Exodus at Myspace

This is a strange review to do as this is basically if you’ve heard what “Bonded by Blood” sounds like, then you really aren’t doing this whole metal thing very well. “Bonded by Blood” is one of the cornerstones of heavy metal as we know it and although re-recording ones early works using better modern technology (see Testaments “First Strike Still Deadly” Destructions “Thrash Anthems” and Anthrax’s “The Greater of Two Evils”) the usual method is to record a greatest hits style package rather than a whole album especially one as influential as “Bonded by Blood”. This is a risky manoeuvre for sure and I’m not sure if it’s paid off.

The guitar’s sounds are more meaty and lower tuned and the recording is understandably of better quality but the one thing I miss the most is Paul Baloff’s vocals. Don’t get me wrong Rob Dukes is an extremely talented and charismatic vocalist and his work on “Let There Be Blood” is a measured and powerful take on these classics but it just doesn’t seem the same without Baloff’s vocals. Off key and slightly out of time are criticisms often thrown at Baloff’s performance on “Bonded by Blood” but his bizarre retching vocal style had a genuinely unhinged vibe that made lyrics such as “there’s blood upon the stage/bang you head against the stage” and “kick in your face and rape and murder your wife” sound as if they were the demented threats of a rampaging lunatic.

In the hands of any other vocalist those lines however sound goofy to the point of parody. It was Baloff’s frenzied and unsettling performance (which proved to be very influential on the likes of Chuck Schuldiner and John Tardy) that made “Bonded by Blood” into a work of malevolence that was as dark and frightening as any of Slayer and King Diamonds best. Without him the riffs are still stellar, and songwriting still streets ahead of this time let alone the standards of 1984 and 1985 but it just doesn’t have that evil threatening atmoshphere that made the original recording what it is. To finish the album, a track from 1983 never officially released as a studio recording entitled “Hells Breath” has been added presumably as an incentive to attract fans who already have the original “Bonded by Blood” to buy “Let There Be Blood”. It’s a charming Venom-esque number, but to be honest if you already have the original “Bonded by Blood” album, there’s no need to get this one.

Toxic Holocaust at Myspace

Long time underground darlings Toxic Holocaust were the first significant American Thrash revival band and “An Overdose of Death” their third full length and their debut for Relapse Records is definitely an album that lives up the hype. Toxic Holocaust have the most original sound of any thrash revival band and instead of taking the usual influence from the big four, crossover thrash and the bay area the sounds of 80’s UK Hardcore Punk (Discharge, G.B.H), 80’s First wave Black Metal (Venom, Bathory, Sarcofago) and Canadian Speed metal (Razor, Exciter) are most prevalent.

“An Overdose of Death” displays a style that is punky without falling into the usual D.R.I/Crumbsuckers clichés that say Cross Examination have, and the Blackened edge is exquisite as it is primeval and raw whilst taking the concept of blackened thrash further than the typical nostalgic Luddite concepts that plague the genre. With the Punk elements Toxic Holocaust are more reminiscent of Abigail/Barbatos genius Yasuyuki Suzuki (who Toxic Holocaust mainman Joel Grind collaborated with on the Tiger Junkies side project) than say Destroyer 666 or Nifelheim. The Speed Metal elements differentiate Toxic Holocaust from Suzuki’s approach with their meaty leads and classic metal-esque yet lightning quick solo’s making “An Overdose of Death” a very different beast from say Barbatos’s “Rocking Metal Motherfucker”.

Like all good thrash revival records this is a record that would have sounded as fresh as in 1985 as it does now. Listen to the riff at 0:40 of “Feedback, Blood, and Distortion” and tell you don’t feel the urge to hurl yourself at the nearest object of a similar mass to yourself whether it’s a water cooler or your grandma. If you don’t, then you should probably listen to Fairyland or whatever kind of lame metal most paintywaist’s like to listen to as this is one for real thrashers.

Manilla Road at Myspace

Manilla Road is one of those bands that’s been around forever, but never managed to break into the mainstream in any way despite releasing some great material. Their first album, Invasion, dates all the way back to 1980. The production is about as rough as one would expect from an album self-released by a band from Kansas, hundreds of miles away from any of the major metal scenes at the time. Mark Shelton’s nasal, high-pitched voice is a bit of an acquired taste. There are also some incredibly cheesy parts, including the silly spoken intro to “Far Side of the Sun,” the terrible, cliche-ridden lyrics to “Cat and Mouse,” and the horrible trainwreck of studio effects that ends what was Side A on the original LP.

Yet for all these sins, there’s quite a bit of talent on display here. Shelton’s soloing is quite good, and the rhythm section is fine, if a bit workmanlike at times. It doesn’t really sound that much like the band’s later work, either musically or lyrically (there are no nods to the work of Lovecraft or Howard, for example). I especially enjoyed the 13-minute album closer, “The Empire,” which is closest to the epic feel that the band strove for on their later material. Invasion isn’t Manilla Road’s best album, but it’s a decent place to start.

Rosetta at Myspace

Rosetta’s particular strand of Post Metal takes the ethereal melodies present within Katatonia’s “Brave Murder Days” and The Angelic Process’s “Weighing souls with Sand” and merges them with the that staple of the Genre, the mid period Isis sound. The quiet/loud/quiet/loud dynamics are infused with a gradually increasing sense of urgency that many post metal bands try and fail to achieve. There is a sense of nearly but not quite linear progression in the song writing which adds a progressive and epic feel to the compositions.

“Wake/Lift” is a hauntingly beautiful yet exquisitely savage record and one that proves that Rosetta might be able to one day make the leap and join Isis, Pelican, Cult of Luna, and Neurosis as the accepted leaders of the genre. It is a measured and expertly crafted release which throws up new discoveries with each listen. If you like Post Metal you will probably like this!

Bongripper at Myspace

Bongripper is a stoner/doom/post-metal outfit from Chicago. All of the members are just in it for the love of music and don’t care about money; from what I read in another review of this album, one of them even leaked it onto the internet. The brand of sludgy psychedelia on Hippie Killer is excellent; it is almost entirely instrumental (with the exception of the track “Terrible Bear Attack”) I do have to admit that I didn’t enjoy the drumless, dronier tracks as much as the doomier ones, but the latter type tend to be much longer so it’s okay. I also thought the album went on a bit too long; at just under the maximum 80 minutes for a CD, it felt like the band was just trying too hard to fill out the entire thing. Also, I felt the vocals on “Terrible Bear Attack” were really annoying, and I was glad that track was just 3 minutes long.

Those are my only real quibbles with the album, though; it’s wonderfully atmospheric with crushing riffs, and I totally would’ve gotten high to this if my social skills were good enough to obtain weed. My personal favorite track was the 16-minute “Reefer Sutherland,” although most of the album was strong. Fans of this style of metal will love Hippie Killer.