First off, I want to circle back to a bit of housekeeping so I can shout out a few releases that I haven’t included in this project. These are the main ones that I skipped that I love to a greater or lesser degree and felt bad not repping at all. And so I have decided to write short notes on these and add them to my "Thrash Build Up List". There are other Heavy Metal and Hardcore albums that I like but like less that I have passed up that I am not stressing about having passed them up. Yes, Milo Goes to College for example is a damn fine somewhat hardcore album, but not adored enough or close enough to the aesthetics of Thrash to be ranked here or talked about much.
Starting with this album that I consider personally to be the very best Hardcore Punk LP of all time. I say this without doing a thorough check over all the hardcore LPs I’ve heard. But top of my head, if someone asked what’s your fave hardcore punk album? I’d instinctively say “Group Sex!”.
My love for this 15 minute masterpiece is deep. There is a youthful, frustrated energy that just exudes from every second of this album. This same style or vibe exists in other punk and hardcore, but it feels the most genuine, funny, and relatable here. There is also some real snappy, almost spastic blasts of creativity throughout this album. There are cool tempo and style change ups. There is of course Keith Morris on vocals at his peak! There are tons and tons of cool riffs and gross and (for me) hilarious lyrics. I love the way this album completely encompasses all the absurdity of Los Angeles life. Listening to this album instantly immerses me in the west coast, I can practically smell the Pacific Ocean and see the palm trees and hear and feel the skateboard rolling underfoot when listening to this masterpiece.
Almost every song is awesome, but especially the version of “Live Fast Die Young”, “Paid Vacation” and the greatest of all closing tracks, the 50 second piece of perfection “Red Tape” – I swear they fit about half a dozen jaw droppingly badass drum fills and riffs into this one sub-1 minute track.
Other than Group Sex, I figured I should say that chronologically I should have touched upon Maiden’s The Number of the Beast in the last big post. I decided not to, but I guess I’ve changed my mind. Just as a half-measure I’ll say I quite like it and it holds a lot of personal significance to me. “Hallowed Be Thy Name” deserves allll the plaudits it gets. Just a great album.
Much like with Group Sex, I didn’t initially include here because I don’t really hear much Thrash influence. With the early Maiden albums there is more Punk grit which reminds me of something that would go on to influence Thrash bands. Not quite so much with Maiden’s 3rd and 4th and 5th LPs (Though still quite hard charging and genius and iconic).
Okay, and also let’s touch upon Sin After Sin by Priest… I love it. Almost as heavy and intense as Stained Class but just not quite on the same tier. I feel Stained Class is their peak, but Sad Wings (which is very un-thrashy) and this album are good stepping stones towards Stained Class.
Awhile ago I wrote this about Sin After Sin, and I think my opinions expressed here still stand:
“This one was a new listen. I don't know why I never listened to this follow-up to one of my fave albums, I always skipped right to Stained Class and I actually sometimes would forget about this one. Well, now I have listened, 4 or 5 times, and ... its great great great.
The vibe of this album is so fun and free and much less dark and desperate than Sad Wings of Destiny. This album is chock full of these incisive, fast, extremely precise rockers and the band is top notch throughout. The twin guitars of Tipton and Downing has managed to level up for a second straight album. The solos on "Sinner", "Diamond and Rust", and "Dissident Aggressor" amongst others, are just so expressive and sharp and a feast of great tones and notes and ooohlala I love it.
The vocals are as usual incredible. Halford has a certain something. I don't know what it is. He can do whatever he wants, he can play the villain, the badass, the lovesick and lonesome man, etc etc and whatever it is, he does it extremely well. He is probably my fave singer in hard rock and metal history. I think I've already said that several times. Each album reminds me newly of this truth and I always feel a need to express it.
What I love about this album is that it has a variety which is awesome. There is a power ballad in "Last Rose of Summer" which has these corny sentimental lyrics that somehow work and don't seem as cheesy as they would in most metal acts. It also has proto-speed metal madness in the absolute classic "Dissident Aggressor". The opening track is a perfect opener, winding its way from one killer moment to another to another, when "Sinner" ascends and gets anthemic its legit inspiring and when it comes in with a metal riff I can't help but be fucking hyped. There is a cool, dirty kinda bluesy number here in "Raw Deal" which rocks and killls, etc. This set is consistently fabulous.
I don't think its a perfect album. I personally wasn't feeling "Starbreaker" totally - it has its charms and in some listens I thought it was cool, but far from a standout especially following the 1-2 punch of "Sinner" and "Diamonds and Rust". And the closer "Race with the Devil" is my least liked song here. It just comes across silly and corny and I am just not feeling it as a closing track.
Still, awesome album and just a nice change of pace after the bleak and somewhat high-minded album from a year earlier. And this also serves as a nice indicator or taste of what was to come the next year with the insane speed and sharpness and brilliance of "Dissident Aggressor" in particular serving as a augur of what was to come in "Stained Class".
This gets 4 emojis... now, the question is what will be the distribution?... Okay, I have decided: 😈😈🤬🤬 (2 twisted and 2 evil, so like a decent/medium 4 - not particularly close to even a low level 5 for me and not remotely a 3. This was dope and much much more fun than Master of Reality”
While we are on Priest, soon in 1982 chronologically I will need to either talk about and revisit Screaming For Vengeance or not. I won’t relisten as I’ve heard it a lot and I think it’s fucking kick ass. Right up there as the top tier of Judas Priest along with Sad Wings of Destiny, Painkiller and of course Stained Class.
Still, released in July 1982, I have made my love for this one known several times on this very diary over the years. So I will just say this little bit about it now and add it to my rankings and move on.
The last one that I feel needs special mention and ranking here is the Black Flag compilation The First Four Years. For a long time this was my favorite Black Flag by a mile. Recently I’ve seen the light ion the transcendence of Damaged. Still… This compilation is fabulous. Black Flag in 78-79-80 basically created the template for Hardcore Punk. And this compilation includes all those early EPs and Singles the band released before they landed on finally their full band for the next years to come when Henry Rollins became singer.
The early stuff with Keith is the best. I adore Keith Morris and he is a major reason I love the Circle Jerks so much (along with the brilliant drummer, those 2 being tied for fave Circle Jerks members). But Black Flag weren’t much less brilliant with their second singer, Ron Reyes. Reyes was just as wild as Morris in his own way but much more aggressively angry and ill-tempered. There are 2 other singers featured here and they do fine. But I’d be lying if I said they manage to capture the same greatness as the first 2 EPs, Nervous Breakdown and Jealous Again. Until Rollins came along that is.
The other album and sort of compilation pre-Damaged was Everything Went Black. And it’s solid if you’re a Black Flag fan, but far less engaging and cool than the albums and projects that sandwich it. I should say its been a hot minute since I’ve listened to Everything Went Black and it deserves a reappraisal.
------------------- -------------
I was initially thinking to include this list of passed-over goodies with my next big post. But that is just toooo much. You will see these 5 LPs included in the next ranking. Including the Circle Jerks getting a spot in the highest of honor! Okay, soon enough I’ll be back with the next CHRONOLOGICAL batch. There are some kickass hardcore punk albums. 1982 was a great year for some seriously kick ass records! _________________ -Ryan
I don’t think I have listened to enough artillery. Have heard their most famous album 2-3 times and that is it! Looking forward to it! _________________ -Ryan
@Gowi, I guess what I meant was Maiden’s Dickinson-Era DNA so to speak seems not as wrapped up in the sound of the early American and German thrash than some other NEOBHM stuff (including Killers-era Maiden). Like 1983-1986 thrash before it branches out into more technical or melodic or, well, maiden-esque sounds. If that makes sense. I suppose when I get to the deep dive of early thrash, I may discover to my chagrin that Number or the Beast and Piece of Mind touchstones are in there as well on Show No Mercy and Bonded by Blood and stuff. _________________ -Ryan
THE NEXT SET OF PUNK AND/OR METAL RELEASES THAT HELPED SET THE GROUNDWORK FOR THRASH METAL
The next few are each very short and fast Hardcore punk EPs/short LPs. Let’s roll through them.
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Urban Waste by Urban Waste Urban Waste by Urban Waste/1982
This is dope, heavy as hell and features a really solid vocalist/vocal performance and a guitar tone that steals the show. The guitar sounds sharp, incredibly harsh, staticy, brutal…magnificent. The songs lyrically are equal parts political screeds and silly sorta high school anger stuff. This is just a fabulous distillation of teenage anger, 10 tracks, 12 minutes of kickass hardcore. Not much to say. Just really solid.
This is awesome! I don’t know what there is to say of it and why it’s so great. I mean, it’s hardcore and I have heard other good hardcore especially recently and yet this sticks out and rises above. It just feels more raw and more genuinely pissed off than basically anything else from this time. Discharge perhaps exceeds it in terms of sheer force, but not by much and in a very different way. There is a menace and a gravel-throated, hateful power to this band that is unmatched from what I’ve heard.
The band coming outta Michigan makes sense. There is a distinctly Detroit menacing, angry, power to this band. It seems like this aspect is almost in their bones and blood, because some of the most hardcore and genuinely intimidating punk of all time has come from that city.
The music is sick and unrelenting and fabulous. There is enough variety and details to keep it interesting, and there is live intensity and movement to the riffs and drumming to give it an iconic, perfected Hardcore punk style. But, it should be noted that the most incredible aspect of this band and this iconic EP is the work of Vocalist John Brannon. I have said nice things about other vocalists in this little project. I love Ian McKaye and H.R. and Jello and Rollins is cool as well. But Brannon…jesus christ! It sounds like his bark is painful! It’s soaked in harshness and anger and every syllable sounds utterly meant and utterly in-your-face. What an absolutely incredible vocalist and this whole EP, as great as it is outside of his work, is lifted to legend status by his contribution. There is no humor, mockery, righteous anger, quirkiness, etc…. instead this voice sounds absolutely done with the bullshit and ready to rip everyone and everything around it to shreds.
Overall, this is an iconic EP from a legendary Hardcore Punk band. With a cool cover and almost everything about it kicks ass. Not as mind-blowing musically as some of its contemporaries. But it makes up for that with the accomplishment of basically distilling the basic essence of Hardcore punk and Detroit-style rock and roll aggression into a purified blast of punk near-perfection for 12 minutes. Utterly glorious.
Okay, I have spent the last week going back and forth between that intense Negative Approach EP and this EP. To say it’s been a cool, heavy music week would be an understatement.
While going through this over and over I have come to realize that I adore it. Like, I love every second of this thing. It was unmatched in it’s time for heaviness (to the point of being almost inhuman), aggression, anger and anguish, extremity, etc. This EP (as presented on apple music) is 8 tracks and 9 minutes of Discharge-style beats ramped up to double the heaviness and ugliness and lit on fire. The vocalist sounds like he is being tortured, or burning alive, with only moments left to live and using that time to call out and scream the abuses of power and the evils of war.
And the gross, vomit-inducing bass lines and absurdly heavy guitar sounds, they are so utterly alien and ugly and heavy and brutal and powerful. It sounds like the amps are about to explode. There was nothing quite this absurd at this time. There was Venom and Discharge and they are legendary bands that, to this day, sound menacing and extreme. But this little short-lived band from Sweden with this one EP, for just 9 minutes, comes in and pushes to the absolute limit how brutal and heavy extreme hardcore and D-Beat and whatever - can get. It’s a masterpiece.
Before this obsessive listening over the last week, I knew I loved this record. I had listened to it so many times over the last couple years ( I mean, it’s 9 blissfully disgusting minutes, so every time I started it, I had to finish). But I have concluded that this is some of the best and most ugly and most boundary-pushing punk I’ve ever heard. It gives me a rush every time I push play. And I am no expert, but it seems like this would be the most absurdly heavy and brutal punk of any kind released for a solid year or 2 until Siege and Anti-Cimex and some of that Japanese Hardcore and others came along in 83 and 84 to push the sound even further somehow. Pretty remarkable.
Listen to this if you like extremely (EXTREEEEEMELYYYY) heavy punk with a singer who sounds like he is in utter pain and torment. It’s pretty cool stuff.
I listened to a little of this, it was okay and very, very fast and precise but it didn’t really catch me. I’m going to call an audible and not finish this now for this project. I may return to Raven in 1983 with their 3rd album. But more than likely their first three albums will be listened to later on. Probably not as part of this project.
This is another really, really solid Hardcore EP. Die Kreuzen have a very unique sound. They sound wildly active and fleetfooted. Like, it’s aggressive and hardcore, sure. But the thing that always strikes me with their sound and this debut EP of theirs, is their basslines and riffs and rhythms are so quick and manic and creative. It makes for a very unique sound. Oh and I have to give a shout out to the very intense and charismatic vocalist. Very harsh and engaging vocal performances through this wee EP.
The songs are good, the riffs are solid, and the whole vibe here in this little 7-8 minute EP is really solid and differentiated from the other stuff I’ve heard from this time. Not much to say about this. It deserves many more listens and will get it. For now it’s one of the more intriguing projects I’ve heard for this little project. It’s been ages sense I listened to their debut album and this EP really has whetted my appetite for a revisit to that as well.
Not a fan of this one. I don’t want to listen several times more to really grapple with my thoughts. I have basically a disconnect with this. It doesn’t hit me on any level, emotionally, physically, intellectually. The production is uninteresting. The songwriting is just heavy punk with some hooks and some anti-authoritarian lyrics. The stuff I like in all genres of punk are ferocity, extremity, passion, brutality, at times some unusual and inspired songwriting choices – and this is lacking in these aspects.
Anyway, GBH’s EP was cooler than this. And I have enjoyed other stuff from this UK82, British hardcore scene (although nothing has been great from this microgenre to my ears and nothing yet has really blown me away from the likes of GBH, The Exploited etc), but this one just left me cold.
MASTERFUL, PERFECT, ALL TIME GREAT, FIRST BALLOT HALL OF FAME, AMEN
(unranked, alphabetical. Top-most tier are basically just too special to rank right now):
Damaged by Black Flag (November 16th, 1981) – exemplary track, “Damaged I”
Group Sex by Circle Jerks (October 1st, 1980) – exemplary track, “Red Tape”
Minor Threat by Minor Threat (compilation of first 2 EPs released June 1984, EPs released June 1981/August 1981) – exemplary track, “Minor Threat"
NEAR-PERFECT, ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL LISTENING:
4. Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing by Discharge (May 1982) – exemplary track, “Protest and Survive”
5. Bad Brains by Bad Brains (February 5th, 1982) – exemplary track, “Attitude”
6. Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables by Dead Kennedys (September 2nd, 1980) – exemplary track, “Holiday In Cambodia”.
7. GBG 1982 by The Shitlickers (1982) – exemplary track, “Desperate Scream From The Heat”
8. Welcome To Hell by Venom (December 1981) – exemplary track, “Red Light Fever”
9. Stained Class by Judas Priest (February 10th, 1978) - exemplary track, "Exciter"
10. Negative Approach by Negative Approach (1982) – exemplary track, “Nothing”
11. Farce EP by Rudimentary Peni (1982) – Exemplary track, “Cosmetic Plague”
12. Static Age by The Misfits (Recorded Jan-Feb, 1978) - exemplary track, "We Are 138"
13. Screaming For Vengeance by Judas Priest (July 14th, 1982) – exemplary track, “The Hellion/Electric Eye” 14. The First Four Years by Black Flag (released 1983, recorded between 1978 and 1981) – exemplary track, “No Values”
JUST FUDGIN’ GREAT
15. It’s Alive by Ramones (Recorded December 31st, 1977) – exemplary track, “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”
16. Unleashed In The East by Judas Priest (Recorded 10-15 February 1979) – exemplary track “Victim of Changes”
17. Lightning To The Nations by Diamond Head (October 3rd, 1980) – exemplary track, “Am I Evil?”
18. Black Dots by Bad Brains (Recorded June 1979) - exemplary track, "Pay To Cum”
19. Denim and Leather by Saxon (October 5th, 1981) – exemplary track, “Denim and Leather”
20. Killers by Iron Maiden (February 2nd, 1981) – exemplary track “Wrathchild”
21. Strong Arm of the Law by Saxon (November 14th, 1980) – exemplary track, “To Hell and Back Again”
22. Ace Of Spades by Motörhead (November 8th, 1980) – exemplary track, “Ace Of Spades”
23. Sin After Sin by Judas Priest (April 8th, 1977) – exemplary track, “Dissident Aggressor” 24. The Number of The Beast by Iron Maiden (March 22nd, 1982) – exemplary track, “Hallowed be Thy Name”
25. The Nightcomers by Holocaust (April 1981) – exemplary track, “Death or Glory
26. Omega Sessions by Bad Brains (Recorded 1980, released 1997) – exemplary track, “I Against I”
27. Why EP by Discharge (May 1981) – exemplary track, “Ain’t No Feeble Bastard”
VERY GOOD with HINTS of GREATNESS
28. Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden (April 14th, 1980) - exemplary track, "Phantom of the Opera"
29. Overkill by Motörhead (April 24th, 1979) - exemplary track, "Overkill"
30. No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith by Motörhead (Recorded 28 to 30 March, 1981) – exemplary track, “Motorhead”
31. Wheels of Steel by Saxon (April 1980) - exemplary track, "747 (Strangers In The Night)"
32. Rudimentary Peni EP by Rudimentary Peni (1981) – exemplary track, “Teenage Time Killer”
33. Demolition War EP by Subhumans (1981) – exemplary track, “Drugs of Youth”
34. Fight Back EP by Discharge/May 1980) – exemplary track, “You Take Part In Creating The System”.
35. Cows and Beer EP by Die Kreuzen (1982) – exemplary track, “Pain”
36. (GI) by The Germs (October 1979) - exemplary track, "Lexicon Devil"
37. Sessions 1981-83 by Void (Recorded between Nov. 1981 and June 1982) – exemplary track, “Dehumanized” all 3 versions, really.
38. In God We Trust, Inc EP by Dead Kennedys (November 1981) - exemplary track, "Nazi Punks Fuck Off!"
39. Urban Waste EP by Urban Waste (1982) – exemplary track, “Public Opinion”
40. New Hope for the Wretched by Plasmatics (March 1980) - exemplary track, "Dream Lover"
41. All My Friends Are Dead by The Consumers (1977) – exemplary track, “Anti Anti Anti”
42. Realities of War EP by Discharge/March 31st, 1980) – exemplary track, “Society’s Victim”
43. Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne EP by Charged G.B.H. (September 12th, 1981) – exemplary track, “Necrophilia”
44. Breaker by Accept (March 16th, 1981) – Exemplary track, “Run If You Can”
45. T.S.O.L. EP by T.S.O.L. (1981) – exemplary track, “Abolish Government/Silent Majority”
46. St. Valentine’s Day Massacre EP by MotorheadGirlSchool (February 1981) – exemplary track, “Please Don’t Touch”
47. Fire Down Under by Riot (February 9th, 1981) – exemplary track, “Swords and Tequila”
these are…GOOD… not bordering on great to my ears. But good. Lay off me! lol
48. Troops of Tomorrow by The Exploited (May 1982) – exemplary track, “Troops of Tomorrow”
49. Angel Witch by Angel Witch (December 1980) – Exemplary track, “Angel Witch”
50. Blood & Thunder by More (May 1982) – exemplary track, “Blood and Thunder”
51. Condensed Flesh EP by Void (Recorded 1981, released in 1992) – exemplary track, “War Hero”
52. Filth Hounds of Hades by Tank (March 5th, 1982) – exemplary track, “(He Fall In Love With A) Stormtrooper”
53. Dance With Me by T.S.O.L. (June 1981) – exemplary track, “Funeral March”
54. Wild Cat by Tygers of Pan Tang (August 23rd, 1980) – exemplary track, “Insanity”
Not A Fan/Didn’t Enjoy 55. City Baby Attacked by Rats by Charged G.B.H (July 1982) – exemplary track, “Maniac”
Okay, and that is all for this post. Initially I was planning on covering double this amount of records. But I decided to cut it here and address late 1982 releases like Black Metal and Mercyful Fate and Restless And Wild on the next post.
In looking at my rankings, it’s being made clear I have a definite hardcore punk bias. I enjoy Metal and at its best in this era I can say I even adore some NWOBHM. But the highs are much higher for me personally in the hardcore genre at this time.
I think when we get to Thrash I will start equally adoring some of the best Metal just as much as the best punk. For now, my taste is very skewed in the punk direction.
Okay, until next time, peace! _________________ -Ryan
Hey, I guess you are too invested in your punk/metal project right now, but I was wondering if you intend to report any 2022 discoveries at some point, I see you have included only 30 albums in your year chart and even your trademark massive reviews are missing. I remember back in the good ol’ days of 2021 you had listened to practically every new release out there and -even though we don’t always see eye to eye - your chart was an endless source of recommendations.
(No pressure of course, just asking, cheers!) _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Hey, I guess you are too invested in your punk/metal project right now, but I was wondering if you intend to report any 2022 discoveries at some point, I see you have included only 30 albums in your year chart and even your trademark massive reviews are missing. I remember back in the good ol’ days of 2021 you had listened to practically every new release out there and -even though we don’t always see eye to eye - your chart was an endless source of recommendations.
(No pressure of course, just asking, cheers!)
Yeah, this whole year I’ve been in a bit of a musical rut. That includes keeping up with newer albums. Not sure why, but I have been off and doing other things where last year I’d always be listening to music - mostly 2021 new albums and then writing about em.
Creatively also I have been a bit meh for awhile. Like, just getting the mental energy going enough to try to say something about the music I just heard. It’s weird. Kind of a lack of energy in those directions.
I have heard maybe 10-15 more albums that are deserving or just year chart, I just haven’t gotten to updating it.
But I appreciate you showing some appreciation for the chart and comments last year. I feel like it will go in cycles, so hopefully soon I’ll be chomping at the bit for new music again. _________________ -Ryan
Iirc you've listened to both 2020 and 2021 stuff last year, so maybe we can expect the full 2022/23 chronicle next year 😁
Like kokkinos said, no pressure, we just enjoy reading your reviews. In fact, the stuff you write here in your diary is excellent as well, no complaints. I'm in the musical rut as well, I've heard like 100 less albums than last year... We do still have a few months to catch up though. _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
Iirc you've listened to both 2020 and 2021 stuff last year, so maybe we can expect the full 2022/23 chronicle next year 😁
Like kokkinos said, no pressure, we just enjoy reading your reviews. In fact, the stuff you write here in your diary is excellent as well, no complaints. I'm in the musical rut as well, I've heard like 100 less albums than last year... We do still have a few months to catch up though.
Oh yeah that’s right, especially late 2020 early 2021 I was delving into both years majorly. Then about MArvh 2021 I shifted like 90% of my attention on 2021 music: perhaps come late this year and early 2023 there will be a similar explosive surge of enthusiasm for newer releases.
It has been a great great year for Grindcore in 2022. That is one area I have been keeping up with. _________________ -Ryan
I wish I had a unique take on this classic split. But I don’t think I do. The Faith are a damn fine HC punk band and they are passionate and rock. BUT Void, on the other hand, are in another league! The first half, the Faith half is rowdy and pissed off HC and the singer is the brother of Minor Threat/Fugazi/Embrace legend Ian McKaye of all people. Much like Ian McKaye overshadows everything The Faith did more broadly, Void overshadows what they did here on this album specifically.
Look, They don’t really have a unique sound or try to re-invent the sound. They are good. They are a solid band. I have little to say about The Faith.
However…
Void come in on their half and sound like this is the last performance they’ll ever have to give. Their distinct unhinged, unpredictable, feral style shines spectacularly here. Maybe more than even on their debut EP and their other sessions, Void sound like they are almost playing themselves into an exhausted heap, with each band member sprinting as hard as possible to keep up with the others. This usually sounds either good or FUCKING INSANELY GREAT. Sometimes, I will admit, it just sounds noisy and sloppy and not in the most endearing way. But there is a charm and a power to this album that is created by just how fully they give their all. The vocalist delivers some seriously genius and insane performances and the riffs and little solos are refreshingly inventive while working stably within DC that DC hardcore style. Void kick fucking ass here.
I will be splitting this album into its halves when ranking it. The Faith’s half will be toward the bottom (still quite fine), and Void’s will be closer to the top. One of the most classic and defining albums in Hardcore punk history is this. And it deserves more time and words. But oh well… this is all it gets for now.
Yeah, this is really cool. I guess there are those very heavy metal, almost AC/DC levels of obnoxious and over-the-top vocals that really aren’t my style. But for what they are, they do the style well and hold their own. If you like your hard rock and metal and rock vocals to be wild and showy, you will like ‘em no doubt.
The rest of the band is much more to my liking. I had heard the opening track several times, but never gave a good listen to the whole LP before this project. What can I say about “Fast As A Shark”…. It’s fucking ahead its time, heavy as hell, has a dope headbanging groove and is fast and furious. Those drums are so thrash before thrash its insane. It’s a classic.
There are other good tunes here as well. Overall the boisterous, rock 'n' roll vibe started rubbing me the wrong way by the end. It’s just not my style generally. But these Germans clearly were heavily influential and kicked ass as hard as almost anyone in this era. I respect them for that and I respect this album.
Hey hhey heyyy it’s the Dead Kennedys again! Look, confession time: The DKs are hit-or-miss with me. They are legends and I respect what they represent. But depending on my mood most of their projects can be annoying or absolutely perfect/genius. That even applies to an album I adore, their debut. Even with that beast of an LP, if I’m just not in the mood for the quirky riffs, and super manic atmosphere, and the warbly vocals of Jello… well, I just don’t like it.
This album, their second classic, is in many ways more of the same stuff that made their debut so awesome. It may even be more meaty and incisive and intense in many ways. The guitar work has leveled up and is even more creative in it’s zany riffs and solos and stylistic changes. The production is similarly live-wire, and playfully abrasive. And the vocals are even more front and center.
For some reason I have never in all my tries “gotten” this album or “clicked” with it. It’s cool, it’s iconic and there are tunes and moments that make me laugh or rage or sit in awe every time I hear them. But as a full listening experience start to finish, I have never really vibed with it.
The highlights are immense – I adore the acerbic and brutal intro track “Advice From Christmas Past”. I adore “Government Flu” and “Terminal Preppie”. Now that I think on it, this album has a killer first 6-8 minutes. I also love other highlights later on like “Halloween”, “Bleed For”, “Moon Over Marin” and especially “Forest Fire”. There are no songs here half as epic and truly transcendent as California Uber Alles” or a 1/3rd what “Holiday in Cambodia” is. Still, each of these the tracks, listened to in isolation are each at least high quality and uniquely DKs. There is some special magic sauce missing that would make this an all time fave like Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables. But, that is only to say, while I really like this, I don’t put it on a pedestal like their first LP.
(Note: from a little later, I listened to this some more and maybe I underplayed how great this is when I’m in the mood. “Moon Over Marin” has a distinctly bright and open guitar sound that makes the song sound optimistic and sunny – which is an excellent way to create a weird dissonance between Jello’s sneering and lyrics. Love it.
What I mean to say is this is still really good and some of the best and most creative and genre-defying Hardcore punk ever.)
First couple times I listened to this over the last couple weeks, I thought this kicked ass and was really solid. I wasn’t sure about the vocals, especially when they went high pitched as they often do.
Today I listened during lunch and something clicked. This entire 4 song, 19 or so minute EP is just fucking incredible! Start to finish its hit after hit, kickass riff after kick ass riff, gnarly and intricate solos all over, sick drum work every which way, and man! some of these basslines are nuts as well.
The little write up for MF’s debut that Repo posted a month or so back on his diary comes to mind. I hadn’t really known how chiseled and practiced and precise this band was and how driven they were to be just all lean muscle and no fat until reading that review and then reading up on the band a little afterward. There dedication to their sound and their incredibly intricate songs shows. Every one of these 4 tracks has, I don’t know, half a dozen dope ass riffs and *moments*… changes, a lick that will bring you fully back into the track, something special. Over and over again I was nodding my head appreciatively at some decision sound that was just perfectly executed.
Every member of the band shines here, including the famous vocalist. I still can’t say he’s my fave metal vocalist, but when he isn’t doing those high pitched keening parts, he sounds nice with his growls and his more straightforward singing/shouting voice. And those lyrics…. Jesus christ! I mean the track “Nuns Have No Fun” is still shocking to me now 40 years later, I can only imagine how goddamn terrifying and disturbing this must have been to folks in 1982! And I bet the teenage metalheads who heard this then were feeling like the most punk rock, in your face, rebellious badasses in their schools or towns.
Each song is a beast like I said. I think “Devil Eyes”, however, is my favorite. That song is so heavy, sick, groovy and truly one of the greatest metal or hard rock songs I’ve ever heard. The drums are so cool! The bass work is so smooth and melodic and gorgeous. The riff is an all time classic and the whole atmosphere of the song is larger-than-life. Perhaps my favorite metal song of this era outside of “Hallowed Be Thy Name”.
Overall, yeah I have listened to this a few more times after that epiphany moment at lunch and it just keeps delivering on the thrills. This is almost the quintessential Heavy Metal record. It’s not speed or thrash or proto-black or whatever… it’s solidly a Heavy Metal album. And usually I don’t really vibe with old school straight-up heavy metal. But this thing is in a league of its own. Every detail feels right – the perfect amount of worked-over, polished songwriting and the perfect amount of gritty, dangerous intensity and the perfect amount of just fun rock god-ness(?)… the perfect amount of everything.
With a few more weeks or months of repeated listens and perhaps a little more listens to Mercyful Fate’s next few albums, I can foresee this being in that top tier along with Minor Threat, Black Flag and Circle Jerks. It’s that good.
I listened to this on Repo’s recommendation. It’s cool! I feel like I need a few (dozen?) more listens to early Mercyful Fate classics to really appreciate and love hearing the early development of the band with this cool compilation of many of the band’s early demos. Like, with Dylan, I adore the slightly and sometimes majorly reworked demos found on the Bootleg series mainly because the songs have been ingrained in my psyche for decades. I am not sure how much I would love, say, Bootleg series 8 had that been the first thing I had ever heard from Dylan. Know what I mean.
Still, it’s clear right from the jump that MF were special.
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Much like that second album by Dead Kennedys also released in November 1982, Venom’s 2nd classic album had a lot to live up to. Personally, I feel like Black Metal is more successful at ALMOST recapturing that debut album magic. This album is a fucking filthy, evil, utterly ahead-of-its-time BEAST! Outside of the very, very odd choice of including a cover of “Teacher’s Pet” on this tracklist (a choice which really confuses me every time it plays), this is basically just a full platter of hits and no misses. Song after song is dangerous and edgy and fuck man those growled vocals are so sick! The sound of the vocals is what really makes this whole thing work for me, because, while the music is heavy and serviceably played, it is mostly a simple, primitive, heavy canvas. The life and the grit and the threat of the music is all in these growled, gravelly, pissed off vocals and those evil – admittedly, also absurd at times – lyrics. Musically, there have been many Metal bands I have liked almost as much as Venom in this project. But none of the vocalists that I dug quite as much – except the first one I covered months ago, Halford/Priest.
Now, how does this measure up to Welcome To Hell? I would say the songs on Welcome To Hell are more memorable, but the atmosphere and menace of Black Metal is more sharp. The playing on Welcome to Hell is more sloppy and almost childishly simple, while also being slightly more imbued with primal, heavy rage. The band seems to have gotten a little sharper on their 2nd LP without losing too much of that youthful intensity. The solos and the more detailed and thought-out parts of the songs here are mostly good. Brutality-wise, there isn’t a song that WOWed me here like “Red Light Fever” on their debut. Instead this is just a 30-some-odd-minute tense tour-de-force of satanic transgressive punk metal. I love it. With this album I think Venom have cemented themselves as my fave of the so-called NWOBHM bands (Priest predates that movement, so yeah), as well as to my ears the most evil and badass metal this side Slayer’s ascension in late ’83 and really ’84 with their EP Haunting The Chapel.
I could go over more albums from ’82 and ’81 etc for this looooooooong build up to Thrash, but I feel like this is a poetic and perfect end to this era of my heavy music listening project. Venom were the OGs, they were arguably the most influential metal band of the 1980s. They are the grandfathers of Thrash, Black, and other extreme metals. They were absolute kings in this period.
Oh and is this at all “Black Metal” as we think of it? I think so… fuck man I can’t keep up or understand what the distinctions and features are that make something Thrash metal that was INFLUENTIAL to the later creation of Black Metal, or what makes something so-called “First Wave Black Metal”. I mean I am kinda lying, because I do somewhat have to strain my ears here to hear the Black Metal, whereas on, say, Bathory’s first releases I don’t have to strain my ears almost at all. Still, I always thought Black Metal was fundamentally, especially in the early days, was the drive and near-crudeness of Motorhead and more animalistic punk mixed with dark atmospheres mixed with (usually) satanic or ghastly lyrics and themes. I know by the time the definitive Black Metal sound came into focus in the early 90s, stuff like Tremolo picked riffs and harsh, screeched vocals became essential to it. I guess I’m not sure if this should be Proto-Black Metal, not fully formed black, metal that laid the ground work for black metal along with early Bathory, Celtic Frost, early Sodom, early Destruction, etc. Whatever, it doesn’t matter. I don’t even know why I went on this tangent. I see so many snarky fucking comments on both sides of the “debate” as to whether this is related directly to Black Metal that I just wanted to say something as well.
Anyway, legendary band, legendary sound, legendary album, iconic cover and title, one of the, I don’t know, top 10 most influential albums in metal history. This thing along with its sibling, Welcome To Hell, deserve all the plaudits and love.
MASTERFUL, PERFECT, ALL TIME GREAT, FIRST BALLOT HALL OF FAME, AMEN (unranked, alphabetical. Top-most tier are basically just too special to rank right now):
Damaged by Black Flag (November 16th, 1981) – exemplary track, “Damaged I”
Group Sex by Circle Jerks (October 1st, 1980) – exemplary track, “Red Tape”
Minor Threat by Minor Threat (compilation of first 2 EPs released June 1984, EPs released June 1981/August 1981) – exemplary track, “Minor Threat"
NEAR-PERFECT, ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL LISTENING:
4. Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing by Discharge (May 1982) – exemplary track, “Protest and Survive”
5. Bad Brains by Bad Brains (February 5th, 1982) – exemplary track, “Attitude”
6. Mercyful Fate EP by Mercyful Fate (November 1982) – exemplary track, “Devil Eyes”
7. Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables by Dead Kennedys (September 2nd, 1980) – exemplary track, “Holiday In Cambodia”.
8. GBG 1982 by The Shitlickers (1982) – exemplary track, “Desperate Scream From The Heat”
9. Welcome To Hell by Venom (December 1981) – exemplary track, “Red Light Fever”
10. Stained Class by Judas Priest (February 10th, 1978) - exemplary track, "Exciter"
11. Negative Approach by Negative Approach (1982) – exemplary track, “Nothing”
12. Farce EP by Rudimentary Peni (1982) – Exemplary track, “Cosmetic Plague”
13. Black Metal by Venom (November 1982) – exemplary track, “Leave Me In Hell”
14. Static Age by The Misfits (Recorded Jan-Feb, 1978) - exemplary track, "We Are 138"
15. Screaming For Vengeance by Judas Priest (July 14th, 1982) – exemplary track, “The Hellion/Electric Eye”
16. The First Four Years by Black Flag (released 1983, recorded between 1978 and 1981) – exemplary track, “No Values”
JUST FUDGIN’ GREAT
17. It’s Alive by Ramones (Recorded December 31st, 1977) – exemplary track, “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”
18. Unleashed In The East by Judas Priest (Recorded 10-15 February 1979) – exemplary track “Victim of Changes”
19. Lightning To The Nations by Diamond Head (October 3rd, 1980) – exemplary track, “Am I Evil?”
20. Black Dots by Bad Brains (Recorded June 1979) - exemplary track, "Pay To Cum”
21. Denim and Leather by Saxon (October 5th, 1981) – exemplary track, “Denim and Leather”
22. Killers by Iron Maiden (February 2nd, 1981) – exemplary track “Wrathchild”
23. Plastic Surgery Disasters by Dead Kennedys (November 1982) – exemplary track, “Forest Fire”
24. Strong Arm of the Law by Saxon (November 14th, 1980) – exemplary track, “To Hell and Back Again”
25. Ace Of Spades by Motörhead (November 8th, 1980) – exemplary track, “Ace Of Spades”
26. Sin After Sin by Judas Priest (April 8th, 1977) – exemplary track, “Dissident Aggressor”
27. The Number of The Beast by Iron Maiden (March 22nd, 1982) – exemplary track, “Hallowed be Thy Name”
28. The Nightcomers by Holocaust (April 1981) – exemplary track, “Death or Glory
29. Omega Sessions by Bad Brains (Recorded 1980, released 1997) – exemplary track, “I Against I”
30. Why EP by Discharge (May 1981) – exemplary track, “Ain’t No Feeble Bastard”
31. The Faith/Void Split – Void Half (September 1982) – exemplary track, “Think”
VERY GOOD with HINTS of GREATNESS
32. Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden (April 14th, 1980) - exemplary track, "Phantom of the Opera"
33. Overkill by Motörhead (April 24th, 1979) - exemplary track, "Overkill"
34. No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith by Motörhead (Recorded 28 to 30 March, 1981) – exemplary track, “Motorhead”
35. Wheels of Steel by Saxon (April 1980) - exemplary track, "747 (Strangers In The Night)"
36. Rudimentary Peni EP by Rudimentary Peni (1981) – exemplary track, “Teenage Time Killer”
37. Demolition War EP by Subhumans (1981) – exemplary track, “Drugs of Youth”
38. Fight Back EP by Discharge/May 1980) – exemplary track, “You Take Part In Creating The System”.
39. Cows and Beer EP by Die Kreuzen (1982) – exemplary track, “Pain”
40. (GI) by The Germs (October 1979) - exemplary track, "Lexicon Devil"
41. Sessions 1981-83 by Void (Recorded between Nov. 1981 and June 1982) – exemplary track, “Dehumanized” all 3 versions, really.
42. In God We Trust, Inc EP by Dead Kennedys (November 1981) - exemplary track, "Nazi Punks Fuck Off!"
43. Restless and Wild by Accept (October 4th, 1982) – exemplary track, “Fast As A Shark”
44. Urban Waste EP by Urban Waste (1982) – exemplary track, “Public Opinion”
45. New Hope for the Wretched by Plasmatics (March 1980) - exemplary track, "Dream Lover"
46. All My Friends Are Dead by The Consumers (1977) – exemplary track, “Anti Anti Anti”
47. Realities of War EP by Discharge/March 31st, 1980) – exemplary track, “Society’s Victim”
48. Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne EP by Charged G.B.H. (September 12th, 1981) – exemplary track, “Necrophilia”
49. Breaker by Accept (March 16th, 1981) – Exemplary track, “Run If You Can”
50. T.S.O.L. EP by T.S.O.L. (1981) – exemplary track, “Abolish Government/Silent Majority”
51. St. Valentine’s Day Massacre EP by MotorheadGirlSchool (February 1981) – exemplary track, “Please Don’t Touch”
52. Fire Down Under by Riot (February 9th, 1981) – exemplary track, “Swords and Tequila”
these are…GOOD… not bordering on great to my ears. But good. Lay off me! lol
53. Troops of Tomorrow by The Exploited (May 1982) – exemplary track, “Troops of Tomorrow”
54. Angel Witch by Angel Witch (December 1980) – Exemplary track, “Angel Witch”
55. Blood & Thunder by More (May 1982) – exemplary track, “Blood and Thunder”
56. Condensed Flesh EP by Void (Recorded 1981, released in 1992) – exemplary track, “War Hero”
57. Filth Hounds of Hades by Tank (March 5th, 1982) – exemplary track, “(He Fall In Love With A) Stormtrooper”
58. Dance With Me by T.S.O.L. (June 1981) – exemplary track, “Funeral March”
59. The Faith/Void Split – The Faith Half (September 1982) – exemplary track, “You’re X’d”
60. Wild Cat by Tygers of Pan Tang (August 23rd, 1980) – exemplary track, “Insanity”
Not A Fan/Didn’t Enjoy
61. City Baby Attacked by Rats by Charged G.B.H (July 1982) – exemplary track, “Maniac”
And… That’s it for now. I finally found another metal album I adore with Mercyful Fate and actually 2 more with Black Metal. There is still an obvious punk bias in these ranks. But there ya go. I am into what I’m into.
I think I’ll move into the “Modern Era” now that I have spent months and 10s of thousands of words exploring pre-Thrash metyal and punk. I am ready, I think to move onto what I initially was enthused to do – listen to shit tons of thrash metal and in many cases revisit some old thrash favorites from my youth.
That intention has expanded and I have made a list of 50 or so 83 and 84 albums I want to touch on, not just in thrash, but also some heavy metal classics, some more hardcore punk, some other extreme for it’s time rock of various kinds. I am looking forward to lots more early slayer, sure, but also more Black Sabbath and some Japanese Hardcore and some more Mercyful Fate etc etc. Basically I can go where I want with this. I will probably 60-70% be delving into Thrash, though. I am not going too much off the planned path.
I’ll get onto that next phase of this project soon. I’ll start a new ranking and rating system probably. We shall see.
Until next time, my friends, Lay down your soul to the Gods, ROCK AND ROLL!!!! _________________ -Ryan
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