All of Reign's Thrash reviews from A to H. Enjoy! If you want see your reviews here, send'em to me at the email adress that appears on the Home Page

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CELTIC FROST-TO MEGA THERION '86

This band was a legend, it was born on the ashes of Hellhammer, who has a legend on its own, got even bigger and released better material. The country of provinance of this band is somewhat interesting: Switzerland, such a calm country, breeding such a creature(!), god bless it!
This is their best, second and last album focused mainly on agression and heaviness, later on they will turn to progressive. It had a big influence on death metal, and Especially on black metal, it was a real magnum opus for all these young dudes forming new satanic bands.
Lyrics are pretyy well written, not naively written as a total blasphemy, but it has a nice mysticism on its own right. The vocals are really original, not very brutal, but agressive enough, sometimes high-pitched, which is always a pleasure, and with all these "uuuuh", "aaaah", rarely found and giving a new level to the vocal melody.
When i get to the music there is something really wicked about this, when you analyze the riffs and solos themselves they are pretty simple created, even too much sometimes, but when you play it, and you emerge yourself in the immensity of the music it seems intricate, mystic and with complex layers of blasphemous music surrounding you. And the seemed obvious simplicity goes away, giving place to an illusion of complex, raw and well combined thrash symphonies.
Though when you listen to it long enough(many times) the simplicity goes out and doesn't sound good in the worse parts. Although a classic, raw and well listenable.
Rating: 7/10
Marcin Michalski(Metal.666) - Admin

DARK ANGEL-DARKNESS DESCENDS '86

It never has gained such a popularity as other well-known records coming out this year, although it had a major inluence on the scene itself and featured a giant legend: Gene Hoglan, giant literally!
I am not very famialiar with the lyrics, though from the titles of the songs you deduct the main themes: violence, death and all associated.
Vocals are pretty nice, agressive, high-pitched at moments, a bit more brutal than the average.
The music is really good, it is of course fast, cutting air thrash, but there a certain degree of musicinaship in the whole content.
The riffs are original, in some places just racing with themselves, though those also enjoyable. But when the mid-paced parts come, usually situated in the middles of the songs and the parts where you admire the struggle or cooperation, hard o judge, of the solos with the riffs it gets really original and works well.
The have put notable effort in the record, they made it their mark, and that's what we have to respect here, the production is solid, and though the album isn't outstanding when compared to ther thrash records of those times, it is a good thrasher with varioused musical themes.
Maybe the not-outstanding was its problem, and it was why it never got big.
Rating: 8/10
Marcin Michalski(Metal.666) - Admin

DESTRUCTION-ETERNAL DEVASTATION '86

From the whole productive german thrash scene(especially 3 bands...ahem), for me this is the best german thrash record ever! I know alot of people won't agree, but it is, there are alot of other great records, but nothing surpasses this.
The album was recorded just a year after the debut, and even that the debut is really good, this is just...better. Even the low number of songs doesn't stop the greatness of this gem, there are 7 in fact.
I haven't really studied the lyrics well(i never care alot about the lyrics, only if they are really good), but the vocals hit me as something good and original(not totally though). They have this high-pitched parts, even if somewhat popular for the scene back then, they are ones and only.
Let's leave all the additions to this album alone, let's talk about the stroong side of the work: the music. And what a music, in technicality, progresivness, agression, and speed it is their peak, which they will never be able to even reach.
All the 7 tracks, with the best being the 4min instrumental, are very well-written, arranged, combined with great solos, mid-paced riffing parts extremely musical and even...catchy(!).
All of this would make a good record, but this is great because of its technicality, the guitars are sharp as razors, and as such cut the air in my room violently, but precisely. The mistakes are hard to find here, maybe except a needed bigger number of songs, or some parts a bit better arranged, though that's nothing.
The complexity and precision of the riffs in here make me want more and more, and the production is just perfect for this type of playing; ok i'll stop with this: a great record!
Rating: 9/10
Marcin Michalski(Metal.666) - Admin

DEVASTATION-IDOLATORY '91
In the early '90s, a lot of promising thrash bands of the '80s would record their final (and sometimes greatest) thrash albums and then fade away into obscurity. Devastation is one of those bands and 'Idolatry' is one of those albums. Actually, Devastation faded away so well that I only discovered them a short while ago while researching the '80s thrash scene. I was pleasently surprized that I did uncover them too, because 'Idolatry' is a pretty good thrash album. When I first listened to it I instantly noticed the Scott Burns trademark production... thick and muffled. Much like Napalm Death's 'Harmony Corruption', he doesn't help the music but actually takes a little bit away from it. Clarity problems aside, let's get back to the music... Devastation's style of thrash metal approached death metal with it's dark and vicious sound. The opening song "Deliver the Suffering" rips into effect, after a short keyboard intro, with furious riffs and nice guitar solos. The stand out track is "Souls of Sacrifice" with it's catchy, pummeling guitarwork and excellent drumming. Overall, the music on this album is excellent death/thrash metal. The two guitarists, Dave Burk and Henry Elizondo, establish themselves as successful song writers and musicians while Rodney Dunsmore's vocal style is like a "painful and agonizing" yelling that reminds me of Jeff Becerra from Possessed. The lyrics mostly deal with religious subject matter and at times seem to promote God rather than the usual "praise hail Satan". But the words are too subtle and ambiguous at times for me to label them a Christian band, so instead I'll just use the term "non-Satanic" for now. It's really kinda ironic considering that the music and vocals have a very evil feel to them. In conclusion, if you are into death-thrash metal, ala Pestilence and Possessed, than I can assure you that 'Idolatry' is for you.
Rating: 8/10
Phil Barker

EXODUS-BONDED BY BLOOD '85

This is apparently their best effort, the first and only with Baloff behind the microphone, screaming out his statements, in a truly original way.
After Hammet left Exodus left for Metallica, this band didn't give up at all, seeing the succes of the latter band, they sat down, wrote and recorded this great album to show they got also the possibilty to write classics. And a classic it is.
9 tracks of two things we love the most: straightforward thrash with no compromise combined with great musicinaship. That is literally right, after the beginning of every song, where you have fast, in your face parts, which we thrashers just love(the headbanging...yeah!) comes the complexity. The mid-paced riffs, unique by themselves, often combined with great, sometimes chaotic and fast, sometimes melodic and almost melancholic, solos.
These parts in the tracks make this album great, not to have any disregards for the fast and at break-your-neck speed guitar races.
I really cannot find any major mistakes in these record, except maybe for a bigger-needed focus on the technicality of the riffs(the progressivness of them), especially the chorus ones, that's all, besides that this album is really good.
Rating: 8/10
Marcin Michalski(Metal.666) - Admin

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM-NO PLACE FOR DISGRACE '88

This great, and often under-rated album release, was the first without major influences of the ex-leader J. Newstead. And it doen't lose at all!
Thrashy riffs, great, complicated and intricated solos, melodic, acoustic parts, great drums and truly thrash vocals, all of this you can find on this album! There are 9 original tracks written by the guys, and a cover of...Elton John! I was surprised myself! Anyway there is also an instrumental here, 4 minutes long, though the main riff and the opening one are pretty good, i find it too little rich for such a lenght. There is a nice ballad, and this is what i call a true ballad, an acoustic part, depressive lyrics(not some love shit) and they manage to put in very crunchy riffs in the middle. No sell outs! What i like the most of this album, is that the guys really worked alot on this one, the riffs are not some rip-offs from other bands, but unique, sometimes dynamic, sometimes doomish and very heavy. The drums are seriously impressive, and the best written instrument part in my opinion. Comparing to other thrash releases they are really complex and well structured, with a good timing and feeling of the place different patterns belong to. I like that there are only great riffs here, and few in every song, there is the opening riff, than the main one(usually the best), and when you still are amazed by the "catchiness" of it, they enter with a totally new one, concentrated on its musical value, sweet!
Overall a great record, surely worth a bigger recognizement than they actually got. One of the best '88 thrash albums.
Rating: 8/10
Marcin Michalski(Metal.666)-Admin