Reviews list for Forbidden - Forbidden Evil (1988)

When I first got into thrash metal in a major way back in late 1988 I quickly threw myself into anything I could find that was even loosely attached to the genre. That originally led me to the Big Four of course but once I’d navigated my way through their entire collective discography I went looking for lesser-known bands in order to expand my understanding of the underground scene. I remember Testament & Exodus being the first two artists I’d wrap my ears around but fellow Bay Area thrashers Forbidden were always listed in the same articles so it didn’t take me long before I’d take the plunge with them too. I recall 1988’s “Forbidden Evil” & 1990’s “Twisted Into Form” albums both kicking a fair amount of arse too but Forbidden would go off the rails during the mid-90’s & I subsequently lost interest in them after that. I did check out their 2010 “Omega Wave” comeback record many years later however & didn’t think it was too bad either but it hardly compared with Forbidden in their prime so it only received a couple of passing listens. Some of you may have noticed that I’ve been filling in some gaps in my ratings for releases I used to listen to as a kid of late though which was seen me reaching for a Forbidden record for the first time in quite a while.

Let me start this review by saying that “Forbidden Evil” was a serious player in the Bay Area thrash scene at the time. The band members were all in their twenties by this stage & were extremely capable at their craft too after having spent a good few years indulging in everything the exciting Bay Area scene had to offer. The “Forbidden Evil” lineup is probably best known for containing future Slayer, Exodus & Testament drummer Paul Bostaph &, in truth, Forbidden were never the same after he left the fold but the main attractions here are really the twin guitar attack of Craig Locicero & future Testament axeman Glen Alvelais whose razor-sharp riffage & searing lead solos gave Forbidden an edge over much of the competition. The other protagonist is front man Russ Anderson who proves himself to possess a diverse & durable vocal range that can sound aggressive like Slayer’s Tom Araya at one moment & then melodic (& even operatic) like Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson the next. I personally really enjoy Russ’ contribution here as he offers a nice balance & plenty of variety.

The production job of John Cuniberti is spot on for this raw brand of thrash metal which is hardly surprising given that he’d only just finished producing Vio-lence’s “Eternal Nightmare” debut. The guitar tone is particularly effective which sees the riffs maintaining a similar weight to classic Exodus. The ripping solos effortlessly cutting through the mix too so “Forbidden Evil” ticks a lot of boxes before you even start looking at the song-writing. Once you do though, you’ll find that there are no weak tracks included with some of the material showcasing a clear pedigree in classic heavy metal & speed metal, particularly the up-tempo speed metal assault of opener “Chalice of Blood”, the Judas Priest inspired riffs of “Through The Eyes of Glass” & the King Diamond-ish progressive delivery of closer “Follow Me”. Interestingly, these are the more highly regarded tracks on the album which is (predictably enough) directly opposed to my own preferences. The two most essential thrashers for me personally correlate with a couple of the least popular tracks with “Feel No Pain” & my personal favourite “As Good As Dead” both giving me significant pants jollies. The Slayer influence in some of the better riffs is most welcome by this ol' Slayer tragic.

“Forbidden Evil” is an electric & weighty example of the late 80’s American thrash sound that I still get a lot of enjoyment out of which leaves me wondering why Forbidden aren’t more readily included among the more senior second tier thrash bands. Heathen, Testament & Vio-lence fans should consider it to be a real treat & I look forward to seeing how “Twisted Into Form” compares with it in the coming months as I seem to recall the sophomore album being my preference back in the day.

What we have here is extremely tight, well executed thrash metal. Forbidden are not one of the first bands I think of when I think about classic 80s thrash metal, but listening to them now, it's quite hard to fault them. This debut album is an awesome example of riff based, well produced, if slightly unoriginal thrash metal. They don't necessarily bring anything new to the table that bands such as Testament, Exodus etc. hadn't already delivered. But what they do, they do with sheer class.

The riffs are awesome throughout with just enough variation to make the whole album a joy. The leads are also top notch and remind me of Alex Skolnick from Testament, which is no bad thing at all. The drumming isn't overly spectacular, but you can certainly see why Slayer pinched Paul Bostaph after Dave Lombardo left, as this is tight and crunching. The vocalist Russ Anderson does a good job, with a slightly unfortunate tendency to revert to that old-fashioned heavy metal squeal. But when he's doing the aggressive thrash thing, he's damn good.

Favourite tracks for me are Through Eyes of Glass, Follow Me, March into Fire and Chalice of Blood. Off the Edge lets things down for me a little but there's not really anything bad on Forbidden Evil. If you like eighties thrash, then you're almost certain to dig this album. I came to the party a bit late on this one but better than late than never, I guess.