Bakers Pink - Bakers Pink (1993)

I'm confused. Promising retro-rock band The Front dissolved after one impressive debut record, and then the band kinda come back as Bakers Pink, record a similar record, and once again fade away! What was the point ? This record is heavier, but only sightlier, than The Front record, offering a little more hip-shaking, Saigon Kick-inspired grooves, i.e. 'Euphoria', although the album opens rather bizarrely with a piano-based track, albeit a nice tune, 'The Noose...' which for some could be rather misleading. Again, it's shimmering rock fronted by Michael Franano who remains somewhere between Billy Idol and Jim Morrison, but as a record it's fleeting and unrewarding.

6.5/10

Autopsy - Mental Funeral (1991)

Another of my favourite bands, the guttural Autopsy churned out some gruesome classics, their drowned in sludge sound epitomising that watery horror. You know the score, read the track listing, 'Destined To Fester', 'Dead', 'Torn From The Womb' etc, etc, pure gore entertainment, but Autopsy did it so much better than anyone else, managing to make a noise something akin to a zombie aftermath, the squelch of boiling flesh replacing the almost dreary guitars, Reifert's growls almost lost in the boggy soup of decay and fetid slush. true grave robbing metal somewhere between Death's 'Scream Bloody Gore' and the grey sun-bereft drone of Winter. Great.

8/10

Violence - Oppressing The Masses (1990)

Formed as Death Penalty back in '85, Violence are one of my favourite thrash acts. No thrills fury, simple as that. 'Eternal Nightmare' was the brutal debut, 'Oppressing...' more of the same issues with society, the band providing a crunch but an altogether more frenetic groove than your average Bay Area thrash act. Just loving Killian's angry vocal outbursts and the machinery roar of the riffs. 'Officer Nice' and the anthemic 'World In A World' being standout cuts, carving the flesh deep with the angry thrash. Classy band who just couldn't hit the big time, possibly because their sound was just too raw for the masses!

7.5/10

Winter - Into Darkness (1992)

The doom metal scene has always been over crowded, but thankfully Winter produce a manic depression that puts them in a dungeon on their own. This is very bleak, music that you certainly won't often be in the mood for, but once that needle hits the wax, its a grind like no other. This isn't retro groovy doom, or stoner, simply grey, bleak and uninviting soundscapes that mash the brain into a grey pulp. There's no edge, or life or glimmer of hope on 'Into Darkness', it's merely an experiment in grating anguish and despair, music to perish to in fact.

So, why would anyone get off on such miserable slow-motion hate, well it's simple, it's a feeling, just like the shrill black metal noise, this is music from another place, a desolate vacuum of complete misery. Although the production is actually of a high standard, Winter chug along until the stereo is a pile of ash, because this isn't awkward like Confessor, or monolithic like Candlemass, it's simply grey, a reflection of social disaster, personal tragedy and unrivalled grief. Buy...and then die!

7.5/10

Sadus - A Vision Of Misery (1992)

Great, overlooked American thrash act. Supplying the scene for years with their tortured sound of harsh, dry complex thrash. Magnificent and arrogant, but possibly too complex for its own good, but this is the stuff cult bands are made of. 'Through The Eyes Of Greed', 'Valley Of Dry Bones', 'Slaves To Misery', sounds like your average thrash run down...far from it, blast beats are in range but this is technical, Steve DiGiorgio's rumbling bass spiralling out of control, almost funky between the bemusing thrash web of torrential twiddling and trigger drumming, Darren Travis' vocals a grim sneer.

This is very necessary thrash but don't expect chug-a-long accessibility. Sadus have made a career out of such wizardry, so also suggest you track down 'Illusions' and 'Swallowed In Black' for more formidable, face-ripping joy.

8/10

Cynic - Focus (1993)

Too damn technical for its own good. Cynic lasted one opus and folded, tragically because this is a masterwork in complex thrash from various members of Pestilence, Death, Sadus blah blah, so you'll catch my drift when I say this is very accomplished metal with enough chops to leave you dizzy. It's not headbanging mosh thrash, the wizardry at times all too bewildering, think Mekong Delta with Watchtower, plus a bit of Atheist, bubbling basslines, robotic solo's that fly from every angle then suddenly stop, shift and then cut like a razor, often alienating the listener by way of short, sharp bursts of highly academic thrash. Confusing but marvellous, extraordinary but almost pointless when you consider that the band worked their socks off to construct such grace and then then fizzled out, possibly because not many on planet Earth appreciated it. I'm glad I did. A wondrous web of frenetic energy, not an easy ride mind you.

8.5/10

Emperor - Wrath Of The Tyrant (1991/92)

Be afraid...be very afraid. More sons of Northern darkness, this time slightly more symphonic than Mayhem or Darkthrone, but still as black and as suffocating. Emperor made big waves with 'Wrath...', their shrill,buzzing and claustrophobic flaming evil layered with keyboards but just as despicable, giving off that completely cold, remote angst that belongs in some distant snowy forest. Norway and its black metal scene became an inhospitable place for a long time during the early '90s, many fearing the arctic noise and corpse painted warriors and their genuine unholy vibe. Many laugh now when they look back on such a scene, but for me this grim wave was a little like discovering metal for the first time, the image and sound very much genuine and fresh, and the temptation to delve into the dark waters all too much to take so simply drown in this kind of stuff because its pure evil metal.

Musically its pretty fast-paced, vocally harsh and nasty, and Emperor were certainly one of those bands quickly able to progress within the scene that soon became saturated in similar, albeit often false acts, but 'Wrath...' certainly remains one of the genre milestones.

7/10