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						REVIEWS LIST	- P

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PANTERA - FAR BEYOND DRIVEN (1994)
After two decent albums this piece of crap was released, some groove metal with an unhealthy dose of anger issues, sounds like shit if you ask me. the song Becoming are listenable, but in the crowd of shit songs I have found something I like, the song I'm broken, great riffs but rather repetitive.

One of the reborn Panteras better songs. But one or two good tracks doesn't make up for the rest of the crappy songs. Phil Anselmo screams and shouts like an emotional teenager and it gets equally tiresome. He actually can sing so it's annoying to say the least. There is a Black Sabbath-cover on this album, the mystic and dreamy Planet Caravan originally released on their Paranoid album, a solid cover. Phil Anselmo actually sings on it, he's not screaming like a effin idiot. The rest of the songs are boring, repetetive, screaming, non-quality music that no one should be tortured by. If you thought their previous two albums were thrash this is pure groove metal. 

⭐

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PANTERA - VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER (1992)

On Panteras second "thrash" album, they have taken their Cowboys from hell style a step further, less speed, more aggression, and more of that pounding type of groove metal they invented. Vocalist Phil Anselmo makes a fool out of himself, he can sing, but he insists on using his bulky and somewhat irritating approach. Mouth for war, Walk and Fucking Hostile are Pantera classics and they are also my favourite tracks from this album.

I think that the albums starts out quite ok, but after the fifth song it's nothing but pure shit, at least until the last song. Hollow are a sad and slow song. Pantera got some great guitar riffs, but it ends there, the rest of the band doesn't fill their shoes. I'll give you a warning about this album. You really have to be open minded towards groove metal to fully appreciate this album and I'm not so I give this a rather weak rating.  

⭐⭐

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PANTERA - COWBOYS FROM HELL (1990)

Pantera's fifth studio album was released in 1990 through Atlantic. Yes I said fifth because Pantera was a glam / heavy metal band in the beginning that took influences from Judas Priest and Mötley Crüe. But the band tried to get away from their past and jumped on the thrash waggon. Those early albums were released with no further success but when Cowboys from Hell hit the stores Pantera became a phenomenon.

Pantera changed their logotype and vocalist Phil Anselmo was recruited one album ago. Pantera took influences from Metallica and changed their outlook on metal and in the long run the worlds opinion of metal.

But Pantera wasn't fully welcomed with open arms

The songs were so overproduced the guitar sound was thick and mechanical and Phil Anselmo screamed and shouted like a hardcore punk vocalist.  Pantera was indeed an odd bird when they arrived on the scene in 1990 and in retrospect they have been labeled as a Groove metal band but in 1990 Pantera was looked upon as a thrash metal band.

Cowboys from Hell has tons of cool riffs but the strange slow and grinding riffs combined with those though guy vocals feels a bit dorky when you look back upon it and the bands somewhat trashy image. Phil Anselmo does a great job on and off, he can sing when he wants to, but to often he's trying to be big and bad, and that just sounds stupid. but this is still the only album where I can stand his voice at all. It sounds like I'm using the chainsaw on this album, well I'm a bit confused, Cemetary Gates is a classic thrash "ballad", Clash with Reality, Message in Blood and The Sleep are cool songs. This could have been amazing if it was produced in a different way and if vocalist Phil Anselmo wasn't such a fuck up. Simplistic heavy riffs and screaming vocals, either you love it or you'll hate it. 

⭐⭐⭐

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PARADOX - PANGEA (2016)

Short history lesson, Paradox made a buzz in the late eighties with their Heresy album but due to health issues the band has been on and off but they returned in 2000 with the album Collision Course. Now prior to the release of the seventh studio album frontman and founder Charly Steinhauer has recruited a new lineup with two Greeks and one Slovenian guy. (Drax, Hudrap and Milonas). So Pangea is a fresh start for the bands new lineup.

Musicwise, It's not the easiest task to pinpoint their sound, but it's a mixture of power, speed and thrash metal. You can hear everything from Accept, Judas Priest, Agent Steel and Megadeth in their music. The music is fast and intense, with melodic riffing and clear singing from vocalist and founder Charly.

Even if frontman Charly Steinhauer have had some serious health problems over the years Paradox have always bursted with vitality. The same goes for their seventh studio album Pangea. As always Paradox is consistent with their releases, always delivering top class material with their typical brand of power infused speed / thrash.

Pangea is filled with speed and melodies both when it comes to singing as well as the guitars. Some may worry that with all those melodies that the album is a lightweighter, but Paradox brings a lot of punch too, the thunderous drumming from Kostas Milonas are tight and at times the riffs hammers your soul.

But what about the songs then?

The four first tracks Apophis, Raptor, The Raging Planet and Ballot or Bullet immediately sets the standard, the title track and Alien Godz also unsures a permanent strain on your neck muscles. The band takes down the tempo in a few songs and especially in Cheat & Pretend and the ballad Vale of Tears, but I personally prefer when the band keeps thrashing and slashing away, there are no need for the somewhat tiresome ballads here.

As always, Paradox releases an album without the thrash metal scene's full attention. This time it's somewhat understandable when bands like Flotsam and Jetsam, Metal Church, Anthrax, Megadeth, Exumer, Assassin, Death Angel and Vektor has released strong material the last couple of months. But I wonder how long the scene can ignore the band? Not for very long if they keep delivering albums like this one.

Paradox is the synonym for consistency even if the lineup is totally new, With Pangea the band reaches new heights and maybe, just maybe the metal fans will finally discover this talented band. The addition of Gus Drax, Tilen Hudrap (Keller, Vicious Rumors, Thraw) and Kostas Milonas proved to be great choices to complement the crafty Charly Steinhauer, and it resulted in a monster of an album. Filled with riffs, attitude and mastery, this is the cream of the crop in terms of thrash albums of 2016, competing with Artillery, Destruction, Vektor and Metal Church for the top spots. 

⭐⭐⭐

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PARADOX - COLLISION COURSE (2000)

Paradox was a second-tier thrash band from Germany. They released two great albums back in the late eighties but none could have imagined that Paradox would reunite and produce new albums of the same high class. There aren't many bands around these days that still delivers like the nineties never happened. Paradox was actually one of the first thrash bands of the eighties to make a comeback and with "Collision Course" they proved that great and relevant thrash metal music can be produced in this modern day. "Collision Course" was released in 2000 and it's my favourite metal album from that year. It's well executed with dozens of potent riffs and interesting song structures. Paradox also has a good sense of melody, which many of their counterparts misses completely.

The vocals are mixed a bit low and they are drowning in the mix behind the almost overpowering guitar distortion. The production is modern but it lacks a clear distinctive sound. But that's minor issues for me. Paradox kept up their sound from 1989's Heresy and this is a good follow-up, better late then never I guess. There are some Metallica and even some Flotsam and Jetsam-vibes going on here. Collision Course is their thrashiest album as the Speed metal-tendencies of their eighties has been replaced with a chunkier more traditional thrash metal-sound. Paradox never got the attention they deserved, maybe it was the long wait between their succesful albums that made fans 'forget' how high their ability was. I think Collision Course is an incredible comeback-album and I'm curious to see how their future unfolds. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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PARADOX - HERESY (1989)

Paradox second release was named Heresy and it is a skillfully played concept album. The story is based on Roman Catholic Crusades of the 13th century, for those who care. The songwriting has improved significant from the "Product of imagination"-album just two years earlier.

The Metallica-influences has been tuned down. Their music is fast and crushing but Paradox keeps the melodic aspect in their music. Paradox is Reminiscent of the bay area trio: Testament/Heathen/Forbidden I would say, quite technical stuff and they sound more like a typical Bay Area-band than a german band. Paradox plays some type of melodic and fast thrash/speed metal. or power/thrash with lots of tremolo picking. The vocals are clear and professional like the rest of the band. Dieter Roth totally shreds everything in his way, he's a great guitarist. The production sounds also very clear and professional. Paradox likes to blend in acoustic guitars in their music, which works out ok but Dieter Roth is way better on the electric guitar. This is german thrash metal at it's best. If you are into the bands I've mentioned earlier you better do yourself a favour and pick up Heresy by Paradox. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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PARADOX - PRODUCT OF IMAGINATION (1987)

Like many other German bands that debuted in the second half of the 80's, Paradox was really fast and quite technical with clear vocals and a sense for melodies. Just like Rage, Helloween, Mekong Delta, Blind Guardian, Vendetta and a few others that came in the same wave. I'm speaking of each bands debut-albums here. They all took different paths as their seperate careers furthered. Teutonic thrash can be something else than what bands like Kreator, Destruction and Sodom offered, you can do it without the satanic imagery and the rough vocals.

Paradox focused on speed and riffs and it was more based more in the old traditional metal sound. Paradox shows some promise here, the guitars are fast and the leads are wild. But as musicians they evolved quite a bit the following two years, prior to the release of Heresy. The renowned magazine Metal Hammer once dubbed this album as the best german debut-album, only beaten by Helloween's Walls of Jericho. That's massive praise considering that Germany was a leading nation when it came to producing metal albums. Product of Imagination was a solid start for Paradox, but the best was yet to come.  

⭐⭐⭐

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PESTILENCE - MALLEUS MALEFICARUM (1988)

Pestilence together with Sepultura, Slayer, Possessed, Death, Kreator and a few others took thrash metal in a more violent direction in the mid to late eighties. Together those bands set a new standard when it came to aggression and speed. Some people tend to forget about a band like Pestilence, maybe because they were from the Nethelands or perhaps because their following material was more in the death metal field. But now we're talking about Pestilence debut, The grand Malleus Maleficarum.

The album is so fast and intense, similar to Reign in Blood in tempo. But vocalist Martin Van Drunen tormented voice sounds more like a mix between Chuck Schuldiner of Death and Sepultura's Max Cavalera. Malleus Maleficarum is so massive and even though some comparisons can be made, their sound was rather distinct back in 1988. Malleus Maleficarum leans more towards thrash than death metal, especially if you put the vocals aside. But what really impresses me most about this album is the songwriting and the riffs, the intricate yet varied material that never drops in quality.

Patrick Mameli and Randy Meinhard surely delivers some unforgettable shredding here. The production is spot on and tracks like "Parricide" and "Chemo Therapy" are legendary. Today Pestilence are having an identity crisis by switching genres from one day to another. But back in 1988 Pestilence delivered one of the worlds most ferocious and massive thrash metal albums of all time; Malleus Maleficarum. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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PILEDRIVER - STAY UGLY (1986) (Review by: Tomas Ericson)

The second album released by Piledriver, unfortunately I haven't heard the first and was somewhat anxious about getting a first impression by a band's second release. However, this turned out to be great!

People say the first album (Metal inquisition) is better, so that one must be out of this world then, because on Stay Ugly we are presented with thrash very true to the roots, this sounds 1984/1985 and not 1986, and I love it! The opening riff of the first song "The Incubus" is among the best ones I've ever heard, and kicks off into a great song as well. All tracks on this record are strong and most of them are fast. Piledriver's voice is similar to Eric Wagner's (of doom metal band Trouble), which means deep and rough at the same time.

The music is sort of a darker, more massive Exciter. I haven't listened to the record more than perhaps five times, but I loved it from the start. If I had listened to this when I was 11-12 I am sure it would have meant a lot to me, right now it merely functions as a thrilling example that there still are old, true thrash bands to discover! 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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PILEDRIVER - METAL INQUISITION (1985)

Hell yeah!, thrash metal from 1985, perhaps the best year in thrash metal music, The year when everything exploded. In 1985 many underground bands released their debut-albums and Piledriver was one of those bands. Hailing from Canada, which is perhaps the most underrated metalcountry in the world. Later it's told that Piledriver was just put together to make a buck for the record company, That the original intention was not to have a band but to record and release this album. I really don't care if that's true or not, because Piledriver was a fantastic band, at least on this release. The attitude, lyrics and the whole image is 100% metal!, the lyrics were so over the top that they almost became ridiculous, or what about songs like "Sex with satan" or "Alien rape"?, Quite funny actually.

The music itself is in the Power / Thrash-region. The typical sound of Running Wild, Venom and even Accept can be heard in this release. Riff based and really catchy 80s metal with other words. And believe it or not, the production is surprisingly clear. The songs is very varied. As some of the songs is true speed metal numbers, other are almost doomy and Sodomize the dead sounds like it could have been taken from any of Venom's early albums. I discovered this album quite late and it has taken me by storm as my expectations were low. Today I almost never find those gems (bad luck I guess). But Piledriver's Metal Inquisition makes the searching joyful, as it is a proof that there where lots of great lesser known bands out there. One of the best releases of 1985!  

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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POLTERGEIST - NOTHING LASTS FOREVER (1993) (Review by: Per-Ola Nilsson)

Poltergeist struggled on during the early nineties and released "Nothing Lasts Forever", which would turn out to be their last album, in 1993. Our fellow swiss stayed quite true to their thrash roots, but also matured quite a bit. Laid back numbers like opener "Only You Remain" and the ballad "Never Again" is maybe not what you would expect from your average thrash band, but great songs anyhow. The thrashing "Empty Inside" is probably the best song Poltergeist ever did, with riffman V.O and vocalist Andre Greider showing their really best.

Quite a few other great tracks too here, with "Those Were Better Days" and "Nothing Lasts Forever" being two of the finest. The album looses a little bit due to one or two lame songs towards the end, but still ends up as a great album. The best one Poltergeist ever did, in my opinion, so you could say that they ended their career with a bang. A shame though, because they were clearly going somewhere. Of that, "Nothing Lasts Forever" is evidence as solid as it gets. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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POLTERGEIST - BEHIND MY MASK (1991) 

Poltergeist's second album out of three was released in 1991. The production is the first thing about this album that grabs me, It's thick and it makes all the small details very clear. Almost like Pantera during "Cowboys from hell". But the comparison with Pantera ends there. Poltergeist plays way faster, and they are more talented musically too. Vocalist André Greider became Schmier's replacement in Destruction after this release. Even though this album had the same musical quality as any later Destruction-release, Poltergeist never managed to make it big.

André is a clean mid-range vocalist, a talented man not sounding near what he did for Destruction. Poltergeists music ranges from acoustic to heavy distorted thrash, like S.F. thrashers Forbidden perhaps. An underestimated band, that arrived a few years too late to make it big. Even though they are remembered by fans of the genre as a serious, solid and talented band. 

⭐⭐⭐

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POLTERGEIST - DEPRESSION (1989) (Review by: Per-Ola Nilsson)

The swiss band Poltergeist debuted with "Depression" in 1989. They didn't exactly achieve fame and fortune, as they didn't differ from the masses stylewise, but released three competent thrash efforts before disbanding. "Depression" is probably the least spectacular of the three, but instead the rawest.

It's not as versatile as it's succesors, and vocalist Andre Greider had yet to develop into the vocal god he was on 1993's "Nothing Lasts Forever". However, fans of old school thrash can't possibly get dissapointed by an album like this. It's all there - thundering double bass drums, fast riffing and lots of aggression. Quite a bunch of melodies too, since when talking about Poltergeist, we are talking about thrash in the old Anthrax-way, with a touch of European. Maybe there are more exciting thrash albums to get, but "Depression" deserves better than to be forgotten. Especially if you are familiar with Poltergeist and enjoy their later work. 

⭐⭐⭐

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POSSESSED - THE EYES OF HORROR (1987)

After two heavily influential albums Possessed completed their trilogy with the "The Eyes of Horror" EP before slowly disappearing due to lineup changes and of course the tragic robbery when vocalist & bassist Jeff Becerra was shot and paralyzed from the waist down. Even though they had a short career, Possessed has found their way into the history books as the inventors of death metal but I'm still curious what could have been if the band stayed intact for a few more years.

Anyhow, This EP is 18 minutes death / thrash of high quality. I would say that The Eyes of Horror is their thrashiest release of the three. Jeff Becerra's dry and throaty voice sounds a bit like Cronos of Venom here and the band delivers some chunky riffs along the way. At times the riffs are repeated a little too much for me personally and the rhythm guitar lacks a bit in punch. One of the highlights of this EP is the Swing of the Axe, a song that sounds like it could have been taken from Slayer's Show No Mercy album.

Swing of the Axe was by the way the first Possessed song to be released on vinyl as it was originally released on the Metal Massacre compilation series (MM6), but the band recorded a more recorded a more refined version here. The Eyes of Horror is indeed an important piece of work, maybe not compared to their debut album Seven Churches but the band offers a good listening with this 18 minute thrash fest.  

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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POSSESSED - BEYOND THE GATES (1986)

After the marvelous Seven Churches the Death metal pioneers in Possessed began the work with their second album titled Beyond the gates which was released in 1986. It first strikes me that the intensity of Seven churches is gone. This sounds more like a regular laidback and more technical thrash album compared to the debut.

I usually think that is great, but not in this case because Beyond the gates aren't as great as the mighty Seven churches. The trendsetting and groundbreaking vocals by Jeff Becerra is still very recognizable, you can still hear that it's Possessed. Even if this album doesn't match their debut in terms of uniqueness and sheer brutality I would still say that it's a great album. And I love the songs Phantasm & No will to live, that both includes memorable choruses and interesting structures. For those who haven't heard Seven Churches or Possessed at all and likes early Kreator, Sodom and Death. You need to hear the raw energy of a Possessed's album. They did unfortunately not release more than two studio albums and one EP. An enjoying record by the creators of Death metal.  

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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POSSESSED - SEVEN CHURCHES (1985)

In the year 1985 thrash metal where taken to a whole new level, sure Kreator released Endless pain and Slayer released Hell awaits, but in terms of aggression no one could top Possessed's debut Seven Churches.

These young San Francisco death thrashers sound was faster than Kreator, darker than Bathory, more satanic than Venom and more raw than Slayer. Add to that the utterly horrid vocals by Jeff Becerra. Possessed where pioneers of death metal, as Venom had their song called Black metal, Possessed created a new genre called Death metal, named after the last song on this album.

If you compare Seven Churches to a todays standard of death metal, Possessed is still walking on the borderline between thrash and death. The lyrics are a bit primitive. But what to expect from a band that challenges the conventions of extreme music. I'm no greater fan of Jeff Becerras hoarse vocals either, as his voice is what seperates thrash from death metal. The musicians are talented even if they were only teens at the time being. The bay area had millions of talented musicians, and Possessed became one of the more important acts that spawned from the area. The music has quite strong resemblence to Pleasure to kill-era Kreator for those who haven't heard Possessed. Seven churches is a milestone and a very important piece in the upcoming death metal scene and of course an essential album for fans of death / thrash.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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POWERMAD - ABSOLUTE POWER (1989)

Finally, after working underground for a short while, Powermad created a buzz and got signed by the major label Warner/Reprise and they recorded and released Absolute Power in 1989. And what a blast Absolute power was, Powermad took us all with storm before they disbanded and faded away from the scene.

The musicianship on "Absolute power" is tight and the vocalrange goes from mid-range up to some powerful highpitched air raid screams now and then, Joel DuBay is indeed an excellent vocalist. The songs: "Slaughterhouse", "Absolute power", "Nice dreams", "Plastic town" and "Final Frontier" are out of this world. a smorgasbord of relentless thrash!, everything a real headbanger can wish for is here. the speed, the melodies, the vocals, the guitarleads, the song structures and the technical supremacy. I can't think of one thing about this album that I don't like, well maybe a few songs, doesn't stand the test but none of them are crappy. There are a few progressive elements and some traces of the european scene are noticeable, somewhat like Bay area thrashers Heathen. This album contains a few of the genre's finest technical moments. Do yourself a favour and pick this one up today!   

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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POWERMAD - THE MADNESS BEGINS (1988)

After Powermad debuted on Combat's bootcamp series it was time for Powermad to stand on their own. So The Madness Begins was recorded and released on Reprise Records in 1988. It's unfortunately only thirteen minutes long and  It's not as focused and well produced as their full length-album Absolute Power from 1989. But you can definitely hear that Powermad was a highly talented band.

I really wish there was more material out there. 13 minutes is too short especially when one song is a cover. The songs are intense and there is no shortage of ripping guitar riffs though. Joel Dubay's patented screams can also be heard here. All songs are great on this album even if the Ramones-cover is a bit unnecessary. I really like the first track called Terminator. It's just a killer song from one of the greatest thrash metal bands of all time. Unfortunately Powermad's career ended after their debut LP. If the music scene wasn't that trendy maybe Powermad would have gotten the audience they deserved. But that's another story. I really enjoy their music. I give this album four stars out of five. The album is definitely great, but it's just too short and the LP is a better alternative if your curious of Powermad and you should be!  

⭐⭐⭐

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PROTECTOR - MISANTROPHY (1987)

Protector took inspiration from Sodom, Kreator, Slayer, Hellhammer, Possessed and Dark Angel and created a sound that was so brutal that it surpassed Kreator's Pleasure to Kill in terms of violence and filth. Protector from Wolfsburg, Germany has a downright death metal ambition, much more than most of their countrymen.

This debut EP was one raw rip-ride of dirty thrash of the most brutal kind. Protector even uses occasional blastbeats here.

After the album's atmospheric keyboard intro there is absolutely no stop-signs. This is actually one of the most brutal debut albums of the entire decade. Protector rarely gets any credit for being one of the grandfathers of death metal, but one must remember that Protector album-debuted the same year as Chuck Schuldiner's Death. Speaking of similarities this is somewhere in the typical German school of early Kreator, Sodom, Minotaur and Poison (The metal band, not the girly rockers) Add to that a touch of early Possessed and you're in the right region. And who can dislike the grotesque snarling vocals from Martin Missy?

This Ep is full of dirty and raw compositions of the most brutal kind. I especially like the tracks Agoraphobia and Kain and Abel. If you like extreme metal Protector will not disappoint you, but don't expect no Agent Orange or Coma of Souls-inspired thrash here because they sound like pop albums in comparison. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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