Winter Of Torment - Immoral World (1992)

I don't know a thing about these Brit thrashers, except to say they are a four piece, my vinyl is a dark green and it's signed! This eighteen-minute EP features three tracks, all kinda basement, but chugging, mid-paced thrash I guess. 'Slowly Ticking Clock' has quite a chug going on and the b-side features two six-minute cuts in the form of 'Words Of Ammunition' (featuring some rather tin-can drumming)and 'The Sacred Words'. It's all kinda stuffy, has that demo/basement feel which a majority of UK thrash acts seem to suffer from. Even so, it's better than a smack in the nuts and they deserve a bit of exposure, even if it's decades too late! (Image is not the cover)

5.5/10

Obituary - The End Complete (1992)

I've always been a huge fan of Obituary and felt that the bands first two records, 'Slowly We Rot' and 'Cause...' were pretty much unequalled slabs of death metal. This means of course that the band have a need to move on but as is often the case, fans want the band to try to emulate what went before, which isn't really about progression. 'The End...' is nine cuts of buzzing death metal, star performers being the guitar evil of West and Perres. This is a darker, more complex record than previous, Tardy's vocals less intense, mind you, after a few years of those kind of vocals it's no wonder at it, and opener 'I'm In Pain' could be a direct reference to Tardy's sore throat!! Donald Tardy's drums are dense throughout, and there are some killer riffs on offer, fave cut being 'Dead Silence' with its twisted riffs. Another quality record from the swamps of Florida, and for those of you stuck in the time warp of the first two albums I ask you to lend a severed ear to 'Corrosive' as proof that Obituary can still desecrate a grave or two with their sound.

8/10

Lucifer - Black Mass (1971)

WARNING - This is NOT a heavy metal record, BUT, if you want to sacrifice a virgin tonight, or set the mood for a bit of stormy sorcery, then this obscure, crusty record could be for you. Compiled by Mort Garson, this is best described as something akin to a '70s horror movie soundtrack, bereft of vocals yet as disturbing as a majority of metal albums you're likely to hear. Weird, obscure electronica is what escapes from the speakers, and with track titles such as 'Exorcism', 'Evil Eye', 'Black Mass' and 'Witch Trial' I'm sure you'll find something to savour. Rolling n at a spooky-kooky thirty minutes or so, this has all the Gothic quality of a ruinous castle or church bell of doom. Don't expect guitars etc, there's nothing cheesy here, just muzack for those of a mysterious disposition!

7.5/10

Prong - Beg To Differ (1990)

For me Prong were always a band hard to pigeon-hole. I saw them supporting Faith No More in promotion of this record and remember the icy feeling that emanated from the stage as thousands of confused FNM fans looked on. Prong, like their name suggests, have always delivered a short, sharp boot to the head, reliant on muscular crossover type of sounds from a spiked punk-hardcore, to industrial tinged anger. Whatever Prong choose to spit out always fits within their grey hue of a noise and 'Beg To Differ', is no different, except now the band are more groove based, punchy in their rhythms and at times, dare I say it, slightly funky, but all the while beefy, and sure to inspire bands such as Pantera. 'Take It In' has a full throttle thrash feel to its structure, and the title cut digs in like a rusty hook. Prong have no limits as long as they can muster some kind of icy, metallic and bruising groove which has earned them respect from day one.

7/10

Kiss - Rock And Roll Over (1976)

Dressed in one of my favourite album covers, Kiss once again strut faintly through glam rock soup. 'Opener 'I Want You' actually boats a little beef, Stanley finding a bit of soul behind the make-up, but again, I'm still questioning the whole existence of these weightless pomp rockers, wondering how they've inspired so many. As 'Take Me' stomps with a whimper and the tin-can 'Calling Dr Love' exposes Mr Simmons' all apparent vocal inadequacies, I'm bereft after listening to the Kiss machine. I'll never know how they survived so long in the music biz and yet the dollars keep rolling into their bank accounts despite the junk-shop glam riffs, and bar room boogie of tracks such as 'Ladies Room' which must have taken seconds to write. There is no thought process behind much of that Kiss do, but with each bubblegum riff passing by, and Stanley spluttering through the twang of 'Mr Speed', I can only scratch my head in confusion then hang it in shame for listening to the whole damn thing. There's a lift from T-Rex's 'Get It On', and as Gene Simmons does an awful job of convincing the brain dead listener that he's the lord of sleaze, sex and kinky darkness, I can only think that maybe kids just liked the cover of these albums, because behind those images of black 'n' white, I'm hearing just a clattering noise. 'Makin Love' closes the album and believe me, intercourse is the last thing Kiss inspire me to do...and yet somehow, after every Kiss album, I come back for more. Why, I'll never know.

6/10

Deicide - Scars Of The Crucifix (2004)

Only Deicide can get away with such unholy cacophony. Released through Earache records and blessed with a sordid image of Christ chewing his own finger off in order for his hand to form the Devil horns, this is without doubt one of the best death metal albums I've heard in a long time. The demonic Glen Benton's 'Evil Dead'-type vocal delivery is now even darker and deeper, and Deicide have move away from the sound of the early albums to construct a far more evil, double-barrelled noise. In fact, 'Scars...' is quite a terrifying experience that spits in the face of everything holy on every track, 'Fuck Your God', 'Go Now Your God Is Dead', 'Mad At God'....this is brutal, unrelenting and frothingly heavy, bolstered by the guitar attack of the Hoffman brothers and Asheim's ominous drums of hellfire. Deicide stuck to their weapons long after metal had apparently lost its crown, and they continue to shock by way of these pummelling sounds and vicious verses. In its bludgeoning horror, 'Scars...' sounds so refreshing considering countless bands have attempted similar hatred, and whilst this sort of unholy experience may not appeal to every metalhead, every church will be shaking to the core...exactly what Benton and co intended. Evil.

8/10

Laaz Rockit - Know Your Enemy (1987)

These guys have been banging heads since the early '80s and I never really gave them a chance back in the day, mainly because I was overloaded with thrash, the scene was saturated, and many similar acts were no competition for the Big Four and those immediately beneath them. However, as soon as 'Last Breath' screams into motion chugging with its stern bass courtesy of Willy Lange, you realise that Laaz Rockit are certainly one of the most underrated but accomplished of thrash acts. 'Know...' is more than just a solid slab of a record, instead, whilst more melodic than most thrash acts, it propels Laz Rockit to new heights, possibly those now occupied by the likes of Overkill and Exodus. For its time, and for now, 'Know...' is a superb thrash album, vocalist Michael Coons has a better voice than most and one of variation and the record boasts some fantastic guitar work from Jellum and Kettner. 'Euroshima' is classy pounding thrash, and my fave is 'Most Dangerous Game'. Laaz Rockit are mid-tempo mostly but know how to vary the sound and also dig in with memorable choruses and they should be applauded for this work.

7.5/10