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1. Shermann
2. Camp
3. The Oddest Dream
4. Different From Me
5. For Her My Nut
6. Destroyer
7. Rage
Hailing from Poland, Hammer had a sound pretty typical for most thrash metal
bands at the time. Except for a rather thin production, Shermann is
almost a stereotypical example of old speed/thrash metal in every sense.
Despite having some fairly intense moments, the band's sound is not only about
constant pounding at the same tempo all the time, but there is a fair amount
of variety in it, too. So basically everything should be fine and all, but the
problem is that nothing in the music really draws your attention. Somehow this
album is like a result of a standard formula used for creating every other
thrash metal album out there. You can listen to it without much trouble but
then again, why really bother. Although it is hard to blame any individual
faults in the music, Shermann leaves me so indifferent that it's almost
strange.
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1. Terror
2. Streetfighter
3. Shut Up
4. Inside Looking Out
5. Monsters
6. Angel's Wrath
7. This Is A War
8. Old Man
9. Stick The Banner Up Your Ass
Hammer's second offering was better produced than the debut, but otherwise
there's little actual difference in the music. The band's delivery still
sounds a bit strained (which is to a large extent due to the vocals) and not
too appealing, although based on technical merits only it should meet any
usual requirements. Again, the songs are fairly energetic but not really
memorable in any way. Actually the most distinctive piece must be the Animals
cover Inside Looking Out which is quite a slacker and fortunately just
a single experiment here. Hammer were already starting to show hints of more
ambitious directions, but the lack of character on this album can still be
quite frustrating, to say the least. With less competition around,
Terror might have turned out a bit more interesting, now it's just not
quite there.
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1. Intro / If You See Kay
2. Love Song, Oh No!
3. Kill The Enemy
4. Lady Bike
5. Blow Up Doll
6. Hit It
7. The Unknown
8. Deep Sea Tragedy
9. Marked For Life
10. F.M.C.
11. Doom Of Pleasure
12. AIDS II (The Warning)
13. To Be Continued
Despite the fact that Hammerhawk were long-timers in the Dutch metal scene,
their discography is somewhat limited at best, with Welcome Home, We
Expected You representing the band's thrashiest moment in every sense.
While their traditional roots still show here and there, this release fits the
need for a decent amount of speed/thrash metal. After a fairly powerful start
the album gets somewhat more stale for the rest of its first half or so, then
the songs start to catch up again. There is hardly any truly classic material
here, but the vintage sound is sort of appealing and the snappiest tracks like
Hit It and Marked For Life are not too bad at all. One got to
admit that even though Hammerhawk's antics can get rather tiresome at times
and especially some of their lyrics are plain silly, there is some unimitable
rudimentary charm in Welcome Home, We Expected You that makes it easier
to forgive some of these shortcomings.
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1. Time Bomb
2. Warning
3. Razor In Your Back
4. I Wish
5. Within
6. And Still You Can't See
7. Brain Wash
8. Nazi Hunter
Never judge an album by its first song only - a fact that couldn't be more
relevant when Hammerhead's Shadow Of A Time To Be is considered,
although in this case it eventually works against the band. The ripping opener
Time Bomb raises high expectations with its plain but riveting riffs
and sharp sound quality, not to forget about more than sufficient speed.
Unfortunately the rest of this recording does not meet the same standards, and
ultimately Hammerhead fall in the same bucket of average bands as many others
before and after them. On the surface, the band's sound is pretty good and
this album surely can provide a fair dose of thrashy background music when
needed, but except for one or two tracks most of it escapes memory faster than
really necessary.
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1. Death Bells Of The Apocalypse
2. Human Hell
3. Last Temptation
4. Culture Decay
5. Slaves Of Conformity
6. Thugs Against Drugs
7. Message From God
8. Symbol Of Hate
9. Nuclear Attack
10. Let The Sleeping Dogs Die
With several members of Nuclear Assault involved in the making of this album,
it is not surprising that Harter Attack's sound is not too different from
Nuclear Assault if a bit more terse. Human Hell essentially features
some very straightforward bare bones thrash metal without any attempts at more
diverse directions. This lack of finesse is not exactly a weakness as the
result is pretty satisfying. The tracks are compact and intense bursts that
have a slight edge over many of the more complex productions out there. The
vocals are very plain shouts but do well enough in this context. From today's
perspective, some of Harter Attack's antics feel slightly exaggerated and some
moments on this album can appear unintentionally amusing, but this just adds
to the rough appeal of it all. Despite not being a vastly original piece of
work, Human Hell makes a nice example of no-nonsense thrash metal.
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1. It's Not Hard To Hate
2. Bad Religion
3. No One
4. Status
5. Sick Of Myself
6. Joyride
7. My Asylum
8. Dick's Night Out
9. Donate
10. Attitudes
11. Electric Shock
12. Unnatural Rip
The self-titled debut release of Hatrix has some style. The album starts with
a super-heavy stomper, It's Not Hard To Hate, that establishes a solid
general mood for the whole record. With the exception of the odd No One
that could be almost compared to Led Zeppelin (if they had utilized heavier
guitars and double-bass drumming, that is), the sound of Hatrix is laudably
strong and you cannot blame the band for a lack of effort in any area. While
many other tracks are faster than the opening piece, the initial impetuous
feel remains pretty much intact up until the closing moments. Most songs have
little variation, though, and considering the notable length of this
recording there is a slight risk of growing tired of it in the medium run.
That aside, for an occasional heavy load this is no doubt a strong contender.
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1. Intro
2. Scarred For Life
3. Burned
4. Prime Directive
5. All That Is Evil
6. Distant Signs
7. Pools Of Blood
8. Mark My Words
9. Into Nothingness
At the very end of the classic period of thrash metal, meet Havoc Mass. Almost
surprisingly powerful for a late debut album, Killing The Future is
about as good an example of the characteristic sound of the genre as any older
release. Something I particularly like in the band's style is the focused and
compact songwriting approach - even though this means that quite a few tracks
sound somewhat samey, it doesn't matter too much when the original formula is
good enough. As everything else including production, musicianship, and vocals
appears to be quite fine, it's hard to not find this album likeable, even
considering the obvious lack of truly new ideas. Although the entry Havoc Mass
made in the scene is probably not too well known, the result is certainly
worth another look.
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1. Blood From The Sky
2. Live Or Die (W.C.W.C.)
3. Waiting 4 An Answer
4. F.F.W.
5. Bath-Man
6. The Cemetary Of The Lost Cross
7. Overlook Hotel (Winter 1921)
8. Sk8 Life
9. Good Morning, Amazzonia!
10. Dead In The U.S.A.
11. The Final Attack
12. Flebo's Country
It's difficult to find any strong arguments for or against Headcrasher's
Nothing Will Remain. The music is lightsome speed/thrash metal that
plays smoothly in the background, not the heaviest or most intense for its
kind. The general feel is cheerful though most songs are rather forgettable,
and there's even enough time for an occasional complete joke like
Bath-Man. Maybe it's the run-of-the-mill quality of music that makes
this album appear only average at best, despite the band's relaxed sound that
has some slight appeal of its own. As such, the whole thing lacks a definite
'wow' factor that would keep you interested - it's pretty harmless stuff and
all, but also quite unmemorable and probably notable only for its relative
rarity nowadays.
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1. Parody Of Life
2. Ease My Pain
3. Plead Guilty
4. Kick Over Your Traces
5. Force Of Habit
6. Caught In A Spider's Webb
7. Cursed
8. Crack Brained
9. Trapped In Reality
Having been established as Schmier's new project after his departure from
Destruction, Headhunter's sound was to become more power metal oriented later
on. This didn't apply to the band's debut, yet, as Parody Of Life is
filled with fast and heavy thrash metal. The style is somewhat different than
on the preceding Destruction albums, even the vocals sound slightly more
normalized here, but the music has some appeal of its own. For example, the
title track, Ease My Pain, and Force Of Habit are some very
hard-hitting thrashers that do not pale in comparison to even Destruction's
achievements. While the album as a whole is not too distinctive, it has a
slightly more energetic as well as positive feel than on average, and the
band's sound has a lot of nice little touches in it. Even though Parody Of
Life may not be one of the most memorable albums from the German scene, it
definitely has its moments.
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1. Death By Hanging
2. Goblin's Blade
3. Open The Grave
4. Pray For Death
5. Set Me Free
6. Breaking The Silence
7. World's End
8. Save The Skull
9. Heathen
Heathen were basically one of the numerous speed/thrash metal bands to surface
on the US west coast in the eighties. Not surprisingly, their debut
Breaking The Silence is pretty standard speed/thrash, somewhat melodic
but heavy. On the downside, the vocals sound a bit tame for this kind of music
and the songs are not very distinctive or creative. Except for the cover
version of Sweet's Set Me Free and some intros (like on Open The
Grave and World's End), no tracks are particularly memorable.
Still, the musicianship in the band is quite good, and as a whole Breaking
The Silence is sufficiently listenable if just a bit too much on the dull
side at times.
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1. Hypnotized
2. Opiate Of The Masses
3. Heathen's Song
4. Kill The King
5. Fear Of The Unknown
6. Prisoners Of Fate
7. Morbid Curiosity
8. Guitarmony
9. Mercy Is No Virtue
10. Timeless Cell Of Prophecy
Years after their less impressive debut, Heathen returned with a remarkable
release. Victims Of Deception features an extremely classy sound, not
unlike Metallica's Master Of Puppets though not quite as dry.
Especially the guitar sound on this album is almost identical to Metallica's
customary style. With improved vocals, the band now sound an awfully lot more
credible than before and essentially succeed in creating some very good music.
Except for yet another cover song (Rainbow's Kill The King), these
tracks are lengthy, massive pieces that still manage to avoid any dullness and
plodding. The excellent musicianship only does justice to these songs.
Whatever praises you may have heard about this album, they are all true -
Victims Of Deception has an inimitable touch of class not present on
most other recordings.
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1. Interrogate Them
2. I Beg In Blood
3. A Minor Point
4. Justily Executed
5. Natural Order
6. Enslavers
7. Black Force
8. Neon Storms
9. There Is No God But Man (Or Woman)
10. T.A.F.
Hellbastard may be better known for their more hardcore-ish works, however,
Natural Order is almost a perfect prototype of a British thrash metal
album with some additional street credibility. The band's strong thrash attack
is completed by some diverse instrumentals and generally a very tasty guitar
sound which gives this album some extra boost. Although these tracks mostly
follow the same basic formula, the right attitude shows in a positive way.
Especially the first few songs really go straight to the point with their
great energetic feel that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Only some
obvious repetition near the end and a lack of more original style prevent
Natural Order from becoming more impressive as a whole. Even now, any
fan of powerful thrash metal with a good taste should find this album worth
interest.
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1. Rockets In The Air
2. I Got A Power
3. Dark Side Of You
4. I Wanna Be Free
5. Danger Zone
6. Win The Battle
7. Snakes In The Kitchen
8. ? (bonus)
Hellraiser's brand of speed/thrash metal had a fairly happy-going feel to it,
definitely something of an exception among many more serious and dark releases
of the time. We'll Bury You! should catch some of your attention based
on its uplifting spirit alone, and the first couple of tracks of the album are
semi-catchy at least. However, you cannot avoid noticing the simple grounds
that the music is ultimately based on, and towards the end this album just
gets a bit too dull and pointless. The quality of production is slightly rough
but still adequate, and there is some undeniable enthusiastic attitude in the
band's approach. As Hellraiser's first release, the outcome is decent enough
to gain sympathy, but it surely leaves some room for further development.
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1. The Ascent
2. Nosferatu
3. Viral Exogence
4. Sentient Transmography
5. Mordirivial Dissemination
6. Pyrophoric Seizure
7. Purveyor Of Fear
Whereas most bands in the underground scene didn't really do much to improve
the sometimes stagnant field of thrash metal, Hellwitch actually brought in
some ideas of their own. Syzygial Miscreancy lays down a load of
hammering thrash metal with an unruly attitude and some obvious death metal
influences in the rhythm department. The instrumentation on this album is
varied enough to draw your attention for good. After a haunting intro,
Nosferatu blasts off with some of the most unrestrained guitars since
the old Slayer albums, and as a whole this thing sports a continuous restless
feeling that is bound to keep you on your toes most of the time. Although the
approach taken by Hellwitch is not too exceptional from today's viewpoint and,
in all honesty, a whole album of this kind can become quite tiresome after a
while, you got to give it to the band for putting their effort where it shows.
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1. It...
2. Eaten Alive
3. Delirious
4. As Darkness Falls...
5. Incubus
6. Death Walks Among Us
7. Memento Moris - The Dead Are Restless
8. Requiem
Hexenhaus were most likely the most original Swedish speed/thrash metal band
in their time. On A Tribute To Insanity the characteristics of more
inspired songwriting were already quite obvious right from the beginning.
While there are some straightforward and fine thrashers like Eaten
Alive and Incubus, most songs are more ambitious than one would
expect to find from an average album. Regardless, there is a strong sense of
consistency and continuity on this release, and with harsh vocals and heavy
riffs the intensity never really drops. On the negative side, most of the
featured songs tend to blend together in an indistinguishable manner except
for a couple of already mentioned tracks. While the debut of Hexenhaus had
some definite style of its own, the experience on the whole was not yet the
most memorable.
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1. Prelude
2. Toxic Threat
3. Prime Evil
4. Home Sweet Home (Ward Sweet Ward)
5. The House Of Lies
6. A Temple For The Soul
7. The Eternal Nightmare - Act One
8. At The Edge Of Eternity
For their second album Hexenhaus chose to exercise some more controlled and
dry style than on their debut. The Edge Of Eternity actually sounds
strikingly similar to Target's Mission Executed, complete with
sarcastic and somewhat irritating vocals by a new vocalist. The production of
this album is quite refined, even to the extent that the music could have
benefited from some additional rough edge. The complex guitar arrangements are
almost a trademark feature here, but that only helps to build the
characteristic Hexenhaus sound. While the music is fairly interesting in its
own right, the band occasionally sound a bit too shallow as if no one had to
really break a sweat when this recording was made. Nevertheless, except for
the last track that gets a bit lost in technicalities, The Edge Of
Eternity is not a bad album in its class though not too exceptional for an
example of the style, either.
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1. Shadows Of Sleep
2. Awakening
3. Betrayed (By Justice)
4. Necronomicon Ex-Mortis
5. Code 29
6. The Forthcoming Fall
7. Sea Of Blood
8. Paradise Of Pain
9. The Eternal Nightmare Act II
10. Incubus
With their third album and third vocalist, Hexenhaus reached their most
streamlined production yet. Musically Awakening is somewhat in the
same class with A Tribute To Insanity but done in a more mature style.
Thomas Lundin's vocals are very smooth and sound more professional than those
on the band's previous albums although they obviously lack some strength in
comparison. But even though this release tends to sound almost overproduced at
times, it is no less powerful than its predecessors when you consider how
fine-tuned the result is. Most of the time the music flows almost in a
dream-like fashion, much more effortlessly than it did in the past. Even the
new version of Incubus sounds less strained than the original. In some
way this album is comparable to Annihilator's Never, Neverland though
with more technical arrangements and less hard edges. Maybe Awakening
is not something to listen to on the same day with Slayer and the like, but it
is a fine album nonetheless.
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1. Racial Slaughter
2. Sardonicus
3. Fields Of Death
4. Mirror Of The Past
5. Twice As Bright
Having started their transition from conventional metal to a more extreme
sound base, Hexx made themselves known in the pure thrash metal territory with
this mini album. Quest For Sanity is not too remarkable for any other
reason than maybe the notable level of intensity in the music. Hexx sound
convincing in their delivery, but without knowing the performer it would be
just too easy to be mistaken about the band as the music sounds pretty much
the same as what almost any other less known band of the time was putting out.
With raw vocals and sufficient energy, it's your very average thrash metal.
Quest For Sanity is perfectly fair for an old thrash album but nothing
in it really stands out.
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1. Morbid Reality
2. The Last Step
3. Birds Of Prey
4. Blood Hunter
5. Fire Mushrooms
6. Persecution Experience
7. Watery Graves
8. Spider Jam
With their last album Hexx reached a certain level of musical maturity that
makes the result more convincing and memorable than the band's past efforts.
Morbid Reality has quite a technical but very heavy feel with some
death-ish touches. The vocals are a bit more extreme than earlier, which
together with the more technical sound makes this album appear slightly
different from Quest For Sanity. But the music is generally pretty
interesting in its own way, and the title track, Birds Of Prey, and
Fire Mushrooms are some particularly cool tracks while the rest are not
too bad though a bit indistinguishable in the long run. With a fairly
distinctive sound and even a few original ideas, Morbid Reality is
probably the best album Hexx managed to create during their heavier period.
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1. Demons - Evil Forces
2. Blitzkrieg Air Attack
3. Guardian Protector
4. Bombs Of Death
5. Defeat Of Amalek
6. Raging Violence
7. Call Of The Gods
8. Warlords Command
9. Suicide
10. Executed
11. The Gauntlet
12. Destruction And Terror
13. Destroy
14. Bloodbath
If there ever was a righteous cult band in the thrash metal history, Hirax
it must be. Raging Violence is a vivid collection of some of the most
terse thrash metal tracks, their generally quite short length being the most
obvious hardcore-ish influence on this album. Although the band manage to
present almost everything you can expect in a compact format, some tracks
still tend to end rather abruptly. Probably the most characteristic trademark
of the Hirax sound must be Katon W. De Pena's clean and rather high, almost
boyish vocals that make quite a difference from ordinary thrash metal shouts
and grunts. The style has a refreshing quality to it, although some may find
that it requires an acquired taste. While Raging Violence is not one of
the most memorable productions, these tracks are not dull ones indeed, and one
would have to be extremely cynical in order to not like some of this album's
ageless feel.
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1. Hate, Fear And Power
2. Blind Faith
3. Unholy Sacrifice
4. Lightning - Thunder
5. The Last War
6. The Plague
7. Imprisoned By Ignorance
8. Criminal Punishment
Hate, Fear And Power continued in the typical Hirax vein except for
slightly better and heavier production. Music is still as hastily executed as
on the previous release, but it's hard to really complain when much of its
appeal comes from this compact style as well as really unique vocals. In
general, the song structures have possibly changed closer to the norm although
they by no means still follow the most stereotypical thrash formula. Maybe the
biggest drawback is that due to their shortness these tracks tend to sound
alike but then again, you may choose not to pay special attention to this fact
as the album works as a whole in the same convincing manner as Raging
Violence did. More like a mini album than a full-length release, Hate,
Fear And Power is hardly an album of great innovations but what is
contained serves its purpose pretty well.
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1. Murder One
2. Barrage Of Noise
3. Walk With Death
4. Broken Neck
5. Jade
6. Mouth Sewn Shut
7. Beyond The Church (Part One)
8. French Pearl
Becoming active again after a long hiatus, Hirax had something of a second
coming in the form of Barrage Of Noise. The initial impression may be a
mixed one, particularly due to the guitar sound that is boosted so much that
at first it seems to stick out like a sore thumb. While it is just a matter of
getting used to this, it has a tendency to draw your attention more than
really necessary. Also, De Pena's voice is generally lower than in the old
days which again is not such a bad thing. Add the fact that the compositions
are a lot more varied and ambitious than earlier, and the album sounds quite
different from the band's original releases in the eighties. The music still
has its strong moments, and the title track and Broken Neck are as good
as anything Hirax recorded in the past. While Barrage Of Noise is
undeniably somewhat unfocused, it is no less a worthy contender on its own.
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1. Kill Switch
2. Hostile Territory
3. The New Age Of Terror
4. Swords Of Steel
5. Into The Ruins
6. Massacre Of The Innocent
7. Hell On Earth
8. Suffer
9. El Dia De Los Muertos
10. El Diablo Negro
11. Unleash The Dogs Of War
With The New Age Of Terror Hirax reached a certain level of quality
that makes this album one of the more memorable productions in recent years.
As the most mature Hirax release to date, this is a fine piece of thrash metal
with a high number of catchy riffs and very good production that results in a
warm, appealing sound that is nowhere to be found on many other over-produced
and sterile modern day recordings. Songs are generally longer than on older
Hirax albums, and this combined with good songwriting leads to several great
tracks like Kill Switch, the title song, and El Diablo Negro, to
name just a few. In fact, The New Age Of Terror may be the band's most
accessible release when compared to their old, much more stripped-down style.
This one just oozes pure old school approach to thrash metal done in the right
way.
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1. Lucifer's Inferno
2. Summon The Death Dealers
3. City Of The Dead
4. Invasion
5. Assassins Of War
Assassins Of War is guaranteed to provide the same kind of experience
as any other Hirax release to date. The sound of the band has changed very
little if at all since The New Age Of Terror, although this mini album
might not appear as striking as its predecessor. In comparison, these songs
tend to sound more unsurprising, even ordinary at times, and the music on the
whole does not necessarily raise any great enthusiasm over it. Mostly it is
nothing that hasn't been heard before, in fact you may even notice some
obvious repetition of old patterns here. But Hirax never made a bad album in
the past and they did not start with this one either. Even though Assassins
Of War does not present anything new, it continues in the familiar Hirax
vein at least well enough.
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1. House Of Death
2. Satans Crusade
3. Lucifers Domain
4. Marie Antoinette
5. Jack The Ripper
6. Crucifixion
7. Brotherhood
8. The Journey
9. Bubonic Plague
10. Cold Steel
Peter Hobbs' project gained some early fame as the other remarkable Australian
thrash metal band besides Mortal Sin. The classic debut of Hobbs' Angel Of
Death is notably heavier than Mortal Sin albums, something very much in the
vein of Slayer. But although the band are quite convincing in their delivery,
musically this album is far from being innovative or comparable to even
Slayer's lesser efforts. The riffs are there, it's very heavy and all, but in
the end the songs fail to impress by any other than nostalgic reasons.
Basically this album is lacking some character, and in comparison to Mortal
Sin it is not as entertaining or enjoyable. Except for a couple of more
inspired tracks like Jack The Ripper, Hobbs' Angel Of Death didn't
provide too much of interest on this release.
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1. Depopulation
2. Skeptics
3. Revenge
4. Ashes
5. Catalepsy
6. Tutankhamen
7. Dream Killer
8. Final Feast
9. Misled Fortune
10. Forced Fed
11. I Am What I Am
12. Lost Faith
13. Destiny
Seven years between Hobbs' recordings didn't seem to have much effect on the
outcome as Inheritance sounds like it could have been released already
in the eighties. Compared to the band's debut, this album appears slightly
less strained, which makes it more pleasant as a listening experience.
Especially the first couple of tracks are quite above the average with some
energetic riffs although that doesn't apply to the whole thing. With its
massive length of 70+ minutes, this album starts to drag a bit in the middle
but picks up again near the end. The songwriting is still not too original or
memorable, but it maintains a decent level of quality through all these
tracks. While Inheritance is not a personal favorite of mine, the
general sound is fairly satisfactory and gains a careful "thumbs up" for this
album.
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1. Wolf Pak
2. Bombardment
3. Warpath
4. B Hive
5. Seizure
6. Manslaughter
7. Murder Cycle
8. Drill
9. Ptomaine
10. Battle Stations
Another underground thrash metal band on New Renaissance Records, Holocross
were pretty short-lived but at least they managed to release one quite
interesting album. The self-titled Holocross features some energetic
and rather straightforward thrash metal that is made slightly more notable by
the powerful vocals. The first couple of tracks in particular are bound to
catch your attention, as the way in which the vocals follow the drums is
something I don't remember having heard on any other album. The style of
songwriting is slightly more original than usually and gives this album a
certain edge over many others, too. While the music does get a bit repetitive
near the end and this album on the whole is not overly distinctive after all,
Holocross deserves some respect for their intense and powerful style.
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1. Painful Reminder
2. The Bludgeoning
3. Guidance In Violence
4. Intro
5. Ded Bolt
6. Incoming
7. Hollenlarm / Death Rattle
8. Body Bag
9. A.I.M.
10. Hypercaust
Even if Holocross didn't make a world record for the longest time between
their first two releases, they must have got pretty close. Although it was
apparently recorded already soon after the band's debut album,
Hypercaust is a living proof that some of the old antics die hard. The
album starts with a bang, as Painful Reminder is a highly effective and
bouncy attack right in your face. If you survive that one, the second track
only adds more rounds to the machine. Overall, the music is performed in the
same style as on the band's debut though maybe in a bit more punctual form. It
is a fact that there is hardly anything novel or exceptional in this thing,
but when the songs are played with this kind of dedication, you just cannot
bother with negative remarks. In the old days Hypercaust might not have
been worth a special note, but nowadays it serves as a good example of what
real thrash metal used to sound like.
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1. Necropolis
2. Don't Mess Around With The Bitch
3. Devils Dancer
4. Queen Of Siam
5. Roadcrew
6. Walpurgisnight
7. Bursting Rest
8. Dear Little Friend
9. Torches Of Fire
Holy Moses are quite legendary as a German thrash metal band with a female
vocalist. On the band's debut Queen Of Siam their music was still quite
rough and didn't show too many signs of the things to come. The first couple
of tracks are only mildly interesting mid-tempo pieces with undeveloped and
underproduced vocals, but later on the album starts to catch up a bit even
though it remains to lack some style. Perhaps the most important single factor
in the band's sound is Sabina Classen's gutteral "singing" that remains
pretty much unparalled in the genre. At its worst, like on a couple of
occasions on this album, it adds some (very likely unintentional) humor to the
music. At its best, her delivery reaches some respectable levels nasty enough
to put most male vocalists in the scene to shame. But although there are
already some fine riffs here and there, the band's sound on this early debut
is still far from perfect.
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1. Finished With The Dogs
2. Current Of Death
3. Criminal Assault
4. In The Slaughterhouse
5. Fortress Of Desperation
6. Six Fat Women
7. Corroded Dreams
8. Life's Destroyer
9. Rest In Pain
10. Military Service
11. Road Crew (bonus)
Based on Queen Of Siam only, you'd have had a hard time predicting
anything like Finished With The Dogs to come. Here Holy Moses dropped
all the amateurish artifacts present on the debut and took a giant step to the
front row. This album got it all - hyperactive drumming that sounds like a
horde of Duracell bunnies running rampant, painfully accurate chainsaw-like
guitars, and on top of it all, Sabina Classen's electrifying vocals from
beyond. The energy stored in this album is simply immeasurable. The screaming
Current Of Death is close to an ultimate thrash metal song, and the
amusing Military Service must be one of the merriest thrash hollers
ever written. One would have to be dead as a rock to not be moved by this
fury, and even then the first ten seconds into it are enough to raise anyone
up from the dead. Although Finished With The Dogs might not be
recommended to the most serious people out there, it is among the most
beautiful (and funniest) moments ever created in the scene. They simply don't
make things like this anymore.
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1. Near Dark
2. Def Con II
3. Panic
4. Strange Deception
5. Locky Popster
6. SSP (Secret Service Project)
7. State: Catatonic
8. The Brood
9. Lost In The Maze
After the wild Finished With The Dongs, Holy Moses took a step into a
more refined direction. The New Machine Of Liechtenstein is a concept
album revolving around a scifi/horror theme. The production may be the best so
far, very dark and rich, and the sound of this album on the whole fits the
dark theme very well. The songs are not quite as furious as previously,
though, instead the general feel is more stylish and focused. Musically it is
quite interesting although a certain lack of intensity causes some tracks to
appear a bit bland. The best tracks are undoubtedly Near Dark (with its
clever rip-off of the Halloween movie theme) and the menacing Lost In The
Maze, whereas the rest is not quite as strong as it could be. Anyhow,
despite some shortcomings The New Machine Of Liechtenstein is a cool
album and a fairly memorable Holy Moses release.
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1. World Chaos
2. Diabolic Plot
3. Blood Sucker
4. Education
5. Guns N' Moses
6. Too Drunk To Fuck
7. Summer Kills
8. Deutschland (Remember The Past)
9. Permission To Fire
10. Jungle Of Lies
11. Dog Eat Dog
12. (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party) (bonus)
Having created a couple of more ambitious albums, Holy Moses returned to a
more straightforward and simple style with World Chaos. Compared to a
couple of previous releases, the sound of this album is very raw and gives the
music a definite rough edge. Not only that, but the vocals start to sound
deliberately bad. Musically this one is pretty disappointing as the tracks are
mostly quite tedious and pointless. The music is somewhat more energetic than
on the immediate preceding release, but that doesn't help when the quality has
gone downhill. It is not exactly a good sign that the best moments on the
whole thing are two cover songs (from Dead Kennedys and Beastie Boys). Here
Holy Moses sound almost like a stereotypical noisy German thrash metal band,
and of all the albums this band ever released, World Chaos is easily
among the least impressive ones.
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1. Nothing For My Mum
2. Two Sides Terror
3. Theotocy (Terminal Terror)
4. Creation Of Violation
5. Pool Of Blood
6. Distress And Death
7. Adult Machine
8. Malicious Race
9. Tradition Of Fatality
For Holy Moses, Terminal Terror was a much needed return to the higher
quality level of their older albums. In fact, Nothing For My Mum starts
off like a cheap imitation of Current Of Death, but it soon becomes
clear that this album has a completely original feel of its own. Initially the
most surprising thing is the vocals that are now closer to death metal vocals
than ever before, however, after you get used to the change of style it only
feels appropriate considering the totally evil mood of this album. Terminal
Terror sounds like a darker and more mature version of Finished With
The Dogs with depressive lyrics about real-life terrors, and the eerie
arrangements on songs like Creation Of Violation and Pool Of
Blood create a more menacing atmosphere than The New Machine Of
Liechtenstein ever. Complete with absolute aggression and some of the
better riffs around, Terminal Terror is one of the most profilic Holy
Moses albums ever and effectively regains a lot of the credibility that was
lost with the mediocre World Chaos.
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1. Clash My Soul
2. Decapitated Mind
3. Welcome To The Real World
4. Reborn Dogs
5. Fuck You
6. Third Birth
7. Deadicate
8. Five Year Plan
9. Process Of Pain
10. Reverse
11. Dancing With The Dead
The last Holy Moses album with Sabina Classen on vocals before a long break,
Reborn Dogs is the rawest, heaviest thrash metal - not quite as dark
and stylish as Terminal Terror but pretty satisfactory in its category.
The vocals are as extreme as ever plus some, and on the whole this must be one
of the most brutal Holy Moses albums. The music is not as strong as on some of
the band's better efforts, but the merciless nature of these songs makes it
rather enjoyable after all. Despite the somewhat varying quality of their
albums, Holy Moses were definitely among the most interesting German thrash
metal bands, and although Reborn Dogs is not one of the band's best
releases, it remains a solid demonstration of their characteristic style.
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1. Upon Your Tongue
2. A Word To Say
3. Step Ahead
4. Acceptance
5. Just Because
6. What's Up
7. Senseless One
8. Denial
9. Hate Is Just A 4 Letter Word
10. On You
11. I Feel Sick
12. No Solution
13. Bomber
No Matter What's The Cause must be something of a bastard child in the
discography of Holy Moses. With the band in the end of their classic era, lead
vocal duties were handled by Andy Classen in the most over-the-top vein while
Sabina's role was reduced to occasional background vocals. Although Reborn
Dogs already sported a very extreme sound, this album takes the approach
even further and it is probably the band's roughest effort to date, with more
hardcore-ish touches than on any other Holy Moses release. The result is not
quite a total abortion but definitely way too unrefined and plain ugly for its
own good - it is revealing that the most interesting tracks are actually all
cover songs. If No Matter What's The Cause hadn't been published under
the name of Holy Moses, there simply wouldn't be much reason to pay even the
slightest attention to it.
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1. Master Of Disaster
2. Taste My Blood
3. The Hand Of Death
4. Feel The Pain
5. Down On Your Knees
After a long period of inactivity Holy Moses returned to the thrash metal
genre with a notably good mini album. Master Of Disaster is extremely
faithful to the band's original style, as if no time at all had passed since
Reborn Dogs (excluding the hardcore-ish No Matter What's The
Cause released in between). One cannot help but notice some strain on
Sabina Classen's vocals that sound quite worn out at first, but fortunately
they become stronger during this mini album. As a whole the band's sound is
very close to their early albums, with even some successful hints of
Finished With The Dogs clearly audible - just witness the relentless
Taste My Blood and you will get the idea. Although everything in the
songwriting department is based on a familiar ground, the riffs are very
memorable and the feel of this album couldn't be more right. Master Of
Disaster is a fine proof that some of the original thrash metal spirit
never loses its appeal.
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1. Intro
2. We Are At War
3. Disorder Of The Order
4. Break The Evil
5. Deeper
6. Hell On Earth
7. I Bleed
8. Blood Bond
9. 1000 Lies
10. Princess Of Hell
11. Verfolgungswahn
12. Heaven Vs. Hell
It could be argued that after their reformation Holy Moses have repeated
almost every stage of development as in their original heydays. While
Master Of Disaster successfully derived elements from the band's
earliest albums, Disorder Of The Order carries a close resemblance to
their mid-period recording World Chaos, and that's not a positive
thing at all. The production is somewhat thinner than previously and the
general sound is more raw, but most important of all, the riffs are much more
duller and dumber here. It almost appears as if the band put most of their
regained energy into their comeback release, as this album has little of that
charm left. The cover art is nice in a cartoonish way and the gothic intro is
very atmospheric, but most of everything else is something that one could
easily live without. Disorder Of The Order is not a total disaster, but
at this stage you should be able to expect a lot more.
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1. Angel Cry
2. End Of Time
3. Symbol Of Spirit
4. Examination
5. I Will
6. Space Clearing
7. Sacred Crystals
8. Lost Inside
9. Death Bells II
10. Rebirthing
11. Seasons In The Twilight
12. Say Goodbye
With Strength Power Will Passion Holy Moses showed some improvement
over Disorder Of The Order. The style of this album is closer to
Master Of Disaster, with the exception of some pretty blatant death
metal vocals this time. What the preceding release lacked in memorability is
compensated almost to another extreme here - most tracks are very catchy
although somewhat similar to each other, and the riffs tend to stick to your
head almost immediately with their simple hooks. A bit more inventive approach
to songwriting could have helped to give the result some long lasting appeal,
though, and the one-dimensional vocals can get quite tiresome after a while.
Although Strength Power Will Passion is technically more than
satisfactory, in the end this album promises a bit more than it really can
deliver - after the initial impression wears off, you are left with a
collection of decent but, in all honesty, quite repetitive songs.
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1. Black Plague
2. Evil's Rising
3. Blood Of The Saints
3. Mortal Fear
4. Guardians Of The Netherworld
6. Distant Calling
7. Terror And Submission
8. Tomorrow's End
9. Alpha Omega - The Bringer Of Balance
Holy Terror were an interesting exception in the rather homogenous thrash
metal field. The band had a strong essence of conventional heavy metal
inserted in their music, and somehow they managed to create a credible and
enjoyable mix that still sounds quite original compared to most other bands of
the time. Terror And Submission occasionally sounds like a thrashier
version of the new wave of British heavy metal, with emphasis on harmonic
guitars and Keith Deen's vocals that were pretty atypical for a speed/thrash
metal band, a mixture of clear singing and low growls. For example,
Guardians Of The Netherworld is very close to the conventional style
while Mortal Fear goes to another extreme, being one of the fastest
tracks on this album. Although the band incorporated rather diverse elements
in their music, Terror And Submission is a pretty enjoyable album with
some fairly thrashy moments.
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1. Judas Reward
2. Debt Of Pain
3. The Immoral Wasteland
4. A Fools Gold / Terminal Humor / Mind Wars
5. Damned By Judges
6. Do Unto Others
7. No Resurrection
8. Christian Resistance
Holy Terror's second release continued their customary speed/thrash metal
style with a strong sense of melody and influences from conventional metal.
This time the production is heavier and somewhat more clear whereas the music
is generally slightly faster but still remarkably melodic. In the company of
thrashier pieces, The Immortal Wasteland really jumps out as the song
could be directly from some Iron Maiden album with its galloping guitars and
traditional melodies. Again, the band sound pretty much unlike most other
thrash metal acts out there at that time. Mind Wars has a certain
oldfashioned feel which is strangely captivating at the same time. Holy Terror
were probably not everyone's cup of tea, but they surely were a lot more
original than many others in the genre.
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1. Legend Of Nowhere
2. Master Of The Beyond
3. Holy Cross
4. The Land Of Oblivion
5. Psychic Dependence
6. Follow The Light
7. Into The Labyrinth Of Dream
8. Lost In My Mind
9. Crystal Ball
10. Schyzophrenic
With some albums you cannot avoid a feel that everything was already said and
done long before that particular release and now it is just a matter of going
through the motions. This is not to say that Hotopsy were totally out of order
with Follow The Light, but it probably wouldn't have made that much of
a difference if this album had remained at a demo stage. Playing thrash metal
from France, Hotopsy seem to have followed faithfully all the most usual
standards and tricks but ultimately failed to reach even the average line. The
music sounds just typical and generic - you could argue that it is not awfully
boring but very close. Of course, some may still find it worthwhile to give
this one a try even if the expected value is not that high, but bear in mind
that sometimes enough is enough.
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1. Into The Void
2. Assasinated Nature
3. We Live Like We Will
4. Insanity
5. Fanaticism
6. Dread Of Nightmare
7. Wordless Attack
8. Drunk 'till Emptiness
9. Fatality
10. Why This Actions
11. Too Blind And Deaf
12. Total Dependence
13. "Ach Gottchen"
Howlin' Mad represented quite typical, heavy German thrash metal with a
customary sound not unlike Holy Moses. Incidentally, Insanity features
Sabina Classen making a guest appearance on Drunk 'till Emptiness.
Although this album initially may sound a bit dull and repetitive, it sort of
gets better over time. While the music doesn't sound too distinctive except
for occasional interesting moments like on Fatality, the band's style
is consistent enough even though it does not exactly result in memorable songs
here. In this sense Insanity is more like a promise of something
greater to come, a fair debut album which shows that Howlin' Mad were not
completely without talent but would have needed time to develop their style
further in order to produce some more convincing results.
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1. Rabid
2. Crucifier
3. The House
4. Right To Die
5. Rather Death Than False Of Faith
6. Misanthropic
7. Harlequin
8. Guillotine
If there ever were bands who would have deserved better in the first place,
Hydra Vein must have been among them, at least when the band's debut release
is considered. Rather Death Than False Of Faith may not be too
extraordinary for a British thrash metal album with some Slayerish touches,
but unlike so many others in the field Hydra Vein actually had a few really
memorable tracks. At their best the band combine some positively fool-proof
riffs with high speed antics in such way that the result is almost second to
none. With more songs like Rabid, Crucifier, and the title
track, this album could and should have received a lot more attention back
then. Unfortunately the whole thing is not equally strong, and in the end you
are left with a satisfactory album with occasional highlights. But although
all tracks are not of the same killer quality, the band's overall effort on
this album is definitely worth respect.
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1. U.S.C.
2. Pro Patria
3. Born Through Ignorance
4. Passed Present / No Future
5. Turning Point
6. After The Dream
Hydra Vein didn't radically change their style for their second album, in fact
After The Dream sounds very much the same as the band's debut. The
quality is not quite up to the level of the previous effort, though - while
most characteristics of the band's music are pretty much intact, the result
obviously lacks some of the creativity that made the best moments of Rather
Death Than False Of Faith so memorable. At least a few tracks on the
previous album featured some truly classic riffs, here the content is more
formulaic and, except a couple of impetuous choruses, less distinctive in many
aspects. After The Dream is not too bad for a typical thrash metal
album of the time, but it falls a bit short in the songwriting department.
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1. Confess A Lie
2. Land Of Democracy
3. Cafe Of Hope (Slowly...)
4. Is The Coffee Ready Yet
5. Snakes
6. How Does It Feel
7. Rope For Rape
When you encounter a band with a name like Hyste'riah G.B.C., thrash metal is
not necessarily the first thing that you would expect to hear from them. In
this sense Snakeworld can provide a slight surprise, with the band
throwing in a fair offering of Swedish thrash metal with heavy riffs and
matching production values. Except a couple of slower but equally pounding
tracks, high speed is plentiful enough here. As it's often the case with such
albums, however, the music tends to lack real identity, and this release
simply does not sound terribly original to average ears. Although powerful on
the surface, the outcome lacks the final stretch to make it really jump out of
the wall of noise patterns that is formed by a horde of similar bands trying
to get their voice through. While still a reasonable effort most of the time,
in the end Snakeworld is actually nothing to lose sleep over.
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