CARCASS – REEK OF PUTREFACTION – JULY 1988

 

CARCASS – REEK OF PUTREFACTION – JULY 1988

It doesn’t get more gruesome than Reek of Putrefaction, between subject content and in context to my opinion of where it contends with their later material. Since their formation in 1985, Carcass has been well known throughout the metal community as the forefathers of not only melodic death metal but grindcore as well. Despite my general aversion to most grindcore and this being my least favorite Carcass release, there is still enough here to glimpse how this album has held its stature and status for its early influence on the sub-genre.

Reek of Putrefaction features short, raw explosions of haphazard distortion that boasts the ability to transform what you hear into an empathetic feeling of what the song title might physically feel like (“Genital Grinder” anyone?). As fond as I usually am of even indiscernible blast beats, this is not the way I like them to be done and only so much can be brushed off as just the quality of the production on the album. The roughest part of the experience is that the majority of what you hear when digesting the music is only the drumming which makes variety practically non-existent between songs on initial listens. The only exception to this is best heard on a few songs such as “Pysosisified (Rotten to the Gore)” and “Pungent Excruciation” that seem to garner slightly more control over the sound. Enough so that you are able to see the shadow of a promising riff or underlying song structure although the moments these are heard tend to expire before they can be properly tasted or you can be sure that they even fit there.

The best qualities of Reek of Putrefaction include its novelty as well as its collective vocals that are as putrid yet amusing as the lyrics. Not to mention that slight tickle to your funny bone that is triggered when you see that you are listening to a song named “Vomited Anal Tract” and hearing the few audible lyrics within. This album is not for the faint of heart, it’s for those that like to mutilate their food and let it decompose for a few days before trying to ingest it. Their later albums Necroticism and Heartwork are much easier on the digestive tract in my opinion.

Highlights: Regurgitation of Giblets, Foeticide and Pungent Excruciation.

Rating: 3.5 / 10

 

 

 



BOLT THROWER - IN BATTLE THERE IS NO LAW - JUNE 12, 1988

BOLT THROWER - IN BATTLE THERE IS NO LAW - JUNE 12, 1988

Bolt Thrower is a band renowned for their continuity, each of their albums you can depend on hearing the same sound and style that they have perfected over the years. The only exception to this rule is their debut album "In Battle There Is No Law" in which you can thumb beneath its crusty exterior the foundations of their signature riffs and styles that will define them thereafter.

The influences are apparent when examining the environment and breeding ground in which their sound was born during England's ruling punk alternative scene at this time. A lot of the extreme metal bands then were focused on playing as fast as possible more so than being focused on technicality. The faster than thou card. Basically what inspired the sound of bands like Repulsion and Napalm Death trying to be faster than each other in their own speed war. On this first album the crustier punk feel comes from the sheer bludgeoning speed of some of the music as best portrayed in the song "Denial of Destiny". Similar in some senses that its rough around the edges for the sake of speed, at the end of the day though it brings to the table a completely different spin and sound. They have more than enough variety on the album besides the quality of assaulting speed to set it apart as can be heard more prominently in the song "Forgotten Existence" in which they find a momentum of clarity and skill that will turn any listener into an addict of their style.

The booming war drums heard at the outset of the song "In Battle There Is No Law" call out for battle and it is delivered wholeheartedly. It also marks the beginning of a war that has now spanned over two decades of releases. How would you crossover someone that's into the hardened scum ridden side of punk into death metal? I would start by giving them three helpings of this album for dinner and a dose of Napalm Death for desert.  This is assuredly an album that would hook them and have them crying out for a medic on the battlefield in no time.

Highlights: Forgotten Existence, Challenge for Power

Rating: 8.5/10

SLAUGHTER - STRAPPADO - 1987

SLAUGHTER - STRAPPADO - 1987

Next up to bat is not the glitter and glam version of Slaughter but the one that lives up to its name. Slaughter ranks among Canada's most cherished thrash titans alongside Sacrifice, Razor and Annihilator. That being said, the album Strappado nestles itself firmly on this list with its down tuned guitars, drumming that focuses on force rather than speed and a bass heavy assault that leads the charge for speeding up your heart rate. If you're into more technical or melodic music, shut the door. If you crave music that will grab you by the arms, throw you head first into a wall and will toss back a case of beer with you afterwards then its time to tear the door off its hinges.

A few of the songs such as the title track "Strappado" and "The Curse" are just too sloppy for my taste, as clumsy musically as I am walking in heels. There also isn't much variety when it comes to riff structure, bare bones and basic with its own brand of charm. In this case, there are only mythical creatures I could name that could manage to tear up those bones so deeply imbedded in Canadian soil for how heavy in all senses of the word they are. The song "Disintegrator" which hits as a short blast of speed segues into "Incinerator" which features the two vocalists feeding off one another and off of the driving tempo of the music. As alluring as the dark and almost other worldly chant of "we are the tortured souls" is in "Tortured Souls", the definitive song on this album for me is "Nocturnal Hell". It hits just the right pace; the vocals are a bit rougher and primitive (mostly grunts) with riff repetition done in a way to soothe the beastliest of thrashers.

Apologies in advance for the self inflicted sloppy mess of memories, twitches of mosh pit nostalgia and beer thirst this album will bring to the surface and your body will ache for.

Highlights: Incinerator, Nocturnal Hell, F.O.D. (Fuck of Death)

Rating: 7.5/10

MESSIAH – EXTREME COLD WEATHER – 1987

MESSIAH – EXTREME COLD WEATHER – 1987 

 

Extreme Cold Weather by Messiah covers all of the staples for this band if you are to give them a try; a few songs from their first release Hymn to Abramelin, six live tracks and not to mention a few instrumental only songs along side the new material. The inclusion of their previous material really showcases the jump in musicians' technical skills, but more so in my opinion it seems to really highlight their strongest characteristic that sets the new material apart: their sense of humor. There is a song dedicated in love to Mother Theresa and a song dedicated in hate to Pope John Paul II. Messiah went the "if you don't have anything mean to say, don't say anything at all" route for the comparison of them. This is, of course, considering the fact that the song to Mother Theresa is a short and atmospheric instrumental song and the track dedicated to Pope John Paul II has “Pope John Sucks” audibly screeched half way through, and a final dig of “Fuck off John Paul, go and masturbate” at the end.

The song "Hyper Borea" is their best effort on this album only slightly ahead of "Nero" in my books. The song may only be instrumental but it seems to be the polarizing pinnacle point of the album that sets the mood and holds the rest of it together with so much variety in the material surrounding it. The anti-war song "Radezky March" has an interesting song structure and sparks as a regionally fascinating addition for the Swiss band, considering that it is mandatory for every Swiss male to serve at least 260 days in the armed forces. The song "Enjoy Yourself" inspired an idea that has now firmly settled itself into my bucket list. Picture John Cusack with a boom box held over his shoulders in the movie Say Anything. Now picture him playing this song, that promotes peaceful moshing, at a Slayer concert or a hardcore show (the metal scene would be a better place without ninja kicks and rednecks that are unaware of proper mosh pit etiquette). That just needs to be done now.

Stand outs: Hyper Borea, Nero, Enjoy Yourself

Rating: 6.5

NECROPHAGIA – SEASON OF THE DEAD – 1987

NECROPHAGIA – SEASON OF THE DEAD – 1987

Well, I know which album I will be pulling out come next Halloween. Season of the Dead is like the musical incarnation of Tales from the Crypt, the essence of the album is the stories of horror, death and gore that are told through the lyrics and less of a focus on the instrumental. The vocals are done in a way that Frank "Killjoy" Pucci sounds more like a narrator as rather than singing with the music, he speaks over the music quite audible and clean with a bit of rasp and snarl for dramatic flare. The dramatics do not end there on the album, keyboards and even acoustic guitars are used like special effects in a "B" horror movie. A few songs, "Ancient Slumber" for example, have what sound like excerpts from actual horror movies in the introduction or pieced into the songs. The creativity and potential just within reach on Season of the Dead will be what captures you on this album. Necrophagia truly hit the mark for trying to define a freshly born genre of horror and gore that hasn't had the umbilical cord cut yet.

Even though the theatrics over shadow the instrumentals, the album has more than its share of diverse riffs and experimentation with same. The song "Mental Decay" is my favorite showcase on the album for what these young musicians from Wellsville, Ohio are capable of. The introduction is a frantic and buzzing build up that works into a thrashy riff structure, they find a rhythm here more so than any other song for rather graceful tempo changes. The let down musically on this album for me is the drums. In songs such as "Terminal Vision" and "Painful Discharge" they are slow, simple beats that are used and at times seem to struggle to keep up with the guitars. "Beyond and Back" which is, inarguably in my books, the most polished hidden gem on this album with its variety from relentless stabbing riffs to its slow yet technical solos. Now that this is at a close it is time for me to track down my copy of Zelda Ocarina of Time, as the first song "Season of the Dead/Forbidden Zone" about three minutes in reminds me of the Temple of Time, every time.

Standouts: Mental Decay, Beyond and Back

Rating: 7/10

DEATH - SCREAM BLOODY GORE - MAY 25, 1987

DEATH - SCREAM BLOODY GORE - MAY 25, 1987

"Drink from the goblet, the goblet of gore" but be warned, what you might taste (hear) is flavored with a raw and grinding intensity that will leave you parched for more.

The bludgeoning speed that is maintained for most of Scream Bloody Gore is one of its most intense features but it's done in a way that it does not compromise the technicality of the instrumentals and there is a sense of continuity throughout the album as if trying to refine and explore this aspect of it. Songs such as Zombie Ritual or Baptized in Blood manage to capture this with their endearing and catchy qualities without sacrificing their intensity. There are audible melodies underlying the surface of each song, in that respect, the kind that scratch beneath the surface and make your skin crawl when paired with the vocals. The most addictive element of this album for me is Chuck Schuldiner’s vocals, almost like a guttural lullaby before drifting you into a nightmare filled with mutilated zombies and the kind of torture that only a Cenobite from Hellraiser could envision (a movie that was released the same year based off a horror novel by Clive Barker).  Even though he had developed his vocal style when he began playing with the Floridian death metal band Mantas in 1983, the style apparent on this album is clearly influenced by Jeff Becerra of Possessed however the lyrics that were written are not, they focus on horror and gore rather than the satanic imagery that had been lyrically portrayed in Seven Churches.

The drums aren’t spectacular or overly notable, but Chris Reifert keeps up with the tempo changes and intensity gracefully. At the end of the day, this album is a showcase of Chuck Schuldiner and the groundwork that he lays on the table for his own diverse legacy and that of the genre itself. I sometimes speculate if the revolving door of line up changes throughout the band's history, especially considering how selective Chuck had been in choosing fellow collaborators and the drastic variances between albums, had been intentional to highlight the evolution of his personal style and experimentation. As an album, it may not be the best initial introduction to this particular band but it certainly is a well fitting introduction to this form of music as a gateway to a heightened and deeper appreciation of this style of death metal.

Scream Bloody Gore has stood the test of time not from quality, although there are very few holes to find, but from its recognized stature as a stepping stone embedded with the basic elements of death metal instrumentally, vocally and lyrically that the next steps of the genre derive and build upon for years to come. All you need to do is listen to understand why.

Standouts: Zombie Ritual, Baptized in Blood, Evil Dead

Rating: 9/10

POST MORTEM - CORONER'S OFFICE - 1986

POST MORTEM - CORONER'S OFFICE - 1986

Post Mortem have been labelled as pioneers by some although often overlooked in their influence to death metal, the way in which I agree is their exploration of influences and utilization of such a spectrum of them within their music to artistically try and stretch the size of the canvas of where heavy metal music could be drawn. This being said, I prefer more method to my madness on metal albums and there is just too much going on with this one regardless of the variety and hidden solo gems this album is riddled with. The best song example for how heavily afflicted this album is with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is "No Time". The beginning and end of the song have a raw thrash and punk infused sloppy feel but sandwiched in between is a characteristically out of place although somewhat impressive solo that could have been plucked from a classic rock album that devolves into a slow, measured and heavy doom riff before making its way full circle. They took every genre in the rainbow including jazz and a hint of even classical influence and sound to create this truly experimental piece of work.

There were really only two songs that came up to bat for our genre of discussion, "Coroner's Office" and "Death to the Masses", the later an interesting one since it was for the most part a nice mixture of very catchy doom and thrash heavy riffs with a solo that fits neither of those genres and polished with a few shiver inducing moans made by the vocalist, John McCarthy. When first hearing the song "Coroner's Office" I almost immediately zeroed in on the lyrics, it wasn't the typical satanic imagery that had been (not so) popularly peddled by other bands previously and of this time. This was gore, not a half bad "stab" at it either with lyrics such as "behind the dripping scalpel knife I deface your mother's womb in the coroner's office" and "putrid gasterous juices amongst the bloody bowels carving choice selections". Although "Coroner's Office" could easily be deemed quite crude, the lyrics throughout the entire album really showcase the strong sense of humor that these young musicians from Boston possessed with songs like "Syncopated Jazz" and "Soupy Sales" which were nothing more than mid marker jokes woven into the album for yet a further spice of variety. The humor doesn't stop there, the album cover? Its a close up picture of the Snow White ride at Disneyland. You really need to be in the mood for this album, by that I mean in a mind set of not taking it at all seriously or looking for any specific genre of music in it because it has it all.

Standouts: Death to the Masses, Coroner's Office

Rating: 5/10