Sunday 10 June 2007

Bad Brains - Quickness (1989)

Believe you and me, there aren't many bands who go get away with combining reggae with thrash, and soul with metal, but Bad Brains did it with alarming ease.
Somewhat a cult act, the line-up on 'Quickness' being their strongest, these guys somehow fused streetwise grooves with the hardcore fury of bands such as Anthrax.
they'd been on the circuit for many years previous and during the late '80s when there was an explosion of metal bands trying to be different, Bad Brains were sited as being originators, and you can hear that originality on 'Quickness'.
Only Fishbone and Mordred have managed to just as casually fused so many styles, but Bad Brains remain unique.
'Quickness' is refreshing, pulling in a variety of styles, and managing to keep Jah-related topics in with thrashy riffs and high-speed hardcore workouts. Impressive stuff.
Top cuts are the impeccable 'Soul Craft', the soulful breeze of 'Voyage Into Infinity' and quirky 'Don't Blow Bubbles'.
Bad Brains have a great sense of humour but this kind of blend needs to be taken seriously because if it wasn't for these kinds of bands the whole crossover scene would have faded into obscurity.
6.5/10

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