Abattoir - Vicious Attack (1985)^{Release ID: 28001}

Los Angeles speed metallers Abattoir are one of those bands that most old-school metalheads are probably aware of but few have actually heard & I fitted into that category pretty comfortably until this week when I decided to investigate their 1985 debut album “Vicious Attack” as a part of my speed metal deep dive. I’d suggest that the cover art likely hasn’t helped that situation as it displays a particularly dodgy image that comes across as kinda creepy by today’s standards but it wasn’t anything all that unusual at the time with bands like Scorpions doing their level best to push the threshold of what was considered to be acceptable by the morality police.

Abattoir had surprisingly been around for a full seven years by the time this record was released & I’d imagine that their style had changed significantly in that time as the sound “Vicious Attack” is pushing is heavily influenced by releases that came a little after the late 1970’s. If speed metal is essentially the mid-point between heavy metal & thrash metal then Abattoir have done a very good job at nailing down the concept with seven of the eight tracks included fitting the bill nicely. The slower “The Living & The Dead” is probably the only inclusion in the tracklisting that sees them veering towards the more controlled tempos of your traditional heavy metal model but it’s positioning right in the middle of the album sees it serving to break things up a bit by giving the listener a moment of respite from the relentless energy the rest of the material unceremoniously shoves down your throat.

In many regards “Vicious Attack” is the sum of three major influences. For starters you have the early 80’s Motorhead sound being replicated as accurately as I’ve ever heard it with Abattoir even opting for a very decent cover version of the title track from “Ace Of Spades” which may just be the album highlight. Then you have a clear Dianno-period Iron Maiden influence with front man Steve Gaines’ voice showcasing a distinct similarity to Paul's & the use of guitar harmonies & galloping rhythms providing further homage to the greatest NWOBHM band of all. And finally (& to a slightly lesser extent) you'll likely pick up on the impact of Metallica’s 1983 debut album “Kill ‘Em All” with particular reference being made to the more speed metal focused numbers like “Hit The Lights”, “Motorbreath” & “Phantom Lord”. Gaines also touches on James Hetfield’s early vocal approach in his angrier moments too. Now those are some pretty big names, aren’t they? And to their credit Abattoir do a pretty good job of presenting those influences in a way that summarizes the various elements without crossing the line into pure plagiarism all that often (well… I do have to admit that some of the Motorhead worship is pretty damn obvious).

The production job is particularly rough & ready, even for a mid-80’s speed metal record. I’d be very surprised if this wasn’t intentional & a play at creating a similar vibe to Lemmy & his cohorts. It works for the most part too & I find myself losing myself in the reckless abandon of a band that sounds like they’re in the prime of their youth & without a care in the world. The limiter here is really that there’s not a lot of substance beneath the surface. There's no doubt that Abattoir create some outrageously fun metal music that will inevitably get any drunken teenage party rocking but I wouldn’t say that there’s a lot of depth to their music which is not something you could about some of their influences (like Iron Maiden for example). The short 28 minute run time certainly helps as “Vicious Attack” doesn’t come close to overstaying its welcome but when all is said & done I can’t say that feel like I want to return to the album all that much even though it's unquestionably an enjoyable experience. Perhaps that’s a problem for speed metal in general as the fundamental premise of the music certainly leaves itself open to those sort of feelings but I do tend to think there’s scope for a more significant creative statement within the genre.

At the end of the day though, I’d suggest that its best not to over-think things when it comes to a more than decent underground speed metal record like Abattoir have produced here. Instead, I’d recommend chugging a beer, ripping your shirt off & banging your head till your brain feels like mush because the overall winner will almost always be metal. Abattoir know that well & so does your mum which is why she tried to encourage you to stay away from inherently naughty music like Abattoir have produced here. It’s the work of Satan, you see.

For fans of Exciter, Agent Steel & Warrant (GER).