Polluted Inheritance - Ecocide (1992)

Nothing beats a remarkable slab of technical, arrogant death metal and Polluted Inheritance's debut outing is one such record that every self-respecting extreme metal fan should own. Hailing from the Netherlands this quartet really should have done more because as debut albums go this is one of death metal's finest - complex rhythms, jarring bass-lines, guttural vocal sneers and a kick-ass drum sound; everything you could want from a death metal record which combines slower chugs of menace with faster jolts of mayhem. Although they followed up 'Ecocide' with 1996's 'Betrayed' they began to change their style and didn't release their third platter until 2001's 'Into Darkness' but for me this is the master of the trio; a formidable, domineering chunk of complex metal featuring some fantastic axe-work and above all accomplished songs such as 'Faces,' 'Dissolved,' 'Fear', 'Stillborn' and 'Look Inside'. Classy death metal full of intricacy but with enough snarl and beef to match some of the finest of the genre.
8.5/10

Silent Scream - From The Darkest Depths Of Our Imagination (1992)

Certainly one of the best death metal albums I've heard over the years and yet it's not one often recognised as being classic. Silent Scream came from Long Beach, California and they only existed for around five years with this album being their only offering and such a shame that is too because this is strong, heavy death metal with a thrashy twist to it. There's plenty of dark atmospheres on this opus and enough slower passages to remind one of Death at their most foreboding. Vocalist Mario Atencio really makes his mark on this album but the riffs just chug with total menace allowing for the faster segments to complement them. This is an all-round belter of a record featuring some truly solid structures and brilliant tracks throughout; particularly the savage opener 'Self Abuse' and the snarling title track with its excellent bass-lines and sinister barrage which has hints of Dark Angel.

'From the Darkest...' showcased a band with huge potential and yet they were gone as quickly as they had emerged but thank goodness they left us with this mini cult classic.
8/10

Abattoir - Vicious Attack (1985)

Twenty-seven minutes of pure thrash metal mayhem! Abattoir take the rattling, oily sneer of early Metallica and bump it up a notch into the realms of say Agent Steel. Frenzied solos, hurtling drums, volatile vocal spits - it's all here right from the off as they explode like a firework in your face with the racing, raging intensity of opener 'Screams From The Grave' and take in the havoc-drenched delights of the maniacal title track, the speedy steel of 'The Living and the Dead' plus a blazing cover of Motorhead's Ace of Spades' before finishing off their prey with 'Game of Death' which is the longest track on this platter. Certainly a thrash metal fest worth diving into if you need an instant pick-me-up.
7/10

Funeral Nation - After the Battle (1991)

Classic one-album wonder thrash from this Chicago act. 'After the Battle' is the only studio opus released from these talented extreme metallers who began life back in the late '80s and then split in the mid '90s only to reform in 2010. Best described as classy death/thrash metal - Funeral Nation - like so many bands - have a hint of old Slayer about their speedy segments; but there's even a punky/hardcore edge to this raw metal-fest too. Pure underground metal doesn't come much better than this and the turbulence the band experienced in their early days somehow seems to make the music seem a lot more aggressive and bludgeoning. There's certainly nothing ground-breaking on offer here - in fact it could be argued that the style is rather dated, but if you like music of this ilk with no thrills attached then check it out.
8/10

The Storm - s/t (1991)

Another prime example of a band who simply came too late within the hard rock genre. The Storm featured the talents of one Deen Castronovo who seems to get everywhere nowadays, but this debut self-titled platter from the San Francisco-based combo was one that should have stirred a few souls with its funky strut and, high energy and of course subtle melodies but by 1991 heavy metal was already moving off into more colourful and at times slightly more demented and serious voids; meaning that this type of struttin' rock was being left behind and would never recover. However, if you want a glimpse as to how some of rocks coolest bands never made the grade then you should track down The Storm' debut offering because it's a real cracker of an album featuring some wonderfully sleaze-edged metal in the form of 'Touch & Go', and all manner of heart-wrenching semi-power ballads such as 'You're Gonna Miss Me' which is both sweet and sickly.

The band was of course formed by vocalist Greg Alan Rolie who has also featured for seminal acts such as Santana and Journey; so The Storm's debut was always going to be something of an undiscovered minor classic.
7/10

RIO - Sex Crimes (1986)

Surprisingly weighty...well, at least fiery hard rock, boasting plenty of '80s styled melodies but a few driving, catchy numbers, favourites being the excellent title track, the feisty 'Bad Blood' and slightly more predictable 'High School Rock' aimed at rebellious teenagers everywhere! Even so, this is a nice,  polished record with punchy vocals and a good, solid guitar sound which enable the album to rise above AOR mediocrity. It's also very hard to ignore the slam and clank of 'When the Walls Come Down' and the sleaze riff energy of 'Dirty Movies.' An absolutely cracking album cover which would have sent many a teenage metal-head crazy with excitement, and thankfully the music packed within is just as steamy.
7.5/10