1. Images In Blood 2. Midian 3. Dark Desires 4. God Complex 5. Past Sins 6. Khaos Theory 7. Nocturnal Reign

Killjoy's second solo effort after Compelled By Fear turned out to be darker and heavier by tenfold. With a renamed line-up, the production of Midian can be simply described as ultra-heavy with certain leanings towards death metal, not unlike what bands like Demolition Hammer and Exhorder used to practice at around the same time. The outcome sounds very professional though also somewhat undistinctive at times. It must be said that this album as a whole is very atmospheric with a brooding feel and classy guitar leads, and the tightest tracks like Images In Blood and Nocturnal Reign are almost second to none when compared to any other band of this kind. It is not the ultimate album in the genre, but if you are looking for some of the heaviest thrash metal available then Midian really takes the cake.

1. Heirs Of Humanity 2. Vivisection (Stop The Torture) 3. Criminal Fire 4. The Spy 5. Last Vision 6. I Am Dead 7. Don't Let Me Down 8. Vixit 9. Living On Trash 10. Some Still Universe 11. The New Poor Of The New Rich 12. Shadow Of The Dark

Appearing relatively late from the French thrash metal scene, Capharnaum ended up sounding almost too familiar to anyone who kept up with the genre even on an irregular basis. This album walks a fine line between fairly generic and totally forgettable, and it's probably only due to the adequately powerful delivery and occasional fancy details that save it from sinking too deep into mediocrity. Capharnaum could obviously pump up the speed high enough when they really wanted, some lazy bits notwithstanding. At least technically there is no real reason to complain, therefore it is a shame that the band couldn't write a single really memorable song for this release. The end result is a standard fare on all counts, somewhat sufficient for what it's worth and nothing more than that.

1. Shark Attack 2. Antichrist 3. Games Of Evil 4. Restless 5. Demon's Child 6. Avenger 7. Evil Is There 8. Marshall Law 9. Torero

From today's perspective, Carrion's sound is like a perfect reminiscence from the past. With Evil Is There! these Swiss thrashers put out some very straightforward thrash metal that works on a certain basic level. Actually the band's sound reminds me of Darkness on their debut Death Squad, with riffs that give most tracks a fairly unique feel. The music feels even simplistic at times, which may lessen some of its appeal in the long run, but on the other hand this kind of bare bones attack is rather effective in all its plainness. With such an old-fashioned feel, Evil Is There! is definitely a product of its time - only a few years later and it would have been practically impossible to release an album of this kind anymore. As of now, it makes a fair example of some of the most pure old school thrash metal from the eighties.

1. Rape And Murder 2. Do It Right 3. Forked Tongue 4. Agressor

In a way, Caustic are at least semi-interesting for such a less-known group, but listening to this band's debut mini album is practically like going through the movements that you probably know by heart already. This simply means that the music could easily pass as a generic product of almost any other obscure band whose name you just don't happen to remember anymore. There is actually nothing particularly irritating or distracting in these songs, but they do not exactly raise any really positive feelings either. To hear this kind of forgettable playing in effect can be almost disheartening when you consider the history of the genre up to this point. After all, this was Caustic's first release and not a hopeless effort for such, but a lot more would have been needed to keep their heads above the water in the competition.

1. Unity For Who? 2. Enter The Turmoil 3. Feast Of The Fools 4. Chasten Of Fear 5. Circle Of The Earth 6. Tower Of Spite 7. Injecting Out 8. Quest For Midian 9. Forgotten Genocide 10. Culte Des Mortes (I) 11. Closing Irony

Compared to most other British thrash bands, Cerebral Fix sounded considerably grittier than the average. Tower Of Spite features some very dark and heavy thrash metal with particularly gruff vocals. The general style of this album is quite uniform and above all very distinctive, something not too common in the genre in those days. Instead of relying on absolute speed all the time, Cerebral Fix gains more momentum from the roaring chainsaw riffs and biting vocals. As a result, the music has a notably evil and punishing feel to it. Occasionally the tracks tend to border on the plodding side though, something that possibly could have been helped with a little more speed. Nevertheless, the outcome is quite satisfying in itself and makes Tower Of Spite a good example of the heavier old thrash metal albums.

1. Bastards 2. Descent Into The Unconsciousness 3. Veil Of Tears 4. Beyond Jerusalem 5. Return To Infinity 6. Sphereborn 7. I Lost A Friend 8. Ritual Abuse 9. Mammonite 10. Middle Third (Mono-culture) I 11. Maimed To Beg 12. No Survivors 13. Smash It Up

With Bastards Cerebral Fix pretty much continued in the same unchanged vein established on their previous album. In fact, everything about Tower Of Spite applies to this release as well, almost as if they could have been released as a double album back then. Maybe the sound of Bastards is more refined and pounding to a small extent, but in practice there is little difference between these two. The general heaviness and grittiness of the band's output has essentially remained the same and the vocals may be some of the best one can have in this kind of music. Again, the only drawback must be that the individual songs are not too distinctive, which just means you need to pay attention to the album as a whole to really get the most out of it. Some repetition aside, Cerebral Fix had a truly characteristic style of their own.

1. Death Erotica 2. World Machine 3. Clarissa 4. Haunted Eyes 5. Mind Within Mine 6. Angel's Kiss 7. Still In Mind 8. The Raft Of Medusa 9. Splintered Wings 10. Creator Of Outcasts 11. Never Again 12. Too Drunk To Funk 13. Burning 14. Livin' After Midnight

One might have thought that by their final release Cerebral Fix had reached a certain saturation point as far as the band's authentic although even a bit monotonic style is considered. However, despite some doubts the result turned out to be surprisingly well-executed and innovative enough, even to the extent of surpassing its predecessors. From the very first moments, Death Erotica bears a captivating quality, not to forget about ultra-heavy riffs - compare this to almost any other album out there, and in 9 cases out of 10 it is the heavier of the two. Even though the trade-off between heaviness and speed seems to have increased and on a couple of occasions the outcome tends to drag even slightly, most of the time this crushing riff-machine really hits the mark. As a small beauty spot, the last four songs are somewhat unnecessary cover/bonus tracks, though. Minor complaints aside, Death Erotica is very solid and one of the most memorable releases of British thrash metal.

1. May Not The Mankind Suffer 2. The Planet Is Dead 3. Terminal Brain 4. Children Of The Cemetery 5. Jason Lives 6. Warriors Of Disgrace 7. The Dead Walk 8. Children Sacrifice 9. Mr. Jesus Christ

A long-timer in the Brazilian thrash metal scene, Chakal gave a grim initial impression with their first album Abominable Anno Domini. The band's sound would be quite rough even without Vladimir Korg's gruff vocals that ultimately complete the effect. The music might have used some more variety, though, as most of these songs are not overly distinctive. Almost every track is played in the same headbanging manner, and most of the underlying details tend to get buried in the raw and fairly one-dimensional presentation. However, props must be given to the band for their uncompromised output, especially considering Korg's unforgettable vocal efforts. While Abominable Anno Domini is not vastly different from the average output of other equally equipped Brazilian thrash metal bands of the time, Chakal's unpolished style eventually pays off to some extent.

1. Feel No Pain 2. Silence n' Peace 3. Acme Dead End Road 4. Holobyte 5. Hangover 6. Santa Claus Has Got Skin Cancer 7. In Vain 8. S.S.C. 333 9. Synthetic Tears

Chakal's second full-length release The Man Is His Own Jackal is a slightly less harsh example of the band's music. The style of this one is a bit on the wild side, many times full of lighthearted energy instead of solely sticking to grave serious topics - possibly the best song of this release is about Warner Bros. cartoons, now that's an original choice or what. On the surface, the sound of this album is pretty satisfying and only hindered by the vocalist who is quite a plain howler; personally I might have preferred a stronger output like that of the band's original vocalist Vladimir Korg. Although the music is fairly energetic indeed, on the whole it lacks some vital characteristics to make it more memorable over time. Even though the wild attitude alone may win you over in the long run and The Man Is His Own Jackal is still worth a listen, you cannot help a feeling that Chakal could do also better than this.

1. Before It's Too Late 2. Mind Cries, Body Dies 3. Panic In The Fast Food 4. Fear Of Death 5. Beholder 6. A Certain Afternoon Havin' Strawberry Jelly On Mars Watching The Dick Birds Fly South 7. Choked 8. Useless Denial To Hear

It is not difficult to immediately notice how much more convincing and better produced Death Is A Lonely Business sounds when compared to Chakal's previous releases. At its best this album provides a nice mixture of memorable heavy stompers (Panic In The Fast Food) and equally storming fast thrashers (Fear Of Death), although one cannot avoid observing some dragging moments, too. As a whole this release still appears notably more balanced and entertaining than the band's earlier output. Despite this more advanced approach, the music has not been totally stripped of occasional humorous touches which is a definite plus. Maybe it is not an absolute winner by chance, but Death Is A Lonely Business is surely something of a pleasant surprise after some undeniably more raw and undeveloped Chakal albums.

1. Morlocks Will Rise 2. Demon King 3. Christ In Hell 4. Mirror Made Tricks 5. Evil Dead 6. War Drums 7. Flowers On Your Grave 8. Human Remains Banquet 9. Psycho 10. The Masque Of The Red Death 11. Mastered Dogs

While Chakal's actual comeback in the new millennium took the form of a highly modern and experimental release (Deadland), the follow-up album Demon King marks a return to the band's original thrash metal approach. The guitar sound may appear strange enough for the first few seconds, but the feeling quickly disappears as soon as the other instruments join in. With Vladimir Korg back on vocals, the renewed band carry a close resemblance to their original incarnation while keeping up with the upgraded technical requirements. Naturally also the music is somewhat more developed than on those primitive early efforts, but you can still identify Chakal's sound pretty easily even based on the vocal tone alone. When the band can effortlessly make a fresh-sounding cover version of Death's Evil Dead with a full thrashing treatment so that it goes almost seamlessly with the original material, it is certain that they are still far from being relics in the scene.

1. No Light (At The End Of The Tunnel) 2. Tales Of Worship 3. The Pioneer 4. Succeed Or Bleed 5. Never Alone 6. Inspiration To Violence 7. Painful Jokes 8. Save Me 9. Animation 10. Run With The Torch

Considering how faithful to the best traditions of eighties thrash metal Channel Zero's debut is, it is a great pity that this Belgian band later decided to follow in the footsteps of Pantera and the like. Channel Zero is a convincing effort on all levels, a package filled with furious riffs and manic vocals. Right from the striking No Light (At The End Of The Tunnel) this album sounds like a 10 ton steamroller running loose down the road. Although a few songs sound something like only minor variations of the theme and the vocalist's shouting can appear somewhat unvaried at times, it's the immense commitment and drive of the band that really makes this music hit your face. Franky's vocals are clear but extremely powerful and the band basically play as if they had just invented the whole genre. No matter what you think about Channel Zero's later works, their initial release is an example of some very good thrash metal.

1. A.C.N.R. 2. Ballad Of S.O.D. 3. Firedancer 4. Inquisition 5. Metal Eyes 6. Paragon Of Animals 7. Surprise Kills 8. Surgery 9. Twisted In Vice 10. Wakan Tanka

Probably close to a re-definition of 'rare' these days, In Vice shows Charged giving an ample demonstration of their concept of Finnish thrash metal. There is little else but straight-out thrashing on this album, and the band pull the right strings for a good measure. It is kind of repetitive and clearly not comparable to the cream of the crop at the time, but for one thing, there is a fresh and energetic mood all over this album. Obviously Charged had a talent for an effective use of resources - even though there are hardly any truly classic riffs to be found here, the band play these tracks out in such a devoted manner that it is hard not to give it the respect it no doubt deserves. You can never know what kind of curiosity items still remain hidden in the old scene, but In Vice has enough merits to prove that it is not among the most forgettable ones.

1. Foggy Creek 2. Crust And Crumbs 3. Chronic Confusion 4. Sordid End 5. Starless 6. Ratrace 7. Open Season 8. No Tomorrow 9. Doctor Death 10. Prejudice

With such a little known band as Chronical Disturbance from Canada, you might immediately start wondering if their music is really worth the time. In this case, there could be some reservations about it - although Foggy Creek has some merits, it is not unjust to call the output quite boring on the whole. On the instrumental side the band appear to have been a bit more ambitious than your usual pack, but not exactly in a memorable way. Actually this album often sounds like a heavier Dyoxen to me, with some more technical aspirations than on average but also the same kind of forgettable output most of the time. It tells a lot when the most interesting track of a thrash metal album is an instrumental piece (here, Doctor Death). There is no reason to completely overlook Chronical Disturbance's musical vision, but the result does not really impress in the way it should.

1. Defiled By Madness 2. Bottled Freedom 3. Inner Conflict 4. Deniably So (The Edited Truth) 5. From Green To Black

Whatever little eventually came of Comatose, their only known release sounds virtually indistinguishable from the original thrash metal scene that flourished a few years earlier. One would indeed have great difficulties in trying to estimate the original release date of Deep Sleep without a better knowledge, as if this mini album had been recorded early on but then just postponed for a long period of time. The sound is very down-to-earth, and in specific situations this could be a perfect album to add to the mood. While the band mostly deliver the goods in a fair manner, some of the music appears quite unoriginal and naturally repetitive, though. Sufficient to say, the appeal of this recording is based on its powerful feel more than any downright catchy songs. Deep Sleep may be missing the final touch that would really make a difference, but a bad choice to hear it is not.

1. Intro 2. Reborn Through Hate 3. When Angels Die 4. Intro (Nosferatu) 5. Nosferatu 6. Suicide Command 7. Spiral Dream 8. R.I.P. 9. Coma 10. Fried Alive 11. Intro (Totentanz) 12. Totentanz 13. Outro

Coroner were undoubtedly one of the better technical speed/thrash metal bands in the genre. Their debut album R.I.P. was already a surprisingly characteristic release that immediately introduced the typical Coroner sound that is very heavy, not exactly the fastest around but more technical than in your average band. Despite being heavy on technicality, the result sounds mostly quite interesting and fresh and works pretty well. With very heavy vocals and decent speed, the music is convincing enough and does not wander too deep into the progressive territory. The musicianship is very excellent and the prime example of this, the classy instrumental Nosferatu easily becomes one of the definite highlights of this album. R.I.P. is a fine demonstration of Coroner's original sound and a good technical thrash metal album with some special appeal.

1. Intro 2. Absorbed 3. Masked Jackal 4. Arc-Lite 5. Skeleton On Your Shoulder 6. Sudden Fall 7. Shadow Of A Lost Dream 8. The New Breed 9. Voyage To Eternity 10. Purple Haze

Coroner's second album is similar to R.I.P. in a technical sense but lacks some of its energetic feel. Punishment For Decadence is typically heavy for the band and it has all the usual Coroner characteristics, but this time some of the music is close to being a bit too tedious for its own good. Although this album sounds even more consistent than the band's debut release, many tracks seem to go nowhere despite their heavy arrangements. In fact, R.I.P. had more memorable songs and overall felt more distinctive than this one. Except for the peculiar Jimi Hendrix cover Purple Haze, most tracks are not too distinguishable from each other, which results in a somewhat boring general feel. Punishment For Decadence is by no means a bad album but some repetitious technical mannerism and the lack of highlights make it less impressive when compared to its predecessor.

1. Die By My Hand 2. No Need To Be Human 3. Read My Scars 4. D.O.A. 5. Mistress Of Deception 6. Tunnel Of Pain 7. Why It Hurts 8. Last Entertainment

By their third album Coroner had refined their style to a respectable level. No More Color is probably the band's most mature release up to that point, and despite all the technicality and variety in their sound the music remains crushingly heavy and focused. Some of the band's better tracks can be found on this album, including the heavy Read My Scars and the experimental Last Entertaiment. Although Coroner were clearly starting to steer away from conventional thrash metal grounds, this release remains to be a fine example of the band's potential and skills. Supported by some great, rich production, No More Color is the heaviest and probably the best of Coroner's early albums.

1. Heaven Needs Money 2. Slaves Of Our Inventions 3. Back To My World 4. I Live, You Die 5. Toxic Death 6. Life Reflections 7. Reason To Kill

Corpse may have been among the more unknown Brazilian bands of their time, but I Live, You Die does not actually pale in comparison to the average quality of releases in the genre. The album has a strong start with the hard-hitting Heaven Needs Money, resulting in a surprisingly positive initial impression. While the rest of the album eventually turns out to be more of a standard type as a whole, there is still a sufficient amount of good moments to ensure that Corpse's offering manages to keep its head above the water long enough. The guitar work and riffs are on an acceptable level at all times, and you can only think that the band must have had a good time during the recording sessions. For those looking for unobtrusive but interesting thrash metal that holds on its own, I Live, You Die contains just that.

1. Blessed Is The Black 2. 6669 3. Burn The Cross 4. Out Of The Grave 5. Rock This Church 6. Iron Dick 7. The Monger 8. McDonaldland Massacre 9. Another Life 10. Creature Of Duty (And My Duty Is Death)

When the title track of Coven's debut starts off with some captivating, classy riffs, you'd be forgiven for thinking that you are into something great. As it turns out, Blessed Is The Black is musically decent but not overly impressive. Maybe the most notable feature in Coven's sound is the vocals that are overdone beyond belief most of the time. On some tracks the vocals sound almost normal, on others the result is pretty close to ridiculous to say the least. The lyrics are some of the most amusing and tasteless in the genre - tracks like 6669 and Iron Dick must have been possible only in the glorious eighties. Of the better tracks, McDonaldland Massacre is just about as hilarious as you could possibly imagine, and more. Among this plethora of bad taste, Another Life is a surprisingly classy and fascinating anthem. Overall, despite its controversial nature Blessed Is The Black can be a fairly enjoyable experience if not taken too seriously.

1. Too Late To Pray 2. Ministry Of Lies 3. Spellbinder 4. Succubus 5. Death Walks Behind You 6. Frozen Bones 7. Propaganda 8. Justified Suicide 9. Ted Bundy 10. Silent Night (Violent Night)

Coven's second effort added some consistency in their music while the lyrics were a little less absurd than on the band's debut. The vocals are still constantly over-the-top but at this point one has already got used to the style. While the tracks on Death Walks Behind You are more coherent than before and Coven now sound almost like a real band, the music is also a bit less distinctive than on Blessed Is The Black and the album lacks real highlights (after all, Ted Bundy doesn't quite match McDonaldland Massacre). Regardless, there's some strange charm in Coven's rough, often humorous (intentional or not) style, and despite the fact that Death Walks Behind You is not exactly a milestone in thrash metal, I still tend to give it a listen every now and then.

1. Satanic As Hell 2. F*ckin' A Nun 3. Just Add Violence 4. Christsycle / Reaming The Pope 5. Boneless Christian 6. Organic God 7. The Master's Tool 8. All This Bleeding

After a long break Coven returned for one more time, apparently aiming for more shock value than ever before. With songs about rape, murder and necrophilia, cannibalism, shooting children etc. (you name it), the "explicit lyrics" warning on the cover couldn't be more deserved. Granted, many albums in the old scene were not exactly known for their sublime lyrical content, but this one is totally stupid. In comparison to other tracks, Organic God sounds almost tame with its "typical" social and religious commentary. It's a pity that the band put more effort into taking their joke way over the top than developing the music itself, as without any of the hooks of Coven's earlier releases Boneless Christian has very little to offer.

1. Lucifer Breath (The Storm To Come) 2. Storm Of Steel And Hate 3. Riders Of Damnation 4. Bestial Butcher 5. Raped By Demons

Speed Metal Satan was a convincing start for Cranium's "speed metal" trilogy of high-speed thrash metal, characterized by somewhat overdone vocals and a notably wild attitude. While more or less directly spawned by the infamous "retro thrash" movement of the late nineties, this Swedish group were almost ridiculously more talented and credible than most of their contemporaries from the same period. Start with the fact that the songs sound like a pack of rabid bunnies on the run, add some surprisingly solid guitar work including classy solos, and it should be clear that Cranium's music deserves recognition. This even despite the band's persistent demonstrations of bad taste which is highly evident already on this debut. In particular, the lyrics are intentionally so dumb that they ultimately reach some humorous levels beyond belief - make no mistake, a great piece of poetry this is not. Fortunately the album as a whole is more enjoyable than some of its small quirks might suggest.

1. Slaughter On The Dance Floor 2. Lawnmower Lover 3. Dentist Of Death 4. S.R.T. 5. A Devil On The Drums / Sluts Of Satan 6. Graveyard Romance 7. Satanic Holiday

Even though Speed Metal Slaughter pushes the limits of bad humor, the sound of it should be no surprise to anyone who heard Cranium's debut release. You only need a glimpse of the cover art and track titles to determine that this is an album to be played only in carefully selected situations. This time Cranium apparently decided to take the humorous elements deliberately over the top, and it certainly shows in both good and bad. One got to admit, Dentist Of Death and a couple of other tracks are funny enough so that you don't need to feel total embarrasment for the band. Then again, a whole album of the same joke inevitably gets old at some point. The vocals are also sometimes a bit too cartoonish which can result in at least slight irritation every now and then. The music is still quite entertaining at its best and, needless to say, one of a kind in the genre. Definitely not for people who cannot take a joke, though.

1. Speed Metal Sentence 2. Nymphomaniac Nuns 3. Full Moon Fistbanger 4. Satanic Sect 5. Pestilential Penis 6. Samurai Satan 7. Taxi Terror 8. Cranium - Crushers Of Christ

The third and final installment in Cranium's amusing album trilogy, Speed Metal Sentence honors the consistent style of its predecessors almost to the letter. On the surface it would seem that little has changed since the previous releases although this album does have some small refined touches of its own. You can hardly wish for more speed, and the riffs are pretty cool and even memorable, too. Again, if you're not into terribly adolescent humor then it is better to ignore the lyrics altogether, as it couldn't be more pointless to try to find any deep meaning in them. Although Cranium still occasionally sound more like cartoon characters than a real band and some tracks can appear awfully silly, it is probably a fair trade-off for their distinctive style. No one on earth can ever mistake this thing for great art, but it certainly makes an unforgettable experience in many ways.

1. Intro / Solitude 2. Rotten Press 3. I Want To Live... 4. Squirts Of Shout 5. Stop That Car 6. From The Dark 7. Black Horizon 8. Green White Red

Despite their name Creepin' Death's style was not particularly dark or heavy, almost the opposite. Errare Humanum Est... Perseverare Diabolicum!! firmly belongs to the realm of vintage speed/thrash metal, with vocals that are rather high-pitched in the typical Agent Steel vein. Similarities don't end there, as also Creepin' Death's songs feature plenty of melodic hooks in both riffs and solos. With the exception of one classy heavy ballad, these tracks still carry a fair amount of speed and energy so that the album can be called a credible part of the genre. Overall, the band's sound is pure eighties, so much that today this album would appear like just a curiosity item if it wasn't for the fact that many songs are simply quite catchy, though sometimes also unintentionally cheesy. For fans of the style, Creepin' Death should be well worth the time.

1. Butcher's Son 2. Beer & Violence 3. Devil Went Down To Georgia 4. Value Funerals 5. Burn Or Rot 6. CRemrAP

"Home Style Thrash" could have been an appropriate alternative title for Cremator's debut release from the coast of Australia. While Home Style Surgery might at first appear like something made on a shoestring budget, the honest feel of the result at least partially gains back whatever may have been lost in production values. Although this album is not exactly on the heaviest side of the genre, the music is not half-bad and there is a certain "live" quality on this recording that money often cannot buy. If it is not immediately obvious, this is not one of the most serious productions either - Devil Went Down To Georgia even features touches of an amusing redneck country feel with violins and all. Sure, some of this album may sound slightly amateurish, but for its short length Cremator's showcase offers pretty good value.

1. Difference 2. Mortal Anxiety 3. You Can Never Understand 4. For You 5. To Die For Descent 6. The Pictures Of Torture 7. Irritating Inertia 8. Terrible Solitude 9. Absent - Minded 10. About Tenor

For rare Czech thrash metal from the old days, Crionic's Different is no doubt a decent release. Probably the first detail you will notice is the production that is nice and sharp, especially the guitar sound is very cool, although for some reason you cannot avoid a strange synthetic feel occurring at times. The band's output is fairly powerful, sometimes slightly reminiscent of the old Sepultura, with sufficiently gruff vocals and all. It must be the only real major weakness that most songs basically fail to catch any serious fire, even though you have to admit that many of them are quite stylish while having a great deal of variety. While the result may tend to slip through with no bigger impact, Different is still far from the most derivative productions out there.

1. Insane Harmony 2. Travelling Through The Mind 3. Mortal Reality 4. Galeria De Horrores 5. Game Of Words 6. Banditry 7. Bourree 8. Slow Death Machine 9. Seca 10. Torture

Cruor must not be one of the bands that first come to mind when technical speed/thrash metal is considered, but Insane Harmony proves that the group possessed some real talent. This album is a pleasant small surprise among the mass of more generic releases, a recording with a distinguishable sound of its own. To be honest, the music is not vastly original or memorable, but it is still easily more distinctive than the norm. The band seem to have had an eye for lengthy intros, and the songs sometimes feature adventurous, semi-tricky, and downright lightsome parts while never getting overly complex. In comparison to the satisfying musical content, the production tends to sound somewhat unfinished, but that sort of adds to the charm of it all. The best thing about Insane Harmony is simply that it does not sound like something you heard already a million times in the past.

1. Generations Talk 2. Place And Time 3. Distrust A Change 4. Fabula De Antigua Hora

Curare's Just A Scratch almost tends to pass a close inspection on the face value only. The band's sound is very heavy and crunchy, leaving little to be desired. The songs are notably lengthy affairs which makes this album almost a half hour in its total length despite containing only a few tracks. This unavoidably leads to some dragging moments here and there even though you cannot avoid observing a certain feel of conviction on this recording. It could be easy to label some parts of this thing as pure Metallica worship from the old days except with less originality, but it is still good for a listen. Although the result may sound samey on the whole, at least the band faithfully stick to the conventional style and do not try to mix it up with any experimental bits.

1. Prelude To The End 2. Long To Hell 3. Fall Under His Command 4. The Call Of Steel 5. Fighting The Fatal 6. In The Grip Of Evil 7. Take Thy Breath 8. Incest Love

The debut of this Belgian band was quite basic and simple. Brutal Destruction sounds like any typical thrash metal album of the time, and it would be nearly indistinguishable from the others if the vocalist didn't have a tendency to insert annoying screams in songs every now and then. Without this feature the album would be actually a bit more listenable than it is now. The tracks are reasonably energetic and the band sound pretty intense, but that could be actually considered to be a minimum requirement in these circles. Unfortunately, the music on Brutal Destruction is completely average, and without any redeeming qualities this album gets old really fast.

1. Convultions (Intro) 2. Neurotic 3. So Be It 4. Paralysed 5. Throw The First Stone 6. The Other Side 7. I Am The Plague 8. Crown Of Thorns 9. Slavery

Cyclone's second and final album showed some definite progression in the band's style. Inferior To None has a wonderfully heavy, classy and dark sound that in a way resembles the production of some Metallica albums and supports the complex and ambitious songwriting very well. With none of the weaknesses of Brutal Destruction left, Cyclone sound almost like a totally different band here. This album has a highly consistent feel despite its lengthy tracks, and the only minor drawback is that some of the riffs are not quite as distinctive and memorable as one could wish for. If more tracks were as intriguing as the majestic instrumental Crown Of Thorns, this album would immediately appear more impressive - now it just needs a longer period of time to grow on you. That aside, Inferior To None is a true quality release and a real keeper.