Ruthless - Metal Without Mercy (1984)

And boy does this obscurity live up to its name. Ruthless don't mess about, they startle the nerves with a backward message or two, then show no mercy (scuse the pun) by executing an early Slayer-style of thrash that, despite its shortcomings, is bloody marvellous if you ask me. 'Gates Of Hell' (great spooky intro to keep the parents out of the bedroom), the epic mayhem of the title cut and the cranked up 'Winds Of War' will play havoc with the mobile phone reception, and yet it's another of those '80s gems that no-one knew about. Thankfully more and more of these type of bands are surfacing on the the internet but I almost refuse to believe that back in the '80s this stuff was around, because I can't see how metalheads would have found out about it. My local record store stocked a lot of good, stuffy Satanic metal, but Ruthless must've been buried in some dungeon of doom away from prying eyes. Think of Slayer's first two records and Ruthless are where it's at, and at times, although I'm scared to say it, 'Metal Without Mercy' gives both 'Show No Mercy' and 'Hell Awaits' a run for their money. Great cover too. 7.5/10