The Thrash Metal Thread
Renegade - "Total Armageddon" (1987)
If you do a bit of research into the history of thrash metal in my home country of Australia, you'll often find yourself being told that Melbourne's Renegade represent band one in that story as they were reportedly first formed all the way back in 1982. I've never bought into that opinion personally as the evidence simply doesn't stack up. I'm not denying that Renegade were probably around as early as any other band that would go on to play extreme metal over time but if you follow the early "recorded" history of Aussie thrash fairly closely you'll soon start to question the timeline for when Renegade first transitioned into a genuine thrash band as their 1985 demo tape is more of a speed metal release than it is a thrash one with the heavy metal influence still a little too prominent for genuine thrash status. The song "Black Ritual" certainly proved that they had it in them but we'd have to wait until 1987 to see them finally taking that potential & turning it to reality with their sole album "Total Armageddon", a record that has gone down in Aussie metal folklore as a seriously important release in the grand scheme of extreme metal in this country. I can't stress enough how highly regarded it was by older metalheads when I first entered the scene in the late 1980's & early 1990's & can recall many a drunken night of air guitar & backyard moshing while accompanied by its charms. Let's take a look at it in a little more depth today & see if it holds up against the legend that surrounds it.
While the authenticity of Renegade's 1985 demo tape as a genuine thrash release is questionable at best, the same cannot be said of "Total Armageddon" as it's a total thrashfest with each of the eight songs included sitting very comfortably under a thrash tag. The album was recorded with producer Bruce Johnston at Melbourne's Jam Tin Studios some time in 1986 with Johnston's only other notable metal credit coming in the form of the 1987 "Warlords album from relatively unknown Melbourne heavy metal outfit S.A.S. Johnston's plays an important role here though as "Total Armageddon" beautifully harnesses the raw energy of Renegade at the time while allowing all instruments to maintain complete clarity throughout. I would suggest that the cover artwork has also played some sort of role in the records success with the image of VB-drinking devil aligning fairly closely with many Aussie metalhead's ideals back in the late 1980's.
"Total Armageddon" is a consistently fast record that barely takes its foot off the accelerator or stop for a breath at any point. Many of the more up-tempo riffs remind me a lot of Metallica's "Kill 'Em All" album while the moments when Renegade do tone the velocity back a bit seem to have been heavily influenced by classic Slayer & Mercyful Fate which can't be a bad thing now, can it? Front man Johnny Beer possesses a raspy delivery that reminds me more of Teutonic thrash acts like Destruction than it does the Americans & his performance here is an important ingredient in the overall appeal of a record like this one as he does an excellent job at calling Renegade's fanbase to arms while also separating the band from the more traditional heavy metal acts that had surrounded them for the majority of their existence to the time. Bassist Steve Scott (who would also appear on Hobbs Angel of Death's self-titled demo tape later the same year) puts in a great performance with his basslines being easily heard throughout the entire album. This most certainly isn't a terribly ambitious album from an instrumental point of view though as there's nothing you haven't heard before & the riff structures do tend to be quite simple but it's all executed with a clear understanding of what made 1980's thrash so great so there's nothing to complain about for fans of that era. The rare moments of experimentation (such as the acoustic guitar section in "Lucifer's Reign") are done very well & provide a nice contrast to the aggressive tremolo-picked speed metal riffs that make up the remainder of the record so it's pretty clear that Renegade had paid their dues & were very much a well-oiled machine by this stage of their evolution. Drummer Mick Scott is probably the weaker component of the band though as his kick drum work isn't as tight as the true masters of the genre. I really dig it when he goes for a driving Charlie Benante-style beat during the more ballsy parts of the album though & he displays good restraint during the chuggy halftime parts too.
The tracklisting offers great consistency with no weak songs included in the eight on offer. The title track is the clear standout in my opinion though as it reminds me of the unbridled aggression that the Teutonic thrash scene had built its reputation on. A couple of tracks from Renegade's 1985 demo tape ("Black Ritual" & "Lucifer's Reign") have been revisited with the latter being a stronger & more muscular effort than the original. While few listeners will deny that "Total Armageddon" is a thrash release, the speed metal sound that dominated the demo tape is still evident in the high velocities & uncluttered tremolo-picked riff structures which are well supported by Johnston's production job which helps to keep things sounding attractive & professional. All of this amounts to a more than decent thrash record that competes fairly well on a global scale but which no doubt threw a fairly nasty cat amongst the pigeons as far as the local scene went as I don't think that Australia had seen a release of this intensity before, at least not one in a proper album format. Renegade's role in Australian thrash cannot be denied in this respect & it's not hard to see why the old-schoolers are still waxing lyrical about it either.
For fans of Tyrus, classic Slayer & "Kill 'Em All"-period Metallica.
3.5/5
Slaughter Lord - "Taste of Blood" demo (1987)
This short demo tape from a little-known Sydney extreme metal band represents the pinnacle of underground indulgence as it went on to become far more influential than most metalheads are probably aware of with everyone from Morbid Angel to Fenriz to Bathory & At The Gates waxing lyrical about its importance over the years. It includes just the three songs but manages to combine thrash metal, death metal & black metal to come up with a cacophony of sound that the world was not quite prepared for at the time & one that would go a long way to creating what we now know as war metal in the process too. It's not a perfect release as the thrash component tends to amount to some dodgy Slayer worship but the more extreme material is highly captivating as it possesses an unbridled fury that's rarely been matched in all the time since. "Taste of Blood" is very much a Sydney metal institution but should probably be on the radar of all fans of the more brutal end of 80's thrash too as it combines the most extreme elements of everything else that was going on in the world at the time, from the South Americans to the Teutonic scene to Bathory & the more intense examples of US thrash. It's all presented in a style that would become an Aussie signature though with a whole slew of bands tackling a black/death/thrash hybrid sound over the many years since. I still wear my Slaughter Lord t-shirt with pride, despite my wife being horrified every time I pull it out & continuously insisting that I don't wear it for school pickup duties.
For fans of Order From Chaos, Poison (GER) & Sadistik Exekution.
3.5/5
Cremator - "Evil Brew" demo (1987)
The debut release from this obscure Perth thrash metal group that I've never gotten on with. They take a silly approach to their thrash which is more about drinking beer & having fun than anything too serious. The vocals are probably my main concern here with guitarist Bevan Wilkerson often resorting to high-pitched squeals that sound uncannily like Destruction front man Schmier. The rhythm guitar sound is stupidly messy while the lead tone sounds outrageously light-weight & downright strange. I do still find myself liking "United" though which is the most intense & thrashtastic song on offer but the rest does very little for me. Interestingly, drummer Russell Hopkinson was a former member of Melbourne hardcore punk outfit Vicious Circle & also went on to play for popular Aussie alternative rock bands You Am I & Nursery Crimes.
For fans of Anthrax, S.O.D. & Destruction.
2.5/5
Incubus (AUS) - "Sinful Dreams" demo (1987)
The sole demo recording from Melbourne-based extreme thrash metallers Incubus who would change their name to Spectral Birth shortly afterwards for obvious reasons. Incubus have often been referred to as a death/thrash duo however I've always thought they were more of a blackened thrash prospect with the vocals of guitarist/bassist Laurie Ferdinands feeling much more like black metal shrieks than death metal grunts to me. The instrumentation is pure thrash though & there's some pretty good stuff amongst the four songs on offer here too with only closer "Passage of Souls: Sinful Dreams" falling flat.
For fans of Agressor, Massacra & "Blood Fire Death"-era Bathory.
3.5/5
Bathory - "Requiem" (1994)
By the early 1990's, Swedish metal gods Bathory had already made a huge impression on my life. I'd first discovered Quorthon & his various forms of stylist expression through 1988's incredible "Blood Fire Death" album, a record that would represent my earliest experience with genuine black metal, & it would change me in ways that I've never really recovered from. I would very quickly take in the rest of Bathory's prestigious back catalogue with each successive release seeing Quorthon gaining in credibility as one of the most original & influential artists of all time in terms of metal music. 1991's Twilight of the Gods" sixth album may have seen Bathory taking their foot off the pedal a little bit but was still a very solid effort when viewed outside of the context of the record that preceded it. I just think that Bathory had defined their Viking metal sound so emphatically with "Hammerheart" from the previous year that its follow-up was always going to struggle to achieve the same level of notoriety. There's no doubt that "Twilight of the Gods" is still a very strong record in its own right but I can't say that I consider it to be as classic as the three records that led into it. It did leave me wondering where Quorthon's next creative endeavour might take him though as it was still an immensely ambitious creative statement. We'd have to wait a full three years to find out though &, by the time 1994's "Requiem" appeared, I think my anticipation had waned a touch. Make no mistake about it, Ben & I still raced out to buy the album immediately upon release but I don't think my expectations were quite as high as they had been for the previous two records. Thank goodness they weren't either because "Requiem" is far from the classic that many people simply expected from Quorthon by that point in his highly celebrated career.
The first thing that hits you about "Requiem" is the rawness in Quorthon's production job. The album was once again recorded at Stockholm's Montezuma Studio which had seen Bathory creating yet another huge wall of epic Viking metal with "Twilight of the Gods" but this would be the first time that Quorthon had attempted to produce a Bathory record without the oversight of his father Börje Forsberg &, if these results are anything to go by, then it was a bad decision. My major gripe is with the artificial drum sound which is nothing short of abominable. The album cover lists Vvornth as once again handling the drums on this record but that name is generally accepted to be a pseudonym adopted by a number of different performed who filled the seat for Bathory from 1998 to 1996. On this occasion though, I don't actually think Vvornth is human because the drums on "Requiem" sound like a cheap drum machine to me but even that suspicion doesn't fully portray how bad the snare sound is here. In fact, it rivals Metallica's "St. Anger" for sheer cringe factor if I'm being completely honest. The rest of the kit isn't much better either with the kick drums & toms sounding thin & clicky. The rest of the instrumentation isn't too bad actually but there's very little in the way of studio gloss to be found here with the rhythm guitar tone being as raw as they come.
If you were expecting the next installment of Bathory's epic Viking metal legacy with "Requiem" then you were going to be sorely disappointed & I think it's fair to say that I was. "Requiem" sees Quorthon taking a complete change of stylistic direction towards a fairly generic thrash metal sound which is a little hard to understand. It doesn't actually sound all that bad on paper but the reality isn't all that it might have been. Quorthon has still maintained his trademark black metal shriek but the music sounds very much like an attempt to emulate classic Exodus & Kreator &, while there are some great riffs employed at times, it's hard to overcome the impact of those awful drums. The vocals tend to be fairly hit & miss too with the faster & more aggressive material benefiting from their extremity while the more restrained inclusions tend to suffer the opposite fate with Quorthon's raspy screams sounding far too over the top for the instrumentation that supports them. The guitar solos are instantly recognisable & see Quorthon simply blazing away on fast (if relatively simple) pentatonic licks with no attempt to hold anything back. As an holistic package though, "Requiem" simply seems a bit lacking in ambition after the incredible run of forward-thinking releases that Bathory were already responsible for producing over the previous decade or so.
Production issues aside, the nine-song tracklisting actually begins fairly well with the first tree tracks all being pretty enjoyable, particularly the excellent "Necroticus" which is my clear pick of the bunch. Things start to get noticeably shaky from there though with three of the next four songs all falling well short of the mark. "War Machine", "Pax vobiscum" & "Suffocate" don't even come close to reaching an acceptable level of appeal with me personally &, even though things return to some level of normality at the end of the album, I've always found it very difficult to repair the damage that had been done through the middle of the album. Don't get me wrong, there is some seriously shredding blackened thrash on this album at times but there's little doubt that it's presented in an inappropriate packaging & that Quorthon is miles better than this simple collection of tunes which never attempt to push through any pre-existing musical boundaries. It simply feels so safe, not to mention more than a little amateurish, so I can't deny my disappointment in what seemed like such an anti-climax at the time.
I think you'd be a brave man to claim that "Requiem" was anything other than the first genuine disappointment in Bathory's incredibly prestigious recording career & things would only get worse for Quorthon over the next twelve months as he continued to explore this "new" sound. I tried my very best not to let these creative misfires taint the legacy that Bathory had built up in my esteem & I think I did a reasonable job of it too. I can't deny that the Swedes would never again return to the throne they'd created with their past glories though & I definitely sensed that this might be the case at the time too. "Requiem" may not be a complete disaster but it certainly fell well short of the stratospheric levels of musical mastery we'd come to expect from Bathory so I feel that this might be my last revisit to one of Sweden's more tragic descents.
For fans of Exodus, Kreator & Sodom.
3/5
Hobbs Angel of Death - "Angel of Death" demo (1987)
While I've always enjoyed Hobbs Angel of Death's self-titled 1998 debut album, I can't deny that their earlier demo material is more to my taste with "Angel of Death" being a rip-roaring tribute to classic Slayer. Just listen to opening track "Lucifer's Domain" & try not to draw comparisons to Slayer's "Chemical Warfare" or dare to question the influence of the title track from "Hell Awaits" on closer "Satan's Crusade". Not to mention the searing blaze of Kerry King & Jeff Hannemann that runs right down the middle of highlight track "Chainsaw Massacre" which is one of my favourite Aussie thrash anthems of the 1980's. The old Tyrus track "Liar" is included here too but it sounds much more thrashy & aggressive this time with Venom being the main source of inspiration on this occasion. "Angel of Death" is an outstanding example of the underground thrash scene that won't disappoint too many of our devoted members of The Pit.
For fans of Infernäl Mäjesty, Black Shepherd & 1984-85 period Slayer.
4/5
Mortal Sin - "Mayhemic Destruction" (1987)
While Metallica's classic fourth album "...And Justice For All" may represent my gateway into extreme metal back in late 1988, the ability for a local Australian band to create a genuinely intense metal release still seemed a little unattainable to me for a while, that is... until I picked up the first edition of a new Aussie metal/hard rock magazine called "Hot Metal" from the local news agency in May 1989. It came with a cover CD that included a collection of sixteen tracks from a variety of artists, mostly on the popular glam/hair metal end of the metal spectrum. Amongst them were great inclusions from acts like Ozzy Osbourne & Yngwie Malmsteen that saw me exploring their back catalogues extensively over the coming months but the track that stood out from all the rest was a song called "Mayhemic Destruction" from a young Sydney band by the name of Mortal Sin whose vicious attack appeared to sit on the deathlier side of thrash metal. I was a complete Big Four nut at the time with Slayer being my musical gods so the sheer intensity of this song offered me massive appeal & saw me quickly reaching out to the older skaters at my high school to see if I could secure a dubbed copy of the "Mayhemic Destruction" album. Thankfully, they were able to oblige & I'd spend a bit of time with Mortal Sin's debut record over the next couple of weeks before leaving it behind to explore ever more extreme forms of metal music over the next few years. Regardless, Mortal Sin would remain with me as a constant presence during my early time in the Sydney metal scene until I'd take a self-imposed decade-long hiatus from metal altogether in 1998. I'd see them play live on a number of occasions which could inevitably see my blood boiling with a desire to fulfil my own dreams of playing extreme metal on stage. I've even gotten to know a couple of the band members a bit over the years with drummer Wayne Campbell (Baltak/Grungeon) booking my death metal band Neuropath for a number of live gigs & vocalist Mat Maurer's daughter becoming a gig buddy of mine which would see Mat tagging along to some of the shows we'd attend during the 2010's after my return to metal. It was an interesting exercise to return to "Mayhemic Destruction" a couple of years ago now though as it gave me a new perspective on the legacy of Mortal Sin & the Australian metal scene in general & this week's second revisit has only provided further justification for my existing position on it.
I believe "Mayhemic Destruction" was originally intended to be a demo tape which stacks up when you consider that Mortal Sin hadn't released any recorded music at all at the time. It was recorded at Studio 301 in Sydney (which is where I mastered my own solo CD in 1999 interestingly enough) during the middle of 1986 with the recording process taking just three days & the mixing amounting to forty hours. A gentleman by the name of John Stitch-Darwish was responsible for the production & he was a relatively unknown entity in terms of metal although he would later go on to produce Armoured Angel's sole 1999 full-length "Angel of the Sixth Order". Despite his lack of experience in the field though, Darwish's production job does the job nicely here, particularly for a release that was only intended to be a demo. All of the instruments are presented with clarity & separation with the powerful bass guitar of Andy Eftichiou being the main driver in Mortal Sin's thrash metal attack. The guitars having an incisive tinniness which wasn't uncommon in late 80's thrash while Campbell's drums are full & offer plenty of depth. Maurer's vocals are given plenty of room to boom out over the top too so "Mayhemic Destruction" was afforded every chance to make an impact with a local metal market that hadn't received much in the way of well-produced & executed thrash metal at the time.
Mortal Sin's early sound wasn't the most technical or sophisticated you'll find in thrash metal, even for the mid-80s. The riffs were generally very simple with the tempo rarely exceeding mid-pace & the structures relying heavily on the tight execution & decent Darwish production job for appeal. Eftichiou's bass lines are the main driver that gets your head banging & I feel that he was probably the most accomplished musician here too. Metallica's 1983 debut album "Kill 'Em All" was very clearly the main source of inspiration though & there's even a case for claiming the majority of "Mayhemic Destruction" as nothing more than a Metallica clone if I'm being perfectly honest. Just listen to tracks like "Women in Leather" or "Into the Fire" & tell me you don't hear the obvious references to "Seek & Destroy". I'll give you the tip that you won't be able to & the same can be said for speed metal anthem "Blood, Death, Hatred" & Metallica's "The Four Horsemen" because the inspiration is blatantly obvious & when combined with Maurer's extraordinarily Hetfield-ish vocal delivery it's easy to simply cast Mortal Sin aside as a poor man's replica of the Californian gods of the thrash metal movement. I can't say that I'm not onboard with the way of thinking either but there are moments on this album where Mortal Sin manage to cast aside that stigma to produce some excellent thrash in their own right.
The tracklisting isn't without blemish mind you with a couple of songs not doing much for me at all. "Liar" & "Mortal Slaughter" just seem to be a little bit basic & lacking in depth & substance to me but the remainder of the album is all enjoyable enough. The closing title track is the clear highlight in my opinion & it stands out like a sore thumb as it's sound is simply so different to the rest of the material. It's a lot more extreme than the other seven tracks with the intensity of the riffage having been upped significantly & sounding a lot more like the Teutonic thrash scene than the Bay Area one the other material is centred around. The vocals are also delivered in more of a death metal grunt which blew my mind upon first hearing it on the "Hot Metal" compilation, particularly given the glammy nature of the remainder of the artists on that CD. The other track that stood out to me was the chunky "Lebanon" with its lyrical themes having a potent effect & its riffs representing the high point for Mortal Sin's mid-tempo thrash sound. It's a shame that these two songs stand out so much from the rest of the material though as it leaves me feeling that the overall package sits closer to the third tier of the thrash metal spectrum than it does to the first or second. I mean, we're talking 1987 here which was still very much at the peak of the genre so there was a lot of competition floating around &, looking back now, it's hard not to feel that "Mayhemic Destruction" has been overrated by an Aussie metal scene that was simply starving for good content. Personally, I can't deny that this is my position on it these days if I'm being honest which it pains me to admit given just how big in influence Mortal Sin had on me as a bright-eyed young metal musician looking to crack into the local Sydney scene.
While "Mayhemic Destruction" may not be the game-changer that a lot of Aussies might have you believe it is, I'd suggest that most members of our The Pit clan will gain some enjoyment out of it because it definitely reminds me of the fun that could be had in getting drunk with your mates & moshing around someone's backyard. Its simplicity is also its biggest asset in many ways as it remains accessible throughout but I don't think Maurer's vocal skills were quite enough to overcome the band's limitations, at least not yet. In fact, I've never been much of a fan of his performance here if I'm being honest. 1989's "Face of Despair" sophomore album would also frequent my tape deck in 1989 & it offered a similar level of appeal although I think I've always slightly favoured the debut over it as the better representation of the early roots of Australian thrash. It's just not the unheralded thrash classic that so many of my Aussie peers would have you believe it is.
For fans of Xentrix, Stone & "Kill 'Em All"-period Metallica.
3.5/5
Mortal Sin - "Rehearsal Tape 16/1/1988" demo (1988)
A crudely recorded rehearsal tape that was recorded at Party Pig Studios, Girraween between the first two Mortal Sin albums. It's interesting for its inclusion of three previously unreleased tracks that were all intended to be included on 1989's "Face of Despair" album at the time. Only one eventually appeared there (i.e. "Voyage of the Damned") with the other two ("Running From The Corpse" & "Euthanasia") being resigned to the annuls of history without much fanfare. "Running From the Corpse" is pretty good too so I can't imagine why it was completely overlooked throughout Mortal Sin's recording career. The sound quality is obviously pretty poor but the instrumental performances are all solid & the stronger material outweighs the stuff that doesn't translate to this primitive format very well. The highlight is clearly my favourite Mortal Sin track "Mayhemic Destruction" although Mat Maurer's vocals aren't nearly as deathly as they are on the album of the same name. I'd suggest that this is only worth exploring if you're a diehard fan of the band, even if I do get almost as much enjoyment out of it as I do out of both of their 1980's albums if I'm being honest.
For fans of Xentrix, Stone & early Metallica.
3.5/5
Hobbs Angel of Death - "Hobbs Satan's Crusade" (2003)
Melbourne thrash metal legends Hobbs Angel of Death first came to my attention some time in 1989, shortly after I'd discovered that there was a local extreme metal scene through Sydney thrash establishment Mortal Sin. It was while perusing a Metal For Melbourne (a seminal Australian metal record store, promoter & label) end of year list that detailed all of the top releases from 1988 (likely in "Hot Metal" magazine that I bought religiously) that I noticed a record that I wasn't familiar with in Hobbs' self-titled debut album. It was a pretty amazing list to be fair & would lead to me seeking out a number of albums with "Hobbs Angel of Death" being one that I'd pick up from the older skater kids at my school. My positive experiences with that dubbed cassette copy of the record would lead to me also seeking out the two earlier demo tapes from the band in 1987's "Angel of Death" & 1988's "Virgin Metal Invasion from Down Under", both which really floated my boat. Slayer were basically my gods at the time (& arguably still are) so Hobbs' sound was always gonna appeal to me given the very close alignment with Slayer's aggressive thrash sound & Hobbs has stuck with me ever since. In 2003, Victorian extreme metal label Modern Invasion Music would go through the exercise of remastering & re-releasing the two Hobbs Angel of Death demos & I've had the absolute privilege of checking them out this week.
Both of the Hobbs demos were recorded at Doug Saunders Studio in Melbourne during the mid-to-late 1980's & the sound quality is excellent compared to other demo tapes of the time. Front man, guitarist & band leader Peter Hobbs had previously enjoyed some time studio time with his earlier thrash band Tyrus who are equally revered in my home country so it's perhaps understandable that the Hobbs cassettes sounded pretty decent. For the recording of "Angel of Death" he'd recruit Nothing Sacred guitarist Mark Woolley, Renegade bassist Steve Scott & relatively unknown drummer Darren McMaster-Smith. Hobbs Angel of Death was essentially a solo project for Peter though so that lineup changed fairly dramatically by the time "Virgin Metal Invasion from Down Under" was recorded with Nothing Sacred/Non Compos Mentis bassist Karl Lean (aka Karl Monara) & Nothing Sacred/Depression/Non Compos Mentis drummer Sham Littleman joining the fold temporarily before Woolley & McMaster-Smith returned for the recording of the self-titled full-length along with Bestial Warlust/Deströyer 666/Mass Confusion bassist Phil Gresik. Despite the consistent personnel changes though, "Hobbs Satan's Crusade" sounds really good with modern day ears. It harnesses the raw intensity of the underground thrash scene of the 1980's beautifully with the two tapes sounding a little different from each other but with neither really achieving any sort of ascendancy.
Hobbs Angel of Death's early sound was clearly built around their gratuitous worship of one classic thrash metal act & it won't be very hard for you to figure out which one that might be upon switching on this compilation. Peter was obviously quite enamored with Californian thrash gods Slayer because Hobbs' sound is so closely aligned with Slayer's 1984-1985 period that it's almost impossible to stop yourself from consistently drawing upon your memory for comparisons while listening to their recorded output. While Hobbs may not sound exactly like Slayer singer Tom Araya, the fact that he mimics Araya's phrasing so accurately makes him trick your mind into thinking that their tones are very similar. The lyrical content only amplifies those comparisons as it's also very well aligned along with the riffs & song-structures. I'll be honest, I miss classic Slayer virtually every day of my life so if anyone can pull off their sound with any sort of success then I'm well up for it & that's certainly the case here. Just listen to opening track "Lucifer's Domain" & try not to draw comparisons to Slayer's "Chemical Warfare" or dare to question the influence of the title track from "Hell Awaits" on "House of Death" or "Satan's Crusade", not to mention the searing blaze of Kerry King & Jeff Hannemann that runs right down the middle of highlight track "Chainsaw Massacre" which is one of my favourite Aussie thrash anthems of the 1980's.
Almost all of Hobbs' debut album appears on "Hobbs Satan's Crusade" with the only exception being "Brotherhood". It also includes rejigged versions of several old Tyrus tracks with "Bubonic Plague", "Crucifixion" & "Liar" all being live favourites from what was one of the original bands in the Australian thrash metal live scene. Both "Bubonic Plague" & "Liar" sound a lot better here though with the Venom-inspired latter being much thrashier & more aggressive than the original which was more of a speed metal number. This is a really consistent tracklisting actually with no duds included & plenty to get excited about. It simply feels so underground, despite the performances all being excellent. If pushed, I'd suggest that I slightly favour "Angel of Death" over "Virgin Metal Invasion from Down Under" but there's very little in it as they're both excellent thrash releases in their own right so I'd encourage all of our The Pit members to check them out through this excellent compilation CD.
For fans of Infernäl Mäjesty, Black Shepherd & 1984-85 period Slayer.
4/5
Hobbs Angel of Death - "Hobbs Angel of Death" (1988)
After recently loving my revisits to both of Peter Hobbs' earlier demo tapes, I thought I'd give his debut album another chance as I'd rated both 1987's "Angel of Death" & 1988's "Virgin Metal Invasion from Down Under" a touch higher (i.e. four stars) than the much more widely celebrated full-length which I'd previously awarded a 3.5-star rating. Perhaps I need to give myself more credit though because "Hobbs Angel of Death" simply isn't as vital in my opinion. It's mostly made up of material that's been drawn from the two demos but there are also a couple of new songs included & those are the least impressive moments on the album in my opinion. The cleaner production has taken a little bit of the intensity away from these simple thrash metal numbers too so I'd recommend the 2003 "Hobbs Satan's Crusade" compilation over this one personally.
For fans of Infernäl Mäjesty, 1984-85 period Slayer & late 80's Sodom.
3.5/5
You can find a link to my full review from April 2023 here:
Rampage - "Veil of Mourn" (1988)
Melbourne thrash metal trio Rampage are definitely one of those bands that you would only have come across if you were heavily involved in the underground Australian metal scene back in the latter part of the 1980's & first half of the 1990's. They released just two demo tapes & a single full-length album across a four-year life span but wouldn't manage to achieve much commercial success & eventually decided to call it quits two months after vocalist/guitarist George Mitrov found God & promptly left Rampage in May 1988. The Spotify age has seen the band's legacy being revitalized for a new generation of Aussie metalheads to indulge in though & the question is now whether that commitment is actually worth the effort or not. My recollections of Rampage's "Veil of Mourn" album weren't that great if I'm being honest but I have been wondering whether a little context might see it taking on some additional importance. My recent revisits to the two Rampage demo tapes have done nothing for my confidence but I did recall "Veil of Mourn" sounding a little different to those two releases so I decided to grit my teeth & battle my way through one of the less understood records from a time when the Aussie thrash scene was still in its infancy.
Neither of Rampage's 1986 "Acid Storm" or 1987 self-titled demo tapes received a lot of record label attention which was a critical ingredient if you were going to take things to the next level at the time. Young bands rarely funded their own full-length albums & some of that came down to a lack of belief & understanding as much as it did anything else because the option was always there. But the lack of hype didn't stop Rampage who self-funded & self-produced their debut album in 1988 with a run of just 600 vinyl copies being manufactured after the recordings were completed. A gentleman going by the name of Rock was responsible for assisting the band through those sessions & I can't say that I'm surprised that he hasn't gone on to bigger things because the production job on "Veil of Mourn" is nothing short of a dog's breakfast, failing to even compete with that of the band's two demos, particularly the self-titled one which sounded much better than this mess which comes across more like a crude rehearsal recording than an album. The guitars are much too far back in the mix in comparison to the bass guitar while the cymbals possess a boomy white-noise characteristic. The performances are really quite loose too with guitarist George Mitrov's pitchy high-pitched vocals regularly seeing my face struggling to prevent a cringe. Rampage were far from a well-oiled machine at the time but, to be fair, they had other things going for them.
Rampage's lineup for the album was a little different to the one that had recorded the "Acid Storm" demo tape two years earlier. Original guitarist Mark Bailey had left the scene by this stage with Mitrov taking on the guitar duties on top of the vocals while drummer Rick Sorrentino had been replaced by future Hobbs Angel of Death skinsman Bruno Canziani. Former Tyrus bass player David Frew (who would join Canziani in Hobbs Angel of Death during the mid-1990's) was still onboard but it's worth mentioning the differences in sound between the two demo tapes & the one we receive on "Veil of Mourn", despite it containing a few of the same tracks as the demos in "Acid Storm", "Sinister at Sunrise" & "Producers Edge". The "Acid Storm" demo saw Rampage hovering somewhere between thrash metal & traditional heavy metal while the self-titled saw that heavy metal component heading more towards power metal. There isn't any heavy metal on "Veil of Mourn" while the power metal influence is limited to "Sinister at Sunrise". This time Rampage have expanded their sound with a very interesting progressive rock influence which sees them hitting on some highly unusual song & riffs structures & it's this element that would become the band's calling card. On the evidence here, I'd have to suggest that Rampage had been listening to a fair quantity of Voivod records in the lead-up to these sessions as I can clearly here the Canadian progressive metallers impact here, although I wouldn't suggest that it's enough to see me reaching for a dual tag as the thrash side of the trio's sound still sits comfortably in the ascendency.
Despite the intriguing complexities of Rampage's new sound though, I have to admit that I've once again struggled with this release in much the same way that I did with the two demo tapes. Yes, the band's sound certainly keeps you on your toes by maintaining the electricity of a live performance throughout but the obvious production & performance issues are simply too much to overcome the majority of the time. It's only really closing track "Transgression to Sin Under the Invisible Empire" that sees me able to look past the album's inadequacies & achieve true enjoyment but that's not to say that Rampage didn't come close on material like opener "Terrortaphobia (Fear of Giving Birth to a Monster)", the previously mentioned "Acid Storm" & prog thrasher "Autopsy". The other half of the album falls well short of the mark but has somehow managed to keep my attention in a similar way to a fatal car crash. You don't really want to see the horrors inside but you struggle to look away nonetheless. It's for this reason that "Veil of Mourn" has managed to avoid a more embarassing rating but I'd still suggest that the simpler "Acid Storm" demo is perhaps the release that saw Rampage coming the closest to producing a genuinely rewarding experience. Even it didn't quite get there though so I can't say that I'm disappointed to have finished my exploration of Rampage's quietly spoken back catalogue. While I seriously doubt that I'll be returning to them in the future, I do give Rampage some credit for producing one of the more unusual debut albums in Aussie thrash history.
For fans of Bezerker, Tyrus & Midas Touch.
3/5
Sudefed - "Race to Oblivion" demo (1988)
The first demo tape from this obscure Adelaide-based thrash metal crew. It's pretty good too with the band showing a good understanding of how to create inspiring & energetic thrash riffs. The vocals are a little unusual within the context of a thrash band & would probably suit a punky alternative rock sound a little better but they're still quite catchy at times. It's a shame that these guys didn't amount to much because there's a lot of promise shown here. Good luck tracking it down though.
For fans of Anthrax, Flotsam & Jetsam & Allegiance.
3.5/5
Valkyria - Valkyria
Valkyria is one of those weird foreign thrash metal bands. I've seen many things said about them. Prog thrash, tech thrash and thrash/speed. Yet of these, I would say the most important aspect of the band's sound is none of them. Instead, it's a little cheap keyboard making symphonic sounds that fulfills this band's sound as a not quite symphonic thrash metal band.
I say not quite, because the symphonic parts are sporadic, but their presence elevates this album from being a well made thrash album to something quite unique. Yes, there's something unorthodox in the song structure, and yes, the album has that speed metal sound, but it's nothing compared to a great thrash guitarist sitting back and letting someone do a MIDI violin solo.
One issue I noticed is that a lot of the solo sections have a sound similar to Doom E1M1. In the sense that the backing tracks match how it goes to some extent. The guitars are somewhat different, but the drums are clearly riffing on almost the same idea.
But the big issue is the production. Some might call it bad, pathetic, wimpy, or muddly. I prefer charmingly bad. It's obviously a cheap job with a lower range than it should have. The aspect that suffers the most is the vocals, the dude's a shrieker emulating Halford to some degree, and it crushes the hell out of his range, often blending into the guitars.
Overall, I really like this album, and I think even if it has flaws, the strengths outweigh them. If nothing else, this is a solid addition to the collection of any fan of weird thrash.
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
A fairly underground thrash metal band from the 1990s that didn't get a lot of recognition back in the day and it sure is timely wouldn't you say? This record has everything you would expect out of a 1990s thrash clone band; a complete disregard for melody, a hodgepodge of hit-or-miss riffs, and a seemingly endless assault of guitar solo wanking. At least the album is produced well and that bass REALLY does some heavy lifting to make these tunes sound huge.
Wait, this is guy who got kicked out of Metallica? No wonder.
3/5
Addictive - "Ward 74" demo (1988)
The only demo tape from a legendary Sydney thrash metal band that I looked up to as a young fella. In fact, these days I'd suggest that "Ward 74" may have been the best thrash metal release to have come out of my home city at the time it was released which is saying something considering that we'd already seen the likes of Slaughter Lord's "Taste of Blood" demo, Mortal Sin's "Mayhemic Destruction" & Massive Appendage's "The Severed Erection". The production job isn't amazing but is acceptable for a late 1980's demo recording. There are a couple of really solid, if not particularly original, thrash anthems here in "Sonder Commando" & "What Ward Are You In?". Testament's more aggressive "The Legacy" material springs to mind quite often, as does Allegiance's 1994 debut album "D.e.s.t.i.t.u.t.i.o.n". which makes "Ward 74" worth a listen or two for our more comprehensive thrash nuts.
For fans of Massive Appendage, Allegiance & early Testament.
3.5/5
No Remorse - "Stroke of Death" demo (1988)
A pretty decent one-off demo tape from a Victorian thrash metal band that were clearly trying their very best to emulate the first two Metallica records, particularly "Kill 'Em All" which shouldn't come as a surprise given the band's moniker. These guys went on to become the more deathly Persecution shortly afterwards but, at this stage, we receive a fairly simple brand of conventional thrash metal that won't offer anything terribly different but is pulled off well enough to keep members of The Pit entertained, mainly through nostalgia for the songs that No Remorse have clearly used for inspiration.
For fans of Mortal Sin, early Metallica & "Killing is My Business... & Business is Good!"-era Megadeth.
3.5/5
Mayhemic - Toba (2024)
Mayhemic guitarist and vocalist Noctumbra may be better known by his real name, Javier Salgado, ex-mainman of Parkcrest, guitarist with Hellish and one of the leading lights in the chilean thrash metal scene. Unsurprisingly then, Mayhemic encapsulate the archetypical chilean thrash sound, which is typified by white-hot, hyperkinetic riffs and an influence from black and death metal. Toba marks the band's debut full-length after an EP in 2019 and a split album with Hellish in 2020. The band have undergone a number of lineup changes since they formed in 2018, with Noctumbra himself switching from drums to guitar in 2022 and only he and guitarist Doom (Nacho Pérez) remaining from the band's previous releases.
I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that chilean thrash metal is well and truly in the vanguard as the standard-bearers of the modern thrash scene. As the genre enters its fifth decade the sounds coming out of Santiago and Valparaíso are the most vital and energising thrash metal has known since its heyday ended in the mid-nineties. Salgado himself, and by extension his bands, are prime examples of just how the chileans have been able to inject new life and energy into the mouldering corpse of thrash metal. Toba is just the latest in a string of releases that have redefined what thrash metal means in the 21st century. The members of most of these Santiago thrash bands are almost invariably members of several others, so are constantly either recording or playing live, honing their skills with every performance to a point where these guys are absolutely razor-sharp technically, wrangling every ounce of energy and vitality out of their instruments and laying it down for us all to marvel at.
Toba is a relatively short album by modern standards, only running for thirty-six minutes, yet it doesn't feel particularly short due to the sheer effusive energy it radiates throughout its runtime. In the main, Toba's eight tracks are high velocity affairs chock-full of lightning fast and precise riffs that slash at the listener like a flurry of rapier cuts. They may like to rein back on the tempo and drop into a mid-tempo, groovier riff, with most songs involving several such tempo changes, but the main impression Toba leaves is that this is absolutely blistering stuff. The riffs are well-written and are pretty damn memorable, not merely blurs as they flash from speaker to ear and are designed to wreak maximum neck-wrenching damage. There is a certain infectious ebullience about Mayhemic and, for me, that is most aptly illustrated by the frantic and searing guitar solos which howl with an effusive elation at being unleashed upon the unsuspecting listener. These are not just the standard Hannemann / King short, sharp shocks that became pretty much the standard for the more extreme styles of thrash metal, but are wild expressions of metal's irrepressible ability to excite and thrill, each sounding exuberant and unique.
Noctumbra and Doom share vocal duties. with Noctumbra leading on tracks 1, 3 and 8, Doom on 2,4 and 6 and both contributing on Olduvai's Lullaby. Both are ragged and aggressive bellowers with Noctumbra having a slightly shriller, black-metal influenced shriek and Doom having a similar, but lower-pitched style. In truth there isn't a huge amount of difference between them and I wouldn't really say one is better than the other as both suit the material equally well. Drummer Leviathan (Javier ''Crow'' Buzeta), who has since left the band, is beastly behing his kit, unleashing salvo after salvo of thrashbeats and busy fills, driving the tracks along with precision and powerful kit work. He is ably supported in the rhythm section by bassist Magelis (Ítalo Sánchez). A feature of many chilean thrash releases is a very prominent bass presence, but here the bass takes up a more traditional position in the mix. It is nevertheless perfectly audible, but not as noticeably intrusive as it sometimes is within the chilean scene.
With Toba Mayhemic may not have produced the kind of original and unique thrash release compatriots like the superb Demomiac and even Salgado's previous crew Parkcrest managed, but with a blackened snarl, shredding strings and a withering and pummelling rhythm section, they have captured the essence of what makes metal so damn thrilling and attractive in the first place.
4.5/5
Spectral Birth - "The Turbulence" demo (1988)
The first of two demo tapes from this Melbourne death/thrash duo who were also responsible for Incubus' 1987 "Sinful Dreams" demo before changing their moniker for obvious reasons. There are no complaints about the production which is really very good for a late 80's extreme metal demo tape. "Sinful Dreams" had more of a blackened edge to the vocals while this one sees guitarist/bassist Laurie Ferdinands's delivery sitting closer to death metal. The instrumentation is pure thrash though & draws entirely from the Teutonic side of the genre for influence. There's a sophistication to Spectral Birth's sound that sometimes sees me reaching for comparisons to bands like Vektor & Sadus even though there's nothing particularly technical on offer from a structural point of view. The execution is nice & tight & shows a level of compositional maturity though. The tracklisting is extremely consistent with all five songs tending to sit at predominantly the same quality level but I wouldn't say that any of them stand out as genuine Aussie thrash classics. I'd probably give "The Turbulence" a slight edge over "Sinful Dreams" which I also have a fair bit of time for but I wouldn't say that either should be essential listening for our The Pit members.
For fans of Agressor, Kreator & Destruction.
3.5/5
Shihad - "Dead & Buried" demo (1988)
This bunch of Kiwis were a pretty big deal in Australia for the decade between 1993 & 2003, both as Shihad & their subsequent moniker Pacifier. I think I saw them play live twice during that period as my de facto partner of the time was really into them. They were actually an alternative rock band by that stage & gained a lot of popularity off the back of their breakthrough 1993 debut album "Churn". Little did the alternative radio audience know that Shihad had once been a more than decent thrash metal band in the vein of the big names of the San Francisco Bay Area scene. Their first recorded effort was this crude three-song demo tape which offers some pretty decent song-writing & performances, only thwarted by the very ordinary sound quality which leaves the material feeling largely nullified. Still.. you could already see that these guys had something about them, even if they're largely copying "Ride the Lightning" & "Master of Puppets".
For fans of Metallica, Exodus & Testament.
3/5
Bezerker - "Laugh at the Light" demo (1988)
This obscure demo tape made a very big impression on me as a kid & I've never really understood why it didn't go on to create more of a buzz internationally because it's a very solid & classy example of the thrash metal genre indeed. In fact, I'd take this over anything Mortal Sin released during the late 1980's which is a good indication of just how sophisticated & accomplished this Adelaide-based five-piece were. There's a noticeable power metal edge to their sound & I'd be surprised if the US power metal movement hadn't been somewhat of an inspiration for that. Front man Patrick Cummins (no, not the current Australian Test cricket captain) has a marvelous voice & is the clear focal point here but the riffs are stellar too with the production job being above average for a release of this type. This is serious thrash metal ladies & gentlemen & I can't recommend it enough to those members of The Pit that think they've heard it all as far as the genre goes.
For fans of Rampage, Hades & Addictive.
4/5
* Sonny & Vinny, I thoroughly recommend this one to you two.
Armoured Angel - "Wings of Death" demo (1989)
The second demo tape from this legendary Canberra extreme metal establishment who would go on to become one of the premier death metal artists to come out of my home country. The crude heavy metal of their 1985 "Baptism in Blood" demo is all but forgotten with the trio now sporting a far more intense & slightly deathly thrash metal sound similar to early Slayer & Kreator. It's all pretty simple but is very well executed with the song-writing allowing for enough space to give the material an accessible edge in the live environment. I've never been much of a fan of "Madame Guillotine" but other three tracks are all pretty enjoyable (particularly the beautifully titled "Christian Slaughter" which is my pick of the bunch), even if none of them sound particularly essential in the modern day. There's no doubt that Armoured Angel would get much better in the next few years but "Wings of Death" is still a respectable first attempt at extreme metal.
For fans of Slaughter Lord, Hellbringer & Deceased...
3.5/5
Mortal Sin - "Voyage of the Disturbed" single (1989)
This limited edition 12" single was only sold at live shows at a time when the Sydney thrash legends were at the peak of their popularity. It features the title track (which was drawn from Mortal Sin's "Face of Despair" sophomore album from the same year) as well as three live cuts which were recorded at arguably the most important Australian metal performance of all time in the Sydneysiders hometown support slot for Metallica's "...And Justice For All" tour. I've always quite liked "Voyage of the Disturbed" so that was never gonna be an issue. The production job on the live material is very raw though. Thankfully the song-writing still gets the opportunity to shine through on two of the three live cuts with the title track doing justice to its studio version & "Terminal Reward" showing why it's one of my favourite cuts from "Face of Despair", even if it has lost a bit of its glossy coating along the way. Unfortunately, "For Richer For Poorer" hasn't fared quite so well but there's still enough to keep me interested here, despite the fact that a release like this one was never going to be particularly essential.
For fans of Xentrix, Stone & Hobbs Angel of Death.
3.5/5
Equinox - "Ecstasy in Black" demo (1989)
A particularly underground one-off demo tape from a Sydney-based thrash metal band that used their limited skills to create some fairly basic yet still quite catchy mid-paced material based mainly on the popular US model. The raspy Mille Petrozza-esque vocals give things a slightly different spin though which helps Equinox to get under my skin a little bit. I find the first two of the three songs included ("Whisper" & "Rise to Offend") to be quite enjoyable while closer "Lost Legion" tends to fall a little flat, in large part due to its lack of ambition. If you like your thrash a little more chuggy & utilizing your more controlled tempo ranges then you may find some enjoyment in "Ecstasy in Black" but I doubt you'll give it a lot of time.
For fans of Anthrax, Exodus & Metallica.
3.5/5
Iron Lightning - "Don't Fear... the Darkness" demo (1989)
The first of two demo tapes from Brisbane trio Iron Lightning who were spawned from what was arguably Queensland's first thrash metal act in Black Widow. It's a pretty rough affair that sees the band taking the popular US sound of Metallica & Megadeth & combining it with a clear US power metal influence. The vocals are very much a poor man's take on James Hetfield &, while the song-writing is fairly expansive, the execution is quite primitive which leaves "Don't Fear... the Darkness" sounding pretty lacklustre.
For fans of Lååz Rockit, Sentinel Beast & Hades.
2.5/5