A.R.G. - ENTRANCE

ANCIENT ROTTEN GRAVEGUARDS

A.R.G. or Ancient Rotten Graveguards won a Finnish talent show and they got the opportunity to record a single (Aggressive Confessor) which in turn led them to recording this debut album titled Entrance in 1989. A.R.G.'s uncompromising ways was actually quite groundbreaking in Scandinavia and when we look back upon the eighties A.R.G. must be considered to be one of most extreme Scandinavian metal bands of the 1980's. A.R.G. sounds a bit like Kreator mixed with Merciless (Swe) or Invocator (Den). So as you might have guessed this is thrash metal bordering to death metal. Incredible brutal for the time being and A.R.G. are rarely getting the cred they deserved for playing so aggressively. Sure there where extreme bands before A.R.G. in both Europe as well as in Scandinavia but only a few of them delivered as rippign thrash as A.R.G. did. Songs like Pesticide that reminds me of Sodom's Outbreak of Evil and Prevailing Sickness stands out.

All songs is in a similar mold, They probably listened quite a lot to the German giants Sodom and Kreator. It sounds a bit like you're listening to some obscure and forgotten Kreator demo from the eighties. Yes, I said demo, because the production on Entrance is on the blurry low-budget side and that's my main problem with A.R.G.'s debut. Musicwise this is unrelenting thrash of the kind that are popular amongst fans of extreme metal. Who knows, their popularity may rise again since they recently returned with their first new album in 25 years (Redemption from Refaim) but my guess is that A.R.G. will remain deep in the underground despite delivering two very cool albums in the late eighties and early nineties.

A.R.G.'s Entrance was grand and the band displayed their technical skills and raw caveman brutality in a impressive way. But it wasn't just debauchery and brutality, they also had som finesse and quite technical riffs. But some of it is unfortunately lost in the muddy mix. Either way Entrance is one of the better thrash metal albums from Scandinavia so don't miss out on this one.

Rating:

INFO

Label: Megamania
Year: 1989
Country: Finland
Duration: 39:13
Tracks: 11
Genre: Death/Thrash
Reviewer: Ruthless
Rating: 4/5

TRACKS

LINEUP

The Ultimate Entrance
Pesticide
Voices From the Dark
Perforation
Chemical Shot
Prevailing Sickness
R.I.P.
Heathenism in Penitentiary
Soul Vigour
Inter Arma
Die Out

Vesa Sakkinen - Guitars
Tepa Karjalainen - Vocals & Bass
Pasi Takkula - Drums