O.L.D. - Lo Flux Tube (1992)

Ex-Nirvana man Jason Everman may appear on this record, but please, don't let such a detail lead you into a world of falsity. OLD are a noisy, hardcore-grindcore-industrial-punkoid-surreal mess from the Earache label, a band (!?) of weirdo's who churn out croaking, distorted, unfathomable oddness, not quite in the creepy vein of say Mr bungle, but more of a futuristic form of freakness. O.L.D. stands for Old Lady Drivers, an all too comical name for this apocalyptic experiment, the band rattle through nine songs which'll leave you either begging for more, or running for the door with blood shooting from your ears. The band emerged at a time when metal was branching to such bizarre extremes as bands such as Naked City, Painkiller, Mr Bungle etc, took over the kingdom, leaving the so called 'weird kids' of the world crawling back to their mummies in fear.

Imagine Godflesh but taken up a notch, with added dementia and screaming, black metal vocals.

6.5/10

Treponem Pal - Treponem Pal (1989)

In a weird, cold world inhabited by the likes of Prong and Voivod, also exists Treponem Pal, a French bunch of extraterrestrials whose clattering brand of industrial-hardcore-thrash remains potent to this day. Fronted by the imposing Marco Neves, the band, who formed in '86, are named after a bacteria which causes syphilis, so immediately you are in the know that what TP offer is downright dark, rat-infested and something akin to sewage. Many will be blown away by the fans distorted visions and grim images, and their general misanthropic tendencies coat the record in a layer of gloom. However, this isn't necessarily depressive music, but a scrapyard of violent guitars, sneering vocals and metallic rumblings. Eight tracks, mostly aimed at the state of the world, and their general dislike of humanity, particularly on 'Too Many Humans', will give you a general idea of Treponem Pal's opinions.

A record for arrogant, non-conformist punks everywhere.

7/10

Hydra Vein - Rather Death Than False Of Faith (1988)

Overlook the dodgy cover and you'll find a little gem of a record from these UK thrashers. Unfortunately, the band only lasted two records but if you can track them down, they are worth every penny. Hydra Vein, put simply, sound a lot like old Slayer, but it's not a bad thing or a poor imitation. The record spews a refreshing rawness which many bands are attempting to re-create in the modern day as thrash comes full circle and hits a revival. This is not overly fast thrash, the dark riffs chug and the vocals of Mike Keen at times a ringer for Tom Araya, but the melodies have that basement British feel, giving the band a sinister edge, especially on 'Harlequin' and 'Right To Die'.

I'm pretty sure that if the band hadn't been from the UK they might well have made a few in-roads in the genre, but as it stands, Hydra Vein remain one of those lost bands that should be more appreciated.

7/10

Malevolent Creation - The Ten Commandments (1991)

A very promising debut record from this Floridian death metal act considering the amount of acts from Florida, or who sought Florida, during the explosion of the scene. Malevolent Creation remain one of the most potent acts, dealing in brutal, bone-breaking extremity, tight percussion, heavy riffs and the gruff vocal delivery. 'Multiple Stab Wounds' remains my favourite cut, a mid-tempo grinder with some electric guitar work and a structure reminiscent of Death with its decipherable vocals and complex arrangements. A majority of the other tracks on offer take the speed up a notch, 'Impaled Existence' brings to mind Morbid Angel at their very best, 'Sacrificial Annihilation' features some superb bass work, and 'Injected Sufferage' is classic death metal. This is one of those death metal albums that deserved more promotion and coverage, and has stood the test of time.

7.5/10

Fishbone - The Reality Of My Surroundings (1991)

The world of alternative metal owes a lot to the soulful innovations of the mighty Fishbone. The 'Truth And Soul' record was a wonderful vacation into a world a galaxy away from metal, but on 'The Reality...', and after bands such as Faith No More, Mordred and Living Colour had stirred up the void of stagnant metal, things would be different as more mainstream acts such as Anthrax promoted the talents of such acts, collaborating with them and praising them as the second coming. Of course, Fishbone, Mordred, FNM et al, were pretty much THE second coming, a new wave of creative hard rock beyond the imaginings of blood-soaked metal fans, with some still standing agog and sneering in disgust at the sound of heavy guitars laced with funky horns, cool scratches and samples, soul-filled vocals and ska anthems. Fishbone should have been massive, 'The Reality...' being their defining moment of classy and imaginative rock that swayed like the most majestic of palm trees. The talented Angelo Moore breath-takingly sparring with the schizophrenic sounds on offer, and the messages were as clear as any Public Enemy record, from political gestures to songs of the street, truly inspirational snippets from the mesmerising and catchy and uplifting 'Everyday Sunshine', the more gloomy 'Sunless Saturday', the slo-burning and stoned 'Pray To The Junkiemaker' and funk strut of 'So Many Millions'. Fishbone remain such an inspirational band, and when the term 'funk metal' was introduced, forget your slap-happy imitators and white boy infiltrators, Fishbone was the word.

8/10

Malhavoc - The Release/Punishments (1991/1992)

I purchased this peculiar cassette long ago now, and still remain dumbfounded by its sinister notions. Malhavoc, as best as I can describe them, are like a more industrialised Swamp terrorists, the band fronted by the mysterious James C., the band known for their bizarre stage antics such as appearing naked and performing self-mutilation. Grim stuff, and such morbid obsessions and fascinations bleed through this album, 'Punishments' samples the David Lynch movie 'Blue Velvet', thrashy riffs chug along, cyber-beats provide the back drop and vocally it's an obscure, muffled rasp. 'Woodwitch' uses a wonderfully creepy sample amid cyber-chugs, the lyrics breathe menace. 'Release' opens with an almost beautiful symphonic chug that only a band of Celtic Frost's stature could invent, vocally it's a Mike Patton circa the more obscure sections of 'Angel Dust'. Malhavoc are neither here nor there but remain completely fossilized in a dark void of cold blackness, churning out industrialised metal noise and avant-garde thrash that should appeal to most people with an open mind. At times insane, usually always intense and a touch bewildering for those brought up on traditional metal.

7/10

Believer - Sanity Obscure (1991)

All you satanic death metallers out there should not be put off by the fact that Believer are a Christian extreme metal act. In fact, 'Sanity Obscure' is one of the most musically accomplished thrash records ever released. Effortlessly the bands second record breezes from the speakers, bringing to mind Voivod on the vocal rasps and tight, complex speed metal tunes. Eight tracks to marvel at, including a strange yet impressive cover of U2's 'Like A Song', and the band somehow displaying a wonderful versatility by embedded violins and a female opera singer into their sound. Believer are certainly an unpredictable US outfit who are not afraid to experiment, the technical thrash will certainly appeal to fans of Atheist and the like, even if the lyrics are written from a Christian perspective but cleverly so, but to be honest, it wouldn't matter what the songs were about, 'Sanity...' is one of those seemingly out of time, yet timeless extreme records that deserves a mention each passing year. Kurt Bachman's vocals are clear yet sneering, the guitars progressive, clear and soaring, and the song structures amaze time and time again, and it's records like this, from seemingly long ago, that make the modern music scene a laughable state.

8/10