It Is I - Evolve (1994)

Where did this slab of oaken doom come from ? Like some mud-caked monster rhino wrenching itself from the swamp, the bizarrely named It Is I emerge from the soil flex their muscles, destroy a village and then plop their hefty rump back into the quagmire. Slo-mo doom, drowning, suffocating, angst-ridden, Warhorse, Burning Witch et al, could be their supernatural kin. 'Purge', 'Burn', 'Larva', 'Total Eclipse', not quite as unforgiving as say, Winter, but more morose and dirty than a great deal of doom acts. Watery, smothered vocals, stuffy atmosphere, rusty guitars, brain-shattering drums, perfect for that summer bbq...all we need now is a swimming pool built somewhere on a cold and moss-consumed moor and a bathing suit made of mulch. Quicksand for the soul...and it evolves about as much as concrete.

6.5/10

Metal Church - Hanging In The balance (1993)

Now, here's a band who are very hard to knock - their career, despite dropping from the Sony label, has always enabled metalheads to experience the sound of cold steel. Metal Church should have been in the big league, highly talented, and with Mike Howe on vocals their range of power metal has been inspiring. Somehow though they've remained an isolated bunch and their album covers can't really help the band - this time it's one of the least 'thrash', or even 'metal' covers ever drawn up, out of place alongside the very metal logo, but then again, 'The Human Factor' cover was also leaning towards that alterno-style. So, what d we get musically ? Well, again MC bow to no-one and once again they screech out a toxic set of tracks which put most other bands to shame. This is classic metal, real man's power metal, proper thinking metal. The band effortlessly drift between grunge-tinged grooves and sweep to classic metal, slow brooding atmospheres and thundering manifestations. Howe's vocals rise above the storm clouds and as usual the slightly grey edge of the sound enables us to ponder a darker landscape. 'Gods Of A Second Chance', 'Down To The River', 'End Of An Age', potent, fiery, but somehow rigid and cold ventures which make modern Metallica appear as no hopers. Metal Church is mature metal, doom-laden, bordering on thrash in the bass heavy department, but always soaring through the trends without batting an eyelid. Major respect for the band sticking to their guns but oh so tragic that they never shared the headlines with acts such as Megadeth. Just weep at that album cover though!

8/10

Fifth Angel - Fifth Angel (1986)

To some this may be generic heavy metal but for me this is blessed with breezy, catchy riffs straight from the mid '80s metal cauldron. Neither dark or light, this debut record is full of velvet vocals and ascending guitars, hints of Dio, Dokken et al, melodic choruses etc. 'Midnight Love' might not be every metaller's cup of tea but one needs to appreciate it for what it is - a powerful rock track. Some nifty guitar work weaves together each well structured track which are backed by solid drums. Fave cut is 'The Night', archetype metal to some extent but hey, there was always a lot of archetype metal back then. 'Call Out The Warning' and 'Only The Strong Survive' wouldn't have elevated Fifth Angel to wondrous heights but it's more than competent metal which makes for a wholesome listen.

6.5/10

Slammer - Insanity Addicts (1990)

I'm never too harsh to criticise this type of 'thrash', especially when it comes from the shores of the UK. However, what I do find is that this sort of stuff can be a little tepid, and not just in its musical assault. UK thrash has never been a major force, and whilst Slammer's 'The Work Of Idle Hands', and records by other acts such as Re-Animator, Acid Reign, Toranaga, and Sabbat, are all worthy editions to this blog and any collection, but apart from Sabbat, your average hardcore thrasher may find most of these record unfulfilling. 'Insanity Addicts' is an EP released in 1990 and once again displays Slammer's very adequate thrash skills, although this opus sees the band opting for a slower approach. Some may find the EP rather bland, Slammer coming across as a lukewarm Testament-style act if you ask me, indeed, a lot of UK thrash was pretty sub-standard, possibly down to the production values and lack of an identity. Even so, 'Insanity...' does offer some half-decent tracks, 'Maniac', 'Bring The Hammer Down', all good headbanging stuff, if a little unrewarding.

6.5/10

Metal Church - The Dark (1986)

From its foreboding sleeve to the slow-building menace of some of its tracks, Metal Church's 'The Dark' remains one of the most underrated but compelling thrash albums of all time. This, being the band's second album, is a cult classic, and whilst the band went on to perform greater dynamics under the vocal leadership of Mike Howe, 'The Dark' still stands strong as a very good thrash record. Most of the cuts on offer are mid-tempo, bolstered by David Wayne's sneer. The riffs are solid, the drums weighty and although there's nothing startlingly original about it, there are enough well written cuts to set it aside from the horde of thrash acts that would follow. The dark atmosphere of the title cut, the cold, eerie halls of 'Watch The Children Pray' - proof that Metal Church have always been a very adequate band. Of course, after Wayne's departure the combo would delve into more complex realms of cold steel, but as far as thrash goes, 'The Dark' is a must have for any budding thrashead. The cover alone makes it worth a dabble.

7.5/10

Annihilator - Alice In Hell (1989)

Some bands just literally come from nowhere and Canada's Annihilator were one of those acts. Oddly, they completely passed me by despite the huge buzz around six-stringer and band head honcho Jeff Waters. For many Annihilator were up there with the thrash titans, for me it was the out of place vocal sneer of Randy Rampage that kind of put me off, but there was no denying the frenetic power of Waters and the rest of the band as they tore through what have now become classic thrash tracks such as the title cut, 'Buns Like A Buzzsaw Blade', 'Welcome To Your Death', 'Ligeia' etc, etc. The sound of Annihilator was oh so clear and almost pure in its energy, and maybe by 1989 I'd experienced too much else within the metal realm to be turned on by this type of thrash. Even so, 'Alice...' majestically sits alongside the likes of Megadeth's 'Rust...' as being a complex, relentless but sweeping record that deserves its accolades many years later. Although the band would go through several line-up changes - the various band members simply playing second fiddle to main main Waters, a la Chuck Schuldiner and Death, there's no denying that Annihilator are a cult metal act who never quite made the big time. The first handful of records were certainly where it was at, but like Metal Church and their glistening decibel's of harmonious power metal, Annihilator will simply have to exist as another of those much admired and highly talented bands who for some strange reason never made the big time - but remain all the more potent for it. Good stuff.

8/10

Autopsy - Shitfun (1995)

The gore gods lower the tone for the final time and 'Shitfun', complete with excrement-noshing sleeve, will leave you wanting to shower for days. No-one does it better, gloomier or sicker than these guys - guitars sounding like sleazy dregs, drums are the bangs of the slaughterhouse door, and the watery vocals vomit from some long forgotten quagmire of ill ooze. I'm not sure you want to track titles - but you're gonna get them anyway - 'Fuckdog', 'I Shit On Your Grave', 'Blood Orgy', 'Maim Rape Kill Rape', 'I Sodomize Your Corpse', to name just a few of the twenty-odd gore-infested tracks on offer - oh the beauty of it all. Some will find such fetid noise a waste of time, others will understand the Autopsy phenomenon as something classic in a death metal sense. The 2003 reissue comes with an orgy of live tracks which are sure to keep the maggots in the coffin happy as they munch on your withered carcass.

7/10