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FAITH OR FEAR - PUNISHMENT AREA (1989)
After the release of Punishment area, Guitarist Bob Perna left and in came Merritt Gant known for his short period in Overkill, but Faith or fear never recorded again. They are probably most famous for getting a spot on the "Ultimate Revenge 2"-Video with Forbidden, Dark Angel and Raven. Anyhow Punishment Area was released in 1989 on combat.
All the instruments are handled real well, nothing to complain about for sure! The production is listenable, not bad neither amazing. Tim Blackmans vocals are traditional metal vocals, not a growler or a falsetto, just an ordinary voice, nothing special. In the originality aspect the band is lacking as most upcomers at the time. The song C.D.S. kicks a some real ass! And in 1999 this album saw the light of day for the second time because Century Media re-released it, so there will be no big problems for you to find it. eBay would probably have a few copies of Punishment area. Fans of early Testament and Death Angel, what are you waiting for?
⭐⭐⭐
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In the city of Örebro, Sweden a band who called themselves Fallen Angel appeared in the late 80's. They were unknown even for most Swedish metal fans. Fallen Angel released an EP In the early nineties and all those songs are included on this full-length. This album was recorded in 90-91 and later released in 1992 by Massacre records. The first half of this album can compete with almost any band on the market. Fallen Angel delivered intricate arrangements and tightly performed music.
Lifted to great heights by the great guitar work by the duo Bülow and Persson. The drumming is rather boring, but overall this album is impressive. The song Spectacle of Fear are amazing. Fast and thrilling with aggressive vocals and a acoustic guitar harmony that hasn't been heard in ages. The worst thing with this album is that it's so damn hard to find these days. Anyhow I think that Faith fails is one of the best Swedish thrash metal albums of the late eighties/early nineties.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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FALLEN ANGEL - FALLEN ANGEL (1990) (Review by Per-Ola Nilsson)
This EP by the swedes in Fallen Angel was released in 1991. Unfortunately it was a little too late to make it big by playing thrash metal. That's a shame, because this is quite a strong and promising effort. Imagine a slightly darker and more evil Megadeth - and Fallen Angel is pretty much what you get. All five songs (D.F.H. and "Trapped in Sibira" are intros) are real competent ones.
"Ice" is a personal favourite of mine.A moody mid tempo piece with crushing riffs and malicious, haunting vocals. And "Injection Overdose" and "Spectacle of Fear" are light speed thrash-frenzy at it's best. In 1992 Fallen Angel released a full length CD called "Faith Fails". It contained the five songs from this EP, plus five more. But these five are pretty much the best ones and it should also be easier to find a vinyl copy of this EP than to get hold of the CD. So, if you come across this, don't hesitate to snatch it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - FLOTSAM AND JETSAM (2016)
During the last couple of years there have been revolving doors in the lineup but vocalist Eric A.K. has kept the band intact with founding member Michael Gilbert returning to the band in 2010 after a decade away. Lately, Michael Spencer, who was in the band for a year in the late eighties and helped penned their legendary No Place For Disgrace album has returned to the band to fill the void when long time bassist Jason Ward left. Flotsam and Jetsam has also recruited guitarist Steve Conley and drummer Jason Bittner known for his time in Shadow Fall and Toxik. We also need to mention that the mention that the two founding members Kelly David-Smith and Edward Carlson left the band in 2014, both have been an integral part of the band ever since they formed in 1984. So there was a natural skepticism from a few fans when the band presented their new album and lineup.
The first track I heard from the album was Iron Maiden, a speed metal anthem that sounds a bit like Iron Maiden (the band) on steroids. With blazing twin guitars and Eric A.K.'s melodic singing on top. Damn, the expectations rose to an extreme high for me personally and now after listening to the full album for a few days I'm slightly disappointed with the full product, mainly because the band's sound is quite different on the rest of the tracks. Iron Maiden is an old school sounding track that could have been a part of the bands classic debut album Doomsday for the Deceiver. It's a glimpse of what this album could have been because I think that Iron Maiden is the best song the band has written since Suffer the Masses from 1990's When the Storm Comes Down, no doubt.
It's satisfying that the band still got it in them but I'm a bit saddened that the rest of the tracks on this album is more leaning towards a darker thrash sound that the band has cultivated for a decade or so.
But don't worry, the rest of the album is not a offspring to the bands experimental nineties. Nope, quite the contrary. In some way this is the typical Flotsam and Jetsam album, everything the band has delivered over the years is stirred down into one album, The heaviness and mid-tempo crunch combined emotional song patterns and melodic guitar work has become what we expect from new Flotsam and Jetsam album's and you'll get a ton of that stuff here. So this is perhaps why they decided to self-title their 12th studio album.
It feels a bit like we're back on the track that Flotsam started with on 2005's Dreams of Death. When the band finally understood that the alternative rock and groove they delivered in the nineties wasn't as good as the thrash sound the band cultivated in the late eighties. Since then the production values as the overall impression of the band has improved significantly. Flotsam and Jetsam's new self-titled album is a proof of that, things are tight and professional and at the same time more in the old school vein compared to their last couple of album.
The album has some serious musicianship behind it and newcomers Steve Conley and Jason Bittner delivers some solid work here. I'm actually really impressed by Jason Bittners expressive drum work. I think he has given the band a more metallic edge with his concise drumming. The guitar work by old timer Michael Spencer and new comer Steve Conley is also top notch, delivered in a typical Flotsam fashion, melodic and heavy at the same time.
Flotsam and Jetsam's new album might very well be the best album they have released since 1990's When the Storm Comes Down. At least from a metal perspective.
2016 is stacking up to be a pretty good year for thrash with solid albums from Megadeth, Anthrax, Artillery, Exumer, Destruction, Metal Church and now we can add Flotsam and Jetsam's self-titled album to the list of good thrash metal albums of 2016.
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⭐⭐⭐
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - DOOMSDAY FOR THE DECEIVER ~2014 ~ (2014)
Flotsam is next up when it comes to re-recording old songs just like their peers in Exodus, Anthrax, Exciter, Destruction and Testament. Re-recording No Place for Disgrace is a rather odd idea if you ask me, I think the original had a great sound already, productionwise I think they stood above most of the aforementioned bands, but still we sit here with a new and actually more intriguing Flotsam and Jetsam release compared to a few of their late works. I must say that I'm a huge fan of the original recordings but I guess that Flotsam was out of ideas when they did this album. They should instead play a little faster and their career would probably be back on track again. The album sounds almost like it once did, but everything feels slower and not as intense as the old recordings. I miss Eric A.K.s hysteric voice, he sings more controlled on 2014's version. But still it's kind of strange that the new album is almost four and a half minute longer when it's the exact same songs on both albums. If this wasn't a re-recording it would be the best album by Flotsam in decades but now it's just some strange way of covering yourself when the good ideas run out. But as a big Flotsam-fan I also think it's fun to hear my old favourite-songs in a new way. So the album get's three stars out of five.
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⭐⭐⭐
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - THE COLD (2010)
Flotsam and Jetsam has grown stronger by each release and The Cold is no exception, it's another step in the right direction. It's at least as good as their previous Dreams of Death. The album is not yet a return to their first two albums, The Cold has a more modern and mature sound. It's filled with great guitar leads and harmonies but Flotsam hardly ever hits those "tongue in cheek"-thrash moments. Better off Dead is a strong ballad with a great deal of guitar harmonies and Eric A.K.'s great voice, one of their best songs in years actually, even if it's a ballad. haha :) The songs Falling Short and K.Y.A. also has their moments thanks to Mark Simpson's great guitarplay. But the album needs to be criticized too, on some songs it's clear that Flotsam hasn't understood what their problems was in the 90's. It's those grungier rock moments. Just make a pure thrash metal album please Flotsam. I'm begging on my knees here. :) One thing that strikes me is Eric A.K.'s vocals. compared to how badly Dave Mustaine, James Hetfield and most other old thrash metal-vocalists sounds today it's quite refreshing to hear Eric's great voice, he still is one of the best metal vocalists out there. I give The Cold three stars and it top's the quite strong Dreams of Death. It must be seen as their greatest album since 1990's "When the storm comes down" or even surpassing that one. It's definitely in that class.
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⭐⭐⭐
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - DREAMS OF DEATH (2005)
Flotsam and Jetsam has been on the right tracks lately. Eric A.K. left the band shortly prior to recording this album but fortunately he rejoined band again. Flotsam has slowly returned to a more metallic sound on later releases. This time it's less Groove metal and more into the melodic traditional way, which is good. The album starts out great with Straight to Hell and Parasychic, Paranoid but after those songs the quality and the intensity drops significantly and on a song like Bathing in Red we're back in the sound that Flotsam had in the 90's. I must also say that Childhood Hero and Look in his Eyes are mediocre. No, This is a slight disappointment when I've read reviews about this album. That it's a comeback to form, I wouldn't stretch it that far. It's slightly better than My God. I think Flotsam should go faster and play as furiously as they did on the two first albums, they still had melodies back then. I think they went too soft in the mid 90's and this album has those weaker moments too. Even if Dreams of Death is not as bad as a few of their earlier releases. I'm happy that Flotsam are going in the right direction, but they need to take bigger leaps than this. Still I think this is their best album since 1992's Quattro.
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⭐⭐
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - MY GOD (2001)
Flotsam and jetsam's last album before vocalist Erik A.K. Knutson's decided to leave. He left to pursue his country music-project. This album is not the best moments of Flotsam's career. This is actually one of their worst albums. There are a lot of aqoustic guitars and even violins, The very first song Dig me up to bury me starts out in a furious tempo, but it vanishes into some boring music, the song "Camera eye", "Trash", "Learn to dance" and "Frustrate" makes this album listenable but the rest are nothing but a pile of shit. there is also an other version of the song trash hidden after the last song I.A.M.H. a ballad. The album is some mix of alternative rock with a dose of Groove Metal. This is nothing new for the Flotsam fans, we're getting used to these albums as Flotsam hasn't played true thrash metal since the late 80's. I can't recommend this album any thrash metal-fan, almost not even to real flotsam-fans.
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⭐⭐
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - UNNATURAL SELECTION (1999)
Unnatural selection is another little step into Flotsam's past. The first four songs are good, with some powerful riffing. after that the album gets a bit boring, the song "Win, lose or dead" are quite ok but the rest are boring. But the first four songs might be worth buying this album for, If you find it cheap. The very last song "Welcome to the bottom" is a slow ballad and the song Brain Dead got its moments. Promise Keepers & Liquid Noose are the best songs on this album. Still very sad and the musicianship are great as always. The lyrics are not as fine as on their earlier releases. However this album is Flotsam and Jetsam's best album from a thrashers point of view in many, many years. But it's still not near what Flotsam did back in the eighties. The album is somewhere in the post-thrash / groove metal field. Thrash metal purists can avoid this album, but for those who are open for melodic and experimental modern metal, you might dig this album for a while.
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⭐⭐
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - HIGH (1997)
I guess that you expected another slow Flotsam disc filled with lots of ballads and you're quite right. Flotsam and Jetsam has actually released their hardest album since the late 80's. Final step, Hallucinational, Monster and Forkboy are somewhat heavy songs, not as raging as their first two albums but in the "When The Storm Comes Down"-type of way with a dose of the nineties type of punk, think The Offspring. High is also a post-thrash album with a pinch of alternative grunge-like rock and groove metal. The lyrics are good and Erik A.K. Knutson's vocal style suits this type of music perfect, he can sing anything. But the question is does this disc appeal to thrash metal fans? The answer must be no. But if you're open-minded and like to mix things up or if you're a fan of the 90's post-thrash sound (if there are any fans of such music?). Whatever you feel about the 90's experimental ideas this is not an album you'll need to lose some sleep over not finding.
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⭐
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - DRIFT (1995)
Drift is Flotsam and Jetsam's fifth studio album and it was released in 1995 at a time when grunge rock was at it's peak of popularity. On Drift Flotsam and Jetsam has taken another step into a more mainstream sound leaving their thrash roots behind, still Drift is somewhat a metal but the band never goes into a thrash metal mode. There are a whole lot of ballads on this album. "Pick a window", "Missing", "Destructive signs" and "Poet's tell". Are all very sad and depressive songs, songs that would do well on any album by Pearl Jam. Piano is also used on this album on a few tracks. Drift is Flotsam and Jetsams softest album, I would put it somewhere in the alternative rock / grunge-folder. I can't recommend mid-90's Flotsam and jetsam to the thrash crowd, but you can still hear the Flotsam and Jetsam-spirit from the early days in this album. Especially in a melodic sense and the vocals by Erik Knutson. This is Flotsam's weakest album and the album that is the furthest from what they did in the beginning. If you got nothing against grunge, acoustic guitars and such, this album is could be something for you. But this is a metal site so If you're here looking for grunge you are lost. The only advice I can give is that this is nothing for thrash metal purists. Avoid this at all cost.
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⭐⭐
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - CUATRO (1992)
Exit: Troy Gregory. Enter: Jason Ward. Another change in the lineup here as bassist Troy Gregory leaves and Jason Ward fills in.
Cuatro is another step away from the thrash metal scene. This album is like a mix between alternative rock and heavy metal. A sad disc with filled with despair and regrets, just read the songtitles: "Cradle me now", "Wading Through the Darkness" and "Forget about Heaven". Melodic heavy metal ballads with a touch of early Flotsam and jetsam. Not so much thrash metal at all I would not recommend this album to thrash metal purists. Flotsam made a musicvideo to the song "Wading through the darkness", a good song. Lyrically they are brilliant, but this album leans more towards the Black Album-sound of Metallica than Flotsams earlier thrash sound. You might like it if you have an open mind, if you don't avoid this.
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⭐⭐⭐
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - WHEN THE STORM COMES DOWN (1990)
Flotsam and Jetsam are back with the same lineup as on their legendary No Place For Disgrace album, but this time on a new record label called MCA.
The nineties have arrived and the winds of a changing metal landscape struck like a tornado in the Flotsam camp.
The band has stripped down the melodies and some speed and adopting a darker sound. Here they have not yet started getting into the alternative rock swamp that their 90's came to be about. I feel that this album is quite misunderstood, sure it's not as great as their first two albums, perhaps not even close, but there are still some speed and definitely some heaviness here.
The first track The Master Sleeps is great and the same thing can be said about Suffer the Masses. Sure the album is more in the mid-tempo realm comped to the first two records and this can in retrospect be seen as the album when Flotsam started to slip, even if it at times is unfair.
The first track The Master Sleeps is great and the same thing can be said about Suffer the Masses. Sure the album is more in the mid-tempo realm comped to the first two records and this can in retrospect be seen as the album when Flotsam started to slip, even if it at times is unfair.
The production is dry and sounds a bit like Metallica's ...And Justice for all but with much more bass, like your typical early 90's thrash band. Sure When the Storm Comes Down has received it's "fair" share of bad reviews, but at the same time I think that this is their third best record to date. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the bands more recent work.
⭐⭐⭐
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - NO PLACE FOR DISGRACE (1988)
After Flotsam's excellent debut album, Jason Newsted was picked up by Metallica to fill Cliff Burton's shoes. But before leaving he co-penned three songs on this album No Place For Disgrace, N.E. Terror and I Live You Die.
After two short stints with Michael Spencer and Phil Rind Flotsam finally chose Troy Gregory to be their new bassist. Since Doomsday the band also had signed a new record deal, signing up to the major label, Elektra were they became label mates with the aforementioned Metallica.
Flotsam delivers some hard and fast yet very melodic thrash here. Erik A.K.'s high-pitch vocalstyle brings some emotional depth to Flotsam's fast and melodic thrash, I think that he does a remarkable work in this album.
The album is perhaps most known for including a Sir Elton John cover, his song Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, has received an easy going thrash rendition. The band had evolved a bit as songwriters and the focus is more on melodies and emotional depth here even if I prefer the ferociousness and the debauchery of their debut album. Songs like No Place For Disgrace, Dreams of Death and I Live You Die are excellent songs. I Live You Die originally appeared on the Metal Massacre Compilation. Escape from Within is a devastating ballad and one of the best "thrash ballads" ever written. It will surely bring some man-tears to your eyes. haha. No Place for disgrace is a classic and it was re-recorded by Flotsam and Jetsam in 2014, but I prefer the original any day of the week.
No Place For Disgrace is a thrash metal classic and it must be considered to be amongst the twenty best thrash metal albums of the eighties.
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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - DOOMSDAY FOR THE DECEIVER (1986)
Doomsday for the Deceiver was once hailed by Kerrang! as the best thrash metal album ever to be released back in 1986 but today this album is mostly just known for Jason Newsteds participation, but screw that, even mighty Metallica couldn't top this album. This is one of the genres absolutely finest moments. The debut of the Arizona thrashers Flotsam and Jetsam from 1986 was titled "Doomsday for the deceiver". Well, what about the songs then. "Desecrator" is a brutal thrash assault of the finest brand, perhaps Flotsams most violent song. "Metalshock" has it's epic acoustic intro which leads into some fine bass melodies. "She took an axe" is a fast piece about Lizzy Borden, the murderer not the band. And "Flotzilla" is a instrumental tune of the highest class.
Flotzilla is by the way the name of the green monster on the front cover art. The arrangements are amazing. The finest blend of acoustic rhythm guitars with the strong melodic leads and the bass thumping by Newsted is magic. Eric A.K.s voice is high and could draw the attention away from F&J even though I personally love him. This is without a doubt Flotsam's most raging record. the rhythm guitars displays riff at the fastest possible way without ever getting lost. You can't make thrash any better than this. Unfortunately for Flotsam and Jetsam so did Newsted leave for Metallica and Flotsam wimped out a bit by every release. Every tone, every note, every single melody fits in perfect on Doomsday for the deceiver. This is perfection, no doubt about it!
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Flotzilla is by the way the name of the green monster on the front cover art. The arrangements are amazing. The finest blend of acoustic rhythm guitars with the strong melodic leads and the bass thumping by Newsted is magic. Eric A.K.s voice is high and could draw the attention away from F&J even though I personally love him. This is without a doubt Flotsam's most raging record. the rhythm guitars displays riff at the fastest possible way without ever getting lost. You can't make thrash any better than this. Unfortunately for Flotsam and Jetsam so did Newsted leave for Metallica and Flotsam wimped out a bit by every release. Every tone, every note, every single melody fits in perfect on Doomsday for the deceiver. This is perfection, no doubt about it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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FORBIDDEN - OMEGA WAVE (2010)
It was thirteen years since Forbidden released an album and twenty years since they released anything brilliant. I was a slight skeptic towards Forbidden, would they return to their classic thrash sound or would Omega Wave be just another take on modern metal, like Distortion and Green was during the nineties. I must admit that I didn't even listen to this album until three years after it's release. (I prefer the old days of thrash) Many of the old band that had reunited are a bit tired and has lost their roots in order to try to be modern and updated. So is the case for Forbidden too in some way. Especially in the vocal department where Vocal god Russ Andersson usually destroys everything in his way with his compelling falsetto voice. But this time he is a bit toned down and it sounds like the vocals are recorded in another room, behind closed doors or something.
I don't understand why one would compress one of the greatest voices in metal? Has he completely lost his voice that much that it needs a ton of filters to sound good? He seems to have lost his great falsetto range as he no longer goes for those ol school air raid sirens, except for a scream in Overthrow. That's my big complaint about Omega Wave, everything else is flawless, except perhaps the production. The musicianship and the ferocious guitar work by Locicero and Smyth are at times brilliant. I do recommend this album if you loved their first two albums. because it's a closer relative to those albums compared to the bands 90's. The album drags a bit because it so long. This is Forbiddens best album in twenty years, but what I'm most glad over is that Forbidden is back on track again.
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I don't understand why one would compress one of the greatest voices in metal? Has he completely lost his voice that much that it needs a ton of filters to sound good? He seems to have lost his great falsetto range as he no longer goes for those ol school air raid sirens, except for a scream in Overthrow. That's my big complaint about Omega Wave, everything else is flawless, except perhaps the production. The musicianship and the ferocious guitar work by Locicero and Smyth are at times brilliant. I do recommend this album if you loved their first two albums. because it's a closer relative to those albums compared to the bands 90's. The album drags a bit because it so long. This is Forbiddens best album in twenty years, but what I'm most glad over is that Forbidden is back on track again.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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FORBIDDEN - GREEN (1997)
WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!
Forbidden has become a weak Pantera-clone?!?!? Forbidden has stopped doing what they do best, playing technical thrash metal, on Green we are shown a different side of Forbidden and I don't like it at all. Green is so overproduced and it sound more like a crappy Pantera-release than anything Forbidden has done before. Sure we saw a few warning signs on 1994's Distortion but Green has taken everything that was bad with Distortion and multiplied it. I remember listening to this album 2-3 years after it was released and me and my neighbour called this album a joke and it's still a joke when I'm listening to it for the first time since the late 90's. It's not the worst album ever recorded by a thrash metal band though, Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth are still untouchables in that area. But it was quite shocking to see Forbidden falling in the same trap and trying to fit in, in an ever evolving music business. The album might have been ok, if it wasn't for the uncredible lousy production and mastering of this album. With a songtitle like "Phat" you can expect some shit bordering on rap metal and you're right. Green is such a lousy album. It's a shame that it was released under the Forbidden-logo.
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❌
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FORBIDDEN - DISTORTION (1992)
After two absolutely legendary thrash metal album the 90's struck and everybody got confused and thought that thrash metal wasn't enough, the music had to evolve like it always had. But in hindsight we can se that you can't improve on perfection. Distortion was released four years after the magnificent Twisted into Form and things has changed. Forbidden has started to slip. That which once was legendary has evolved into something that makes your shoulders shrug in disbelief. Don't get me wrong, Distortion ain't as bad as their follow-up Green but this is definetely a big step down from the first two albums.
Forbidden has lost much of their speed and implemented a darker and more modern sound, bordering to groove metal and industrial metal at times. I almost forgot to mention that legendary drummer Paul Bostaph has now left Forbidden and in came Steve Jacobs and it's obviously hard to fill Bostaph's shoes.
Forbidden has lost much of their speed and implemented a darker and more modern sound, bordering to groove metal and industrial metal at times. I almost forgot to mention that legendary drummer Paul Bostaph has now left Forbidden and in came Steve Jacobs and it's obviously hard to fill Bostaph's shoes.
Distortion still has it's roots in thrash metal but the band was on the verge of moving on into other fields of metal. I'm not the biggest fan of Distortion, it's an OK album by thrash metal standards but rather low compared to Forbidden's earlier recordings.
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FORBIDDEN - TWISTED INTO FORM (1990)
After Forbidden's brilliant debut album Forbidden Evil guitarist Glen Alvelais was fired from the band and he was replaced by Tim Calvert. Upon it's release there were high expectations on Forbidden and their sophomore Twisted into Form surely delivered. The album starts with a Metallica-esque acoustic intro called Parting of the Ways, which leads into the technical thrasher Infinite.
The next couple of songs really sets the standard, Songs like Out of Body (Out of Mind), Step By Step, Twisted Into Form, well heck, the whole album is of a very high quality. It differs a bit from their debut album, this album has an overall better standard, but the best songs from their debut is better than the songs on Twisted Into Form, I think there are no Chalice of Blood, Through Eyes of Glass or March Into Fire here. Twisted Into Form can be seen as a more matured alternative to their debut.
Their sound is more technical and the songs are better structured, but they lack some of that young enthusiatic rage and speed that the debut had. Spiral Depression is another acoustic song, it's short and it works almost like a second intro.
Their sound is more technical and the songs are better structured, but they lack some of that young enthusiatic rage and speed that the debut had. Spiral Depression is another acoustic song, it's short and it works almost like a second intro.
Forbidden were such a talented band, it's really sad they got lost in the nineties and tried to adopt instead of going forward and develop their skills. It's real bummer that metal changed so much in the nineties and Forbidden jumped on the bandwaggon to mediocreville. It's almost unforgiveable when there were so much talent in the band, Russ Anderson, Craig Locicero, Tim Calvert, Matt Camacho and Paul Bostaph are all extremely good musicians.
I think Russ Anderson is one of the most skilled vocalists the genre has ever seen, one of the few with a more traditional approach to the vocals. He is the Bruce Dickinson of thrash.
Forbidden's first two albums are legendary and absolute essentials to every fan of the genre.
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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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FORBIDDEN - RAW EVIL: LIVE AT THE DYNAMO (1989) (Review by: Mikael Vedin)
This is an live EP by Bay Area thrashers Forbidden. Containing only four songs it still costs the same as all the other Century Media releases of old Combat records, and that's a shame since it just isn't worth that kind of money. The songs include a cover of Judas Priest's “Victim of Changes” (one of my favourite songs of all time) and they perform it really well. Russ Anderson’s vocals are good usual, and so is the rest of the band's perfomance, Another highlight is of course the excellent “Through Eyes of Glass”, a true classic if you ask me. The sound is good and there isn’t really anything to complain about except the number of songs. There just got to be some live recordings they could have thrown in as bonus-tracks making it worth the money. But if you are a fan of Forbidden and just got to have this one I suggest you do as I did and find it used somewhere.
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⭐⭐⭐
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FORBIDDEN - FORBIDDEN EVIL (1988)
To avoid being labeled as a Black Metal band Forbidden Evil shortened their name to Forbidden. But to salute their past they decided to name the album Forbidden Evil instead. Forbidden's debut was of the second wave of thrash that hit the Bay Area. Debut albums by Testament, Death Angel and Vio-Lence came out at the same time and together Forbidden, Death Angel, Testament and Vio-Lence became the stars of the second wave. Three absolutely excellent debut albums and all of them must be on every thrashers top 10 debut albums of all time. That's the type of impact Forbidden Evil had on not only the Bay Area but on the metal community as a whole. Guitarist Glen Alvelais later compared the album to Judas Priest's painkiller when speaking of Russ Andersons vocal style. That must be mentioned as Russ is much more of the traditional metal vocalist school than what you usally heard around the Bay Area. His voice brings Steve Grimmett of Grim Reaper to mind. Both had an incredible falsetto that could move mountains and Russ has also a traditional voice that can be compared to the greats like Bruce Dickinson or Rob Halford. Combine Russ silky voice from hell with the technical brilliance of the band and you're unto something special here. Everything about the album is excellent, the guitars are fast and raging and the drums and the bass are also stuf of legends.
Songs like Chalice of Blood, Through Eyes of Glass, March into Fire and Feel no Pain are absolute killer songs, they are all the school book examples of what techno-thrash should sound like. The bass intro to the song "Off the Ddge" is quite similar to Megadeth's Dawn Patrol, but not half as boring of course. The musicians are all so incredibly talented and they show off how much progression there has been since Anthrax and Metallica dropped their debut albums just five years ago. Forbidden Evil is a classic in the genre and even though their sophomore release Twisted Into Form is at times being considered the better one just because it has a better production and even more technicality I'll still go for the debut nine times out of ten when I feel the need to listen to the band. It has a more savage tone and a really an album that are one of the best examples of the fusion between the ferocity and technical sides of the genre. If you ask me, I'll say that Forbidden Evil is one of the five best thrash metal debuts of all time and a legendary album in so many ways it get's rediculous. If you haven't heard this album then you can't call yourself a thrasher.
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FORCED ENTRY - THE SHORE (1995)
Forced Entry's last dying breath was taken in 1995 with an EP titled The shore. And it is still in the same vein as their previous albums but with a more modern touch. One thing that strikes me is Tony Benjamins singing has changed. He has probably been listening to James Hetfield's singing on the black album. More controlled than earlier yet better. All songs are well structured, but at the same time they feel boring. There are no tempo changes to talk about. And when the songs becomes boring, like lightning Brad Hull saves the day with some guitar twists. Still they need to be saluted for playing thrash metal in America in the mid-nineties. Musicwise it's still some type of thrash with occasional mid-tempo grunge-rock parts and perhaps also a dose of Groove Metal. I don't like the effects they put on the vocals. It sounds like shit in my ears. Thrash metal was a dying genre and Forced Entry certainly was a dying band because The Shore doesn't match their earlier work.
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FORCED ENTRY - UNCERTAIN FUTURE (1989)
Forced Entry from Seattle debuted 1989 with an album that was named "Uncertain Future". A fitting name for a band with a bumpy career. The first song Bludgeon shows an impressive guitarwork by Brad Hull, wonderful melodies mixed with screaming solos. Forced Entry's music has a Bay Area-feeling over it, reminding me a bit of bands like Testament, Vio-lence and Defiance. Vocalist Tony Benjamin sounds a bit like a young Chuck Billy. Forced Entry plays a melodic type of technical and still manage to keep the music heavy with the rhythm section. Sometimes I think that Forced Entry loses the focus and they spins away into messy arrangements. This is an album that you need to listen to a few times to fully get into, at the first listening the music is blurry and the vocals is a bit unexpressive. Forced Entry is a band that almost everyone enjoys but their problem is that so few has actually heard 'em. If you like the Bay area thrashers Defiance you better go out and buy this right away as both were Testament-replicas of high quality, Forced Entry delivers some standard thrash that most fans of the genre would enjoy.
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