass and drums are fine, and Wagner's vocals are decent although we're already entering that phase in which he's only rarely screaming or pitching high, but he still sounds like that rough around the edges blue collar metal god that we all love.

I think it helps that they're in their native Germany in front of an audience that is most knowing of their material, but clearly their Japanese fans must be wild about them too considering all these collectible sorts of releases that hit the market, par for the course for 90s power metal. I do like all these songs, and the cover of "Motorbreath" is fun enough to close this set, although I can imagine this might have only been a partial set or something and you'd think they would close on one of their classic originals like "Don't Fear the Winter", "Waiting for the Moon" or "Time Waits for No One." Sometimes the band doesn't always put its best feet forward but again this is all a matter of opinion, and if you were desperate for a live recording after their first decade, this one is acceptable, if not necessarily worth the price of admission.

Verdict: Indifference [6.25/10]

http://www.rage-official.com/

Rage - Execution Guaranteed (1987)

Nearly synonymous in quality with its predecessor, Execution Guaranteed expands upon the creative riffing and quirky ideas at the expensive of maybe going a bit over the top in just a few sections. Just not enough to mar the experience, because like Reign of Fear or all their other output in the 80s, this is an album which feels as fresh and 'new' to me in 2021 as it did when I was a teenager. Perhaps it's because there simply aren't any other bands to come along which have sounded to me quite like what Peavy accomplished, and this thing is just loaded with riffs to fucking die for, still straddling the borders between power and speed and thrash metal, heavy hitting but laden will plenty of melody and finesse. Perhaps it's also that awesome if cheesy cover art with a skeletal gangster, strapped with a tommy gun, and it's kind of the swan song before the band would implement its awesome 'Soundchaser' mascot.

There was one lineup change here, Rudy Graf stepping into the second guitar spot, but even though they're still not in what I'd consider the ultimate Rage formation, I have few if any complaints about any of the musicianship. Swarthy, heavy guitar tones, power drumming, well executed, varied leads, and Wagner's steady bass lines, which are felt slightly less than on the debut. There are a few spots where the snare drum seems a bit too tinny or clappy, but it's a minor gripe when everything else sounds so loud and fantastic. As with the prior album the band has no quips about adding in some keyboards or effects like in the middle of "Deadly Error", or the video game samples that open "Mental Decay", they add a lot of personality. The riffs are all over the place from the tasteful melodic speed metal flurries that would heavily characterize their following two albums, or the crisp low-end chugging which is anything but generic. While Wagner's vocals aren't far from Reign of Fear, I do feel there is a bit more focus on their production which can occasionally make them stand out...he's got such a unique personality between the higher pitched screams and howls and the more gritty mid-range, and it does take some getting used to...but fuck, so doesn't King Diamond.

Nobody can fault his chorus lines, though, delivered amazingly on thundering anthems like "Before the Storm" or the immortally catchy "Hatred", which also features some workmanlike heavy/thrash riffs that remind me of Testament's The Ritual, only five years earlier! They've really mastered the art of the slower track, too, whereas "The Scaffold" bonus track left something to be desired on the debut, "Streetwolf" has no such problems, an atmospheric masterpiece that winds up to the escalating scream of the title with some eerie, clinical muted melodies. You can just imagine walking the misty concrete jungle apocalypse of a fictional, dystopian 80s action movie with this one playing in the background. But in every instance the band is hustling, from the scathing opener "Down by Law" to the finale "When You are Dead" this is also one fun-as-fuck, rousing record that is never far from my mind when I'm appreciating all those unsung Noise Records classics. The cherry on top is that they would keep on getting better...

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10] (controlling the trade)

http://www.rage-official.com/