Benediction - The Grand Leveller [1991]

First I must say that I'm very content with my decision to give Benediction's sophomore effort a chance after listening to the highly mediocre "Subconscious Terror." After hearing all the talk of how these guys were similar to Bolt Thrower (My favorite death metal band), I was extremely disappointed with my first impression of these guys, but luckily "The Grand Leveller" is light years ahead of Benediction's previous effort. Everything about this record is better: the songwriting, riffs, vocals, solos, drumming and everything else. 

On "Subconscious Terror" everything seemed so bland and predictable. I don't recall any moment where my head was banging or I was intrigued by a single solo or riff. On this record, however, Benediction decided to change things up structure wise. Not every song is written in the same fashion, and there is plenty of variety to be found here, riff-wise anyway. The undeniable Bolt Thrower influence is present once those doomy melodies on "Jumping At Shadows" enter the fray, while "Opulence of the Absolute" features some great tremolo sections that would make the American masters proud, as well as some midpaced riffs that are absolutely crushing. "The Grand Leveller" is most reminiscent of the band's fellow countrymen (and woman) in it's creeping, midpaced mayhem but the title track here shows off the band's ability to go at much faster tempos and it sounds awesome. 

Even though the debut full-length of Benediction featured the legendary Barney Greenway of Napalm Death fame, the vocals on "The Grand Leveller" fit the music much better. Dave Ingram's vocal performance here adds a darker atmosphere to the sound, whereas Barney didn't really add anything to the music, he was just growling in front of the already mediocre music. The drumming on here isn't much to brag about, but it did it's job just fine so no complaints here. The bass is pretty good throughout, thumping along audibly while also providing some nice fills on the intros to "Born in a Fever" and "Jumping At Shadows." 

Some might complain about the overall comparison of Benediction to the more well known Bolt Thrower because it makes them seem like a subordinate, but it's definitely a compliment. "The Grand Leveller" is a fantastic death metal record and one of the best to come from the UK, so if you haven't heard these guys then you now have some homework to do. 

Highlights

"Jumping At Shadows"

"Opulence of the Absolute"

"Undirected Aggression"

Final Rating

Masterpiece [9.0/10]

DVC - Descendant Upheaval [1989]

These guys are true pioneers. Not only did they release one of the first albums to be considered a death metal release (more on that later), but they were incorporating famous movies into their "gimmick," long before all those bands with names like "Nazgul" and "Amon Amarth" started popping up. Yes, DVC is indeed an acronym that translates to "Darth Vader's Church," and if he did go to church and they were playing music like the songs found on "Descendant Upheaval," I might actually be inclined to visit the holy grounds. 

"Descendant Upheaval" is considered to be a death metal album, but why? Where are the evil sounding death metal tremolo passages? Where are the blast beats? Sure, the vocals sound like they could be fronting a death metal band, but they also sound like they could be commanding some random grindcore act, basically resembling a cross between Oscar Garcia (Terrorizer) and Karl Willetts (Bolt Thrower). This album definitely treads along the same waters that Bolt Thrower's "In Battle There Is No Law" did, taking heavy influence from the thrash bands of the 80's and throwing in some punk. Instead of placing emphasis on heaviness and capturing an evil sound, DVC just onslaughts you with catchy riffs that will get your headbanging. The opening riffs in "Embalmed In Stone" are absolutely brilliant and wouldn't sound out of place whatsoever on an album like "World Downfall." 

Another instance where the "Grindcore" sound is clear is the inclusion of the bass. The bass sound can be heard pretty easily and it gets plenty of opportunities to shine on its own ("Southside Dirthead" and "Licentious Abandon") and get your head bobbing along. The drums are pretty fast, but the need to add blast beats never occurs with DVC and the need isn't necessary either. Another thing to mention is that the drums always have some kind of cool little fill or added nuance to the music which is always a positive. 

So, is "Descendant Upheaval" a pure death metal album? No, not in this writer's opinion. There are certain instances where death metal trademarks can be found, but it almost seemed like something foreign to the band. The attempts to incorporate a slower or doomy sound on the intro to "Eve Angel" don't sound as awesome as they do with other bands at the time (Autopsy and Obituary in particular) and the intro to "Bow of Mortis" is nice, but not nearly convincing enough to declare DVC's debut full-length a death metal album.

This isn't the greatest metal album that you haven't heard of, but it's definitely worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of grindcore or early primitive death metal. On a closing note, make sure you don't skip the intro track "Cranium Overture," unless of course you are a freak and don't like Star Wars. 

Highlights

"Mourning Sun"

"Embalmed in Stone"

"Descendant Upheaval"

Final Rating

Awesome [8.5/10]

Invocator - Excursion Demise [1991]

If you thought Artillery was the only thrash band from Denmark conjuring up some wicked metal, then Invocator is here to enlighten you with their brand of technical thrash. I'm not saying that these guys are better than Artillery, because they're not. "By Inheritance" is one of the greatest thrash albums ever made, but "Excursion Demise" isn't bad either and is probably better than some of Artillery's material. While both bands play the more technical style of thrash, there is absolutely no way that Invocator could be mixed up with Artillery. 

The most notable difference is definitely the speed and the death metal influence on "Excursion Demise." These crazy danish bastards really wanted to go fast because this record is pretty much a blitzkrieg throughout with an occasional midpaced moment. Luckily for Invocator, they knew that an album consisting of nothing but speed throughout could get a little dull after awhile, and they manage to mix in some nice breaks here and there. Some of them are extremely headbang friendly ("The Persistence From Memorial Chasm" and "Schismatic Injective Therapy") and add some heaviness to this speed-demon. Along with the occasional breaks in tracks the instrumental featuring a near-sinister sounding acoustic "(...To A Twisted Recess of Mind)" serves as a great transition between the title track (The best song on this record by the way) and "Forsaken Ones." 

As mentioned earlier, this record is ridiculously fast, which is both a positive and a negative on "Excursion Demise." It's a positive because there are plenty of stellar riffs here and there that are a result of the speed. The riffs found in the songs "Beyond Insufferable Dormancy" and the title track are fantastic. They tend to follow a more death metal style, but they're more controlled and are perfect for headbanging along to. As for the negative part, some of the riffs just come off as spastic or repetitive. There aren't any songs in particular because this is present in a lot of them, but there is usually a really good riff in the same song to make up for it. 

Another negative aspect of this album is the length of the tracks. I have no problems with longer songs, as long as they can keep my attention and to be honest Invocator failed there for the most part. "Schismatic Injective Therapy" is probably the biggest victim of this. There are definitely some moments of brilliance shown on the track but it goes on too long and could have been cut down a bit. If a band is going to write songs that are longer, they need to have enough dynamics in the music to keep one interested, not sit there and wank on the guitar solos. Seriously, these guys put a lot of attention on the guitar solos, and while they're not horrible they're nothing special and they dominate the music for quite some time. To put things simple, there should have been more focus on the riffs and overall structure than spending too much time being a fretboard warrior. 

Aside from those problems there is a lot right with this album. Jacob Hansen's vocal performance is a definite highlight here. He sounds like a really sweet mix of Chuck Schuldiner and Chris Bailey, and the way he just spits out the words in rapid-fire fashion reminds one of Steve Reynolds. It doesn't matter if he's barking out lyrics at the speed of the extremely fast riffs or if he's singing with the heavier midpaced riffs, Hansen's performance deserves a beer because it's really well done. The drumming isn't anything too special but the speed on this record has a lot to do with the intense work behind the kit. The bass playing here is pretty tight and even gets some moments to shine on its own ("Occurrence Concealed" and "(...To A Twisted Recess of Mind)"). 

The verdict here? Invocator's debut album "Excursion Demise" is some very solid metal that any fan of thrash should be able to enjoy. This record definitely could have been better, but it's still a very worthwhile album that possesses some top-notch material and another that proved there was some great thrash in the nineties. 

Highlights

"Excursion Demise"

"Occurrence Concealed"

"Beyond Insufferable Dormancy"

Final Rating

Awesome [8.7/10]

Nuclear Tribunal - Attack of the Salami-Smokers from Venus [1998]

This release sounds like thrash, grind and death metal all got together and spawned the not so perfect child. Nuclear Tribunal aren't the most known band on the block and there's fairly good reason for that. This isn't the greatest album in exsistence, but the eye catching artwork and the humour on the album alone make it pretty great and worth reviewing. I really do enjoy this album a lot but I could picture someone hearing this and asking themselves why they're listening to this garbage. "Attack of the Salami-Smokers from Venus" is definitely interesting enough to look into further.

The music on the album is pretty simple deathgrind played at a mid to slower pace which does pick up often enough to create a hammering assault. The drums are mainly blast beats and just a lot of use of the high hats and snare. The bass on the album is unfortunately not very audible (I'd be surprised if you could hear it at all) and the guitars are pretty straight forward with the music. The tone is more of a crunchy thrash tone than a grindcore or death metal tone but the tempos are definitely those that you would find in death metal or grindcore. The vocals are honestly, the worst part of the album, in my opinion. The production or whatever was done to them makes it sound like the vocalist is trying to perform underwater.

I bought this album off of Amazon for about four dollars (including shipping and handling) just because of the artwork. It was a random purchase that I'm not disappointed about at all. It's a fun album and I enjoy the music enough as uninspired and simple as it is.

Highlights

"Nuclear Tribunal (Hate Their Audience)"

"WW III"

"I Came to Shoot Your Dicks Off"

Final Rating

Mediocre [7.0/10]

Ritual Sacrifice - The Inhuman Race (Demo) [1990]

If you think that thrash died in the nineties, then you really need to look harder. There may not have been as many awesome releases as there were in the eighties, but there was a lot of quality stuff, and this demo is proof of that. Ritual Sacrifice would later go on to produce some metal that gravitated more towards death metal and grindcore, but on "The Inhuman Race," the thrash that they created is some top-notch, intense music that is severely under appreciated. 

The seeds for Ritual Sacrifice's death/grind evolution were firmly planted here, although very subtly, but it worked out fantastically. The drumming on this record is excellent. The fast-paced assault here reminds the listener of Cryptic Slaughter a bit and gives the band a kind of crossover/grind feel. There are also some great fills present throughout, and it's just little nuances like this that make this demo and the music much better. The bass also shines at times with some very cool little doodles and solo parts. The vocals here are also stellar. They're more aggressive than your average thrash vocalist, but they're not full on death metal vocals or even death/thrash vocals for that matter, but they suit the music perfectly. Another notable part pertaining to vocals, are the awesome gang shouts during the choruses. They're just eargasmic. 

The real meat of this demo though, comes from the riffs. The riffs here are catchier than the flu in a hospital. The midpaced riffs are guaranteed headbangers and the faster riffs can eviscerate an entire venue, especially when backed by those explosive drums. The intro riff on "Illusions of Sanity" is about as headbang-friendly as a riff can get and the thrashing assault on "This is Your God" could rival tunes by much more known bands such as Exodus or Anthrax. 

There really isn't much more to say about this demo. It's some straightforward, no bullshit kind of thrash that is meant to wreck your neck. If you haven't had the pleasure of listening to this demo before, then you have to remedy that situation immediately.

Highlights

"This is Your God"

"Illusions of Sanity"

"Day of Retribution"

Final Rating

Awesome [8.7/10]

Master - Master [1990]

If you notice, the title says "1990," yet the songs on this record were all recorded earlier on demos in 1985. That's two years after the spawn of thrash and the same year that Possessed's "Seven Churches" was released, an album that is widely cited as the first death metal album. While Master's debut album is very thrash-oriented, it is indeed a death metal album, similar to Malevolent Creation or Death on "Scream Bloody Gore." A very thrashy death metal band, but more on the death metal side. 

The sound here is pretty simple. Just cutthroat and aggressive death metal with some thrash tendencies. It's basically what Sepultura would sound like if they were actually a death metal band like many people claim (Those people need their head checked, I might add). The riffs range from heavy riffs full of some of the best powerchord combinations out there to fast thrashy riffs. All of these riffs are placed perfectly throughout the record, never leaving the listener with a boring moment. Just take a listen to the title track or "Pay to Die" and it will all become clear. The drumming on this record is also top-notch work. Nothing overly fancy but the speed and timing is perfect, plus there are some places where the drums add some heaviness or speed at just the right time ("Mangled Dehumanization" and "Funeral Bitch"). Paul Speckmann's vocals are also a great touch to the music. They're the perfect cross between the more aggressive thrash vocalists (think the Teutonic bands) and your typical death metal vocalist, which reflects the overall music quite well.

Simply put, this is one of the most underrated and overlooked death metal albums out there. If someone were to ask about the best American death metal albums, chances are you wouldn't hear them say "Master," but instead the usual "Altars of Madness," "Leprosy" or "Tomb of the Mutilated." While those are all great albums, this album is just as good, if not better. So don't be a wanker, check these guys out if you haven't already. 

Highlights

"Unknown Soldier"

"Funeral Bitch"

"Master"

Final Rating

Masterpiece [9.5/10]

Deranged - Place of Torment (Demo) [1989]

This demo is easily one of the most vicious demos to come from Canada. Deranged were a thrash metal band from British Columbia that formed in 1987. They played an extreme hybrid of thrash metal with a bit of early death metal thrown in (mostly in the vocals and drumming). They released two demos ("Premonitory Nightmare" and "Place of Torment") before changing their name to Debt of Nature and releasing one more demo before disbanding in 1993. I myself am extremely dissappointed with the fact that they never went anywhere in the thrash metal scene even though "Place of Torment" is something beautiful. It's fast, vicious and sounds pretty much like Morbid Saint does. What a shame.

The music on the album is extremely savage and the guitars sound like they could literally rip through your chest like a chainsaw. The bass is hardly audible as the production is only as good as one could get for a demo recording in 1989. The drums are very standard with lots of use of your average thrash metal drum beats and there's a lot of use of doubles and triplets with the bass pedals. However, that doesn't take away from the music as it actually works extremely well with the ripping guitars and the very harsh vocals. I really like the vocals on this demo a lot because they make me think of bands like Demolition Hammer and Morbid Saint.

"Place of Torment" is definitely primitive and raw but it is definitely something that should be checked out. Extremely hidden gem. It's really too bad I can't buy this on vinyl anywhere though. So spread the word and show this fucking raw piece of art to your friends. Hopefully, they won't be disappointed. If you love bands like the two mentioned earlier (Demolition Hammer and Morbid Saint) or you just in general love yourself some savage thrash metal, this demo's for you.

Highlights

"Eminence of Terror"

"Coercion"

"The Burning"

Final Rating

Awesome [8.2/10]