1. Lack Of Motivation 2. C.D.S. 3. Punishment Area 4. Rampage / Nothing Uncommon 5. Have No Fear 6. What Would You Expect 7. Darkside 8. Shadow Knows 9. Ripoffs 10. Time Bomb 11. Instruments Of Death

Faith Or Fear were one of those thrash metal bands who never released more than one album during their existence. Punishment Area is a decent effort with actually a surprisingly more versatile sound than what some of the other lesser bands put out at the time. There's even some genuine creativity put into the songs although the music on the whole is not too memorable except for some small snippets. Tim Blackman's vocals are a bit on the emotionless side, but they are quite suitable for the music anyway. Punishment Area is not the most generic thrash metal album that I've heard but certainly not one of the most significant releases either.

1. Premier Parish 2. Ice 3. Spectacle Of Fear 4. Faith Fails 5. Injection - Overdose 6. At Night 7. Dental Surgery 8. Hangover 9. Another One 10. Visions Of Terror

Fallen Angel played some interesting speed/thrash metal on their only full-length release. Well produced and featuring a lot of memorable hooks in songs, Faith Fails is a stylish and intense demonstration of this band's music. Although the vocals sound a bit immature at first, this album is quite a professional piece of work, and the only thing that really prevents it from rising above the average is a certain superficial feel that can be sensed at times. Other than that, these tracks have stood against time pretty well and make it easier to give the album a spin every now and then. The guitars in particular have some fine moments with a few truly intriguing riffs. Though some parts of Faith Fails can appear a bit banal, this album is a nice example of old thrash metal done with style.

1. Chosen Fate 2. Psychotic Mind 3. Don't Criticize 4. Final Call 5. Backstabber 6. E.R.C. 7. Not Sure 8. Kill Rip Destroy

Another long lost minor thrash metal band of the eighties, Fantom Warrior never had much of a chance to reach the ears of a casual listener. This is a slight pity as Fantasy Or Reality is nowhere near the worst of its kind, in fact this album provides a pleasant surprise with its powerful content. There are some fresh ideas, even hints of originality in this music, and the riffs are mostly very adequate. Just occasionally the band's output sounds almost rushed, as several tracks are quite short although they get their point through. Not holding back any speed, fine thrashers like Psychotic Mind, Backstabber, and especially the wondefully hard-hitting Final Call ensure that this is one of the more memorable albums from the old underground scene. Whoever designed the cover art certainly deserves to get slapped around a bit, though.

1. Murder 2. Legend 3. Beloved Dead 4. Moorgle 5. Werewolf On The Hunt 6. Cocksuckin' Slave 7. Evil 8. Infidel

Flames surely were not a common example of a Greek speed/thrash metal band in the eighties. In addition to having possibly the most uncute cover in these circles ever, Merciless Slaughter functions as something of a bridge between the band's oldest, more traditional material, and later pure thrash metal. Murder opens the album already in that intense thrashy vein that would be in full force on the next release, and a couple of other tracks follow the same high-speed approach. Then again, there is still a fair share of less frantic performances as well, and in comparison to later Flames recordings this one is easily the most antiquated of the bunch. Nothing wrong with that, though, and if you can put up with some old-fashioned antics then Merciless Slaughter should be capable of providing a few entertaining moments, too.

1. Eastern Front 2. Summon The Dead 3. Kill For Mummy 4. Alcoholic & Beer 5. Legend II (The Demon's Mind) 6. Legions Of Death 7. Avenger 8. Slaughterhouse 9. Ballad Of A Skinbeating Maniac

Making a clear difference from the earlier works of Flames, the style of Summon The Dead is quite standard but still interesting heavy thrash metal - sometimes surprisingly similar to typical German bands of the time but with a twist of its own, while the vocal department reminds me of Exorcist. The music is very energetic, guaranteed to create some positive vibes based on its fresh sound alone. Although this album suffers from a mediocre production which makes it sound rather messy and rough, the songs more than compensate for this. Avenger in particular must be one of the coolest thrashers around. Even if their style was nothing that hadn't been heard before, Flames managed to add a good dose of fresh appeal to their sound. If you can look past the shortcomings in the production department, this album is likely to turn out quite enjoyable.

1. Revenge 2. Deathra 3. Agnostic Front 4. Destiny Of Hate 5. Red Terror 6. Silo 7. Acid Rain 8. Drinking All Night

Last Prophecy follows closely in the vein of Summon The Dead, with little difference between these albums. The songs may lack a little bit of the unchained feel of the previous release, but on the other hand the result appears more consistent in comparison. This time there are no such absolute killer tracks as Avenger (Agnostic Front may be the closest contender) but no really bad ones either, and some of the heaviest riffs here more than fit the bill. Considering the sound quality, this album is slightly better and sounds even a bit heavier than its predecessor although the production is still far from perfect. If Summon The Dead caught your attention then Last Prophecy is a safe companion for that one, with no radical surprises.

1. Savage Brains 2. Oath Immortal 3. Throne Of Pain 4. Never Ending Suicide 5. Pollution Attack 6. Shadows 7. Denied 8. Human Inhumanity 9. Reborn 10. Frei Statt Bayern 11. Revenge (bonus) 12. Red Terror (bonus)

Continuing their efforts to the nineties, Flames made an album that did not drift too far away from their legacy sound while it did develop the band's style by a fair notch. Although the general feel of In Agony Rise is somewhat more restricted and not quite as energetic as on Summon The Dead and Last Prophecy, there are some cool pieces to be found here as well (Savage Brains and Reborn immediately come to mind). The downside is that despite a couple of standout tracks this album on the whole is a bit too unsurprising and predictable to really make a distinctive impression, therefore the result does not quite match the previous releases. It's a good thing to see the band sticking to the traditional approach, though, and in that sense In Agony Rise is still a fair addition to anyone's collection.

1. Black Rose Of Hades 2. Bitch 3. Holocaust 4. Nagasaki -45 5. Blind Acceptance 6. World Of Lies 7. Touch Of Death 8. Raped To The Core 9. Punisher 10. Skullfuck 11. Slave

On the surface, Flegma's Blind Acceptance appears like a strong offering at first. The opening track Black Rose Of Hades actually makes sort of a novel impression with its steady tempo - if Motorhead had played thrash metal in the beginning, it could have sounded something like this. But it doesn't take too long before you realize that almost all tracks run at the same pace and most of them even sound nearly identical from start to finish. It is not really bad but even in the short run the music can get quite monotonous if you listen to more than one track a day. This is a slight pity as Flegma certainly had some style, and their output on this album is definitely as consistent as it gets. With no variation whatsoever the result just doesn't get any high points in terms of long-lasting appeal.

1. Hammerhead 2. Iron Tears 3. Desecrator 4. Fade To Black 5. Doomsday For The Deceiver 6. Metalshock 7. She Took An Axe 8. U.L.S.W. 9. Der Fuhrer 10. Flotzilla (bonus)

The classic debut of Flotsam And Jetsam is a mixture of immense speed and some weird humor in lyrics. Although most of the songs do not have their original appeal anymore, sometimes the sheer speed still works fine on tracks like Desecrator. The band's vocalist Eric A.K. had an extremely high-pitched voice that is very distinctive but may not be the most appropriate for this kind of music (some of his squeals are particularly annoying). On this album the result is passable, though, as the production is not too heavy either. Without a doubt, the highlights of the album are the title track and its direct follow-up Metalshock, both of them epic songs with only the weird "metal" lyrics as bad points (I sure hope they were meant to be humorous in the first place). Of course, Flotsam And Jetsam may be best known for the fact that Jason Newstedt played on this particular album, but Doomsday For The Deceiver is still an interesting piece of old thrash metal and probably one of the more remarkable releases this band ever made.

1. No Place For Disgrace 2. Dreams Of Death 3. N.E. Terror 4. Escape From Within 5. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting 6. Hard On You 7. I Live You Die 8. Misguided Fortune 9. P.A.A.B. 10. The Jones

The second album of Flotsam And Jetsam had a lot more serious tone than their debut. Except for the stupid Elton John cover Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, No Place For Disgrace has almost a melancholic feel while it remains reasonably fast and thrashy. The vocals sound now more stylish and convincing, and with a bit better production this album could have scored even higher. Now the very thin, buzzing guitar sound is just too irritating at times and seriously lessens the impact of this release. Nevertheless, No Place For Disgrace features some of this band's best work, including Escape From Within and I Live You Die. With a little more effort on the production side this could have been a great album, now it's just pretty good.

1. The Master Sleeps 2. Burned Device 3. Deviation 4. October Thorns 5. No More Fun 6. Suffer The Masses 7. 6, Six, VI 8. Greed 9. E.M.T.E.K. 10. Scars 11. K.A.B.

Flotsam's move to a major label made their style change to a more polished and less aggressive direction. While When The Storm Comes Down is reasonably heavy and there are still some thrashy moments here and there, a certain slowdown of music is evident. The songs are generally more thoughtful and mature than before, which also makes the album sound a bit dull and soft. Certainly the outcome is a professional effort, but it is also rather unexciting and uninspiring. At least on the previous two releases Flotsam had a great deal of energy and some fresh ideas. When The Storm Comes Down is a piece of polished speed metal that doesn't exactly appear too original or interesting anymore.

1. Chalice Of Blood 2. Off The Edge 3. Through Eyes Of Glass 4. Forbidden Evil 5. March Into Fire 6. Feel No Pain 7. As Good As Dead 8. Follow Me

Forbidden were one of the more interesting bands coming from the US west coast in the late eighties. Forbidden Evil is a convincing debut release, featuring some inspiring guitar work and a lot of memorable songs. Russ Anderson's vocals are very powerful and distinctive, and the music is generally more original and stronger than what many other bands of the era had to offer. There's some roughness in the sound but the overall production is sufficiently heavy and clear. Although the first half of the album from the furious Chalice Of Blood to the striking title track appears more impressive than the second and the band sound a bit immature at times, on the whole Forbidden Evil contains some of the better thrash metal of the time.

1. Parting Of The Ways 2. Infinite 3. Out Of Body (Out Of Mind) 4. Step By Step 5. Twisted Into Form 6. R.I.P. 7. Spiral Depression 8. Tossed Away 9. One Foot In Hell

Forbidden's second release took a step into a lot heavier and more controlled direction. The general tone of Twisted Into Form is dark and classy and the music is less flashy than on Forbidden Evil. Considering vocals and guitars, this more focused approach is only good as the music now involves more conviction and credibility. On the other hand, a couple of tracks sound a bit too forced for my taste (Step By Step in particular I still cannot stand) although there's a bigger number of vivid, crushing tracks as well. Twisted Into Form shows some essential development in Forbidden's sound, though, and the resulting album is very impressive and directly comparable to Forbidden Evil in quality.

1. Distortion 2. Hypnotized By The Rhythm 3. Rape 4. No Reason 5. Feed The Hand 6. Wake Up! 7. Minds "I" 8. All That Is 9. Undertaker 10. 21st Century Schizoid Man

After some problematic years in the music industry, Forbidden finally returned with their third album. Distortion carries the customary Forbidden sound, now with some additional diversity incorporated in the music that remains heavy though not quite as fast as before. The band still had their roots in thrash metal, and in the end Distortion is not too radically different from Twisted Into Form. The quality varies a bit too much, though, as some tracks are just excellent whereas others sound forced and less impressive. The first few songs in particular are stronger than the rest of the album (the overlong King Crimson cover 21st Century Schizoid Man with its distorted vocals is plain horrible). Distortion is a fair release on its own but not quite on par with the first two Forbidden albums.

Note: This album has been released with at least three different covers depending on the record label. The original (and most politically incorrect) cover was drawn by Kent Mathieu who created the cover art also for the first two Forbidden albums.

1. Bludgeon 2. Kaleidoscope Of Pain 3. A Look Through Glass 4. Anaconda 5. Octoclops 6. Unrest They Find 7. Morgulon 8. Foreign Policy

It can be surprisingly tiresome to listen to some thrash metal bands who didn't start until the very late eighties or early nineties. Forced Entry's debut album Uncertain Future is just one example of a release that doesn't exactly get high points for its content as far as the originality of music is considered. The band do sound very heavy but that's about the only good thing. On the downside, the whole album sounds very strained, especially considering the vocals, and despite the obvious effort put into it the tracks are often plodding, tedious pieces of work. Some fresh energy might have helped this one a lot, now the result is rather dull and pointless. Probably it shouldn't be for the musical values to include Uncertain Future in your collection.

1. Bone Crackin' Fever 2. Thunderhead 3. Macrocosm, Microcosm 4. Never A Know, But The No 5. We're Dicks 6. Apathy 7. The Unextinguishable 8. As Of Yesterday 9. When One Becomes Two 10. How We Spent Our Summer Vacation

Forced Entry's second release showed some progress in the band's style, and thanks to the more dynamic production As Above, So Below does not appear as dry as the debut release. For a while this album even manages to sound really promising as Bone Crackin' Fever is a total steamroller for a song. Unfortunately, the initial highly favorable impression doesn't last through the whole album. Although these tracks are slightly more diverse and appealing than those on Uncertain Future and there's a good deal of complexity in the music, the songwriting is not quite distinctive enough to make this album rise above the average. At least As Above, So Below is somewhat more convincing than the band's debut and occasionally it sounds even quite fine.

1. No Return 2. Maniac 3. The Last Flight 4. Awaiting Your Death 5. Blood In The Night 6. Another Sacrifice 7. Sueno Maldito 8. Born To Die 9. Black Magic

This band's sole existence must have caused hilarious moments in record stores in the past: "Hello, what are you looking for?" "Fuck Off." Seriously though, there's more to it than just the amusing name. Another Sacrifice was the debut album of this Spanish group and not such a bad one at all. The production is surprisingly adequate, and the vocals have an original nasty tone in them, which is probably the most distinctive feature of this record. It's not exactly a showcase of memorable riffs, quite the opposite, and this is one of those albums where you'd be hard-pressed to remember individual songs from (except for the faithfully rendered version of Slayer's Black Magic, of course). The general good sound and attitude of the band eventually leads to something of a positive impression, though. Not really a highlight of the genre but worth a listen if easily available, that's what this album is mostly about.

1. Embrion 2. Witch (Hell Below The Belly) 3. Blasphemy 4. Midnight Confession 5. Whom You Never To Say His Name 6. Don't You Have Fear 7. Hell On Earth 8. Inquisition 9. In Your Grave 10. Cyclone

Hell On Earth was quite a familiar-sounding follow-up to Another Sacrifice. While this album features a different vocalist, there are no great stylistic differences although the new singer's strong accent occasionally adds some unintentional humor to the mix. Although the mood has essentially remained unchanged, some tracks are slightly more memorable than those on the previous release, mostly due to their good steady pace. Still, it would be stretching it a bit to call any of these riffs downright catchy. It seems as if the band's sound had matured by a small but audible measure, which probably shows best in the instrumental Cyclone - even though the average quality of this track does not quite justify its length of nearly ten minutes. Apart from that, there are no real surprises to be found on Hell On Earth, which just proves that the band had a consistent style already in the beginning.

1. After The Battle 2. In God We Trust 3. Your Time Has Come 4. The Dark 5. Reign Of Death 6. Misery 7. In Silence 8. Midnight Hour 9. Molded From Sin 10. Eternal Promises 11. State Of Insanity 12. Sign Of Baphomet 13. The Abyss

If it weren't for Slayer and Infernal Majesty in their early days, Funeral Nation's sound could have been rather novel. Now the feel of After The Battle should be quite familiar to almost anyone, complete with the general satanic theme. However, the result seems to lack some of the appeal found in older recordings. Most of the time this album tends to repeat itself, and many tracks appear somewhat uninteresting, even dull in the long run. Often the band's playing sounds just a bit too tense and forced. Although the output has a certain level of grim quality, personally I would have preferred some more dynamic and unconstrained sound. After The Battle has its moments, but on the whole this thing could have used some improvement.