Album: Breaking The Silence
Year: 1987
Genre: Thrash Metal
I’m sure
I’ve rambled on about this previously, but 1986 and 1987 were the apex years
for thrash. The amount of monumental
releases during those 2 years is astounding.
It was a very crowded room for the bands existing at that time, and the
quality and quantity were difficult to get out from under. I don’t recall another genre of music being
this overloaded in such a short span of time.
It was difficult to keep up with and you could rest assured there would
be a new release waiting for you at your local record store almost every
week.
Heathen
were one of those bands whose name floated around a lot in zines, but they
never ended up on any compilations I owned or on any of the tape trading I
did. All I knew is they were part of the
Bay area scene; and I was in awe and mesmerized by the burgeoning Bay area
scene! What did I love about the bands
coming out of the Bay area? Everything. The crunch, the aggression, the attitude, the
speed, the acceptance and connection to
punk and hardcore that other metal bands willfully ignored. The competition factor was huge as no band
wanted to be outdone. The bay was the
place to be even for bands not living in that area. As a result, the quality of the music was
elevated. So when a band from that area
was putting something out, there was no need to wait to hear it. Well, in 1987, Heathen released their debut Breaking The Silence and I bought it
with zero knowledge of what I was going to hear. Still, to this day, it’s one of my favorite
records I own.
As
mentioned, the Bay area scene was a formula of speed and aggression, but steep
musical ability was always included in the madness. These were not bands just blatantly bashing
away at their instruments; it just sounded that way. Heathen were not as overtly savage as say
Violence, Possessed or Testament, but they fit right in and brought a technical,
bordering on speed metal, feel to the fold.
This could be due to the fact Lee Altus and Doug Piercy are godly guitar
players and didn’t want to be held down by simplicity. These two guys twisted and turned their riffs
inside out with surgeon-esque accuracy, taking cues from their early 80s European
brethren more than their local counterparts.
In no way does this mean you won’t be wanting to bang that head or
thrash around like a maniac. Heathen
provide plenty of fuel to get the stage-diving madness going while proving their
musical chops were a few steps above the pack.
Throw “Piece Of Mind” Maiden in with “Bonded By Blood” era Exodus, and
you’d be getting close to what Heathen does.
Everything, including the vocals, were just a bit cleaner and didn’t
sound as if the songs were dragged through every single pit of hell like their
peers. Whatever their formula was, it
worked because the record is extremely listenable and still maintains its
relevance 30 years later. Their follow
up record was pretty stunning, but just like
so many greats from that era, Heathen were done by their second record. What a shame.
But, also like so many greats from that era, they released a record
almost 20 years later that I still need to check out.
Listen to "World's End" here.
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