Artist:Crumbsuckers Song:Bullshit Society Album:Life Of Dreams Year:1986 Genre:Crossover / Thrash / Hardcore
When hardcore punk and thrash metal decided to put aside their differences and play nicely in the sandbox together, one of my absolute favorite music genres was spawned; Crossover.Soon after discovering this amalgamation, my collection quickly filled with the likes of C.O.C., The Accused, D.R.I., Cryptic Slaughter, Attitude Adjustment, (mid 80s) Agnostic Front, Excel, S.O.D., No Mercy, Wehrmacht and so many other bands that completely changed my musical outlook.It even changed my fashion.Nothing but flipped brims, skate shoes and ratty looking t-shirts from then on!The band that rose to the top of the mountain of records I amassed was The Crumbsuckers.I read about The Crumbsuckers in a fanzine that praised them so highly and heavily, it created a “do or die” search for a record that was not very well distributed.Finally, I located a cassette copy of Life Of Dreams and it skyrocketed beyond the high praise I read.This record is super; super fast, super mean and super tight.It’s a perfect combination of hardcore’s aggression and attitude, metal’s technical structure and mechanics, and punk’s social consciousness. Two-minute atomic bombs in the form of songs fill this album from start to finish. Chris's voice was like no other out there and he was well schooled in the Kurt Brecht style of only singing every third word or so 'cause the music was zooming by in the blink of an eye. Other than the first couple Bad Brains releases, I’m not sure I own another record that contains such precise instrumentation that doesn’t overshadow its street-level punk integrity. Usually one is sacrificed for the other; which is exactly what they did on their less than stellar second record, B.O.M.B.Doesn’t matter.Life Of Dreams is such a superior release, there was no need to try to make part two.
Artist: Epidemic Album: Decameron Year: 1992 Genre: Thrash Metal
San Francisco will forever be monikered the thrash capital of the world. Anyone would have great difficulty denying this. Los Angeles had its share of extreme metalheads battling for turf against the Hollywood glam scene. Although located in the same state, the two cities had their definitive styles. The bands in San Francisco had a thrash formula that was lightly influenced by punk and hardcore. Audiences in Los Angeles were vehemently bludgeoned by the most extreme thrash on the planet from bands like Slayer, Dark Angel, Holy Terror, Détente, Viking and Abattoir. San Francisco bands wanted stage dives and circle pits. L.A. bands wanted a body count. At that time, thrashers from the City of Angels had more in common with their European counterparts than their brethren 6 hours to the north. Which brings me to my longwinded point, San Francisco beasts Epidemic resembled the sounds coming out of Los Angeles, not their hometown. It wasn’t about “good friendly violent fun” with Epidemic. It was just about violence.
By the time Epidemic’s debut LP, The Truth Of What Will Be, emerged in 1989, the paradigm for thrash metal was firmly established. Many, including myself, might even say by the time the 90s hit, the quality in the genre had started to deteriorate and numerous headbangers moved on to new and more intense grounds such as grindcore and death metal, while massive hordes of metal fans went to groove along with Pantera (yuk). Like much of the Metal Blade catalog in ’89, Epidemic could have easily been another rehash band of what came before them and released music that was languorous and played out. Nope. Not a fucking chance with these guys. Their debut reflected those prior influences and created an impressive outing of feral, bone-breaking thrash. Yet, even that doesn’t hold up to the sonic malevolence of the sophomore release, Decameron. Some words to describe Decameron…merciless, unrelenting, savage, repentless (see what I did there? good god) This isn’t an album that needs fine details to describe it. When it’s heavy, they go and play heavier. When it’s fast, they go and play faster. There are no “mosh” parts and nothing to make you smile. The aggression is off the charts and can feel the band turning their instruments into wreckage. Some describe Epidemic as a death metal band, but that’s just because of their bellicose approach to songwriting and the overall barbarity they display. This record would make 90% of the death metal bands out there cower in a corner. Decameron is a master class in how to do an extreme metal record right. The musical climate of 1992 just wasn’t an optimal time for a record of this nature, so it sadly remains an underground gem still to be discovered by rabid thrash metal fans everywhere.
The “re-thrash” wave that began around 2000 produced bands that were almost clones of those that came before. Since some of the original masters changed their ways or were having difficulty reproducing the stellar quality they once maintained, it was kind of cool hearing young, motivated bands do their take on their thrash metal heroes. Didn’t like the latest offering from DRI? Check out Municipal Waste or Possuido Pelo Cao. New Destruction or Sodom boring you? Listen to Avenger Of Blood or Violator. Brazil’s Prophecy would like to remind you of how great Testament was on their first two records, as they emulate Testament’s signature big time crunchy riffs, speed to burn rhythms and wonderfully growled thrash vocals. If you told me this was a new Testament release, I wouldn’t have doubted it for a second. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? With that said, the new Testament is a pretty damn great record, so you should go buy that too.
Artist: Visions Of
Change Album: Visions Of Change Year: 1988 Genre: Punk / Hardcore
I don’t know how many reviews like
this I’ve written so far, but these are my favorites. Once again, my never-ending search for bands
I missed in the 80s and 90s has come through again! This time, the Airstrip One
compilation on Mystic led me to Visions Of Change. I’m sitting here kicking myself because these
guys should have been in my life much, much sooner. Before they were VOC, they were called The
Depraved, whose records I’ve owned forever.
I guess I didn’t pay close enough attention to what they did after they
were done. That’s a shame because this
album rules! Although they’re from the
UK, they sound like an American band that is wearing their Dag Nasty and Verbal
Assault influences prominently on their sleeves. There is not one shred of anything UK
influenced on this album, and that’s saying something for a band that was once associated
with the incredible Children Of Revolution Record label. If you told me this was a lost album that
Dischord was going to release, I would not have doubted that for a second because
this has D.C. style all over it; emotionally charged, guitar driven and
melodic. This is a gem and needs to be
sought out by anyone into powerful, melodic hardcore.
My god 1981 was forever ago. I was only 10 at that time and still thought the first eight Kiss releases ruled the world. Thanks to my older cousins I was also listening to some Boston, Queen, Genesis, Abba and J. Geils too. It was right about that time I caught the FM radio bug. The Detroit area had a wide variety of stations which included rock, jazz, classical, country and everything in between. The hard rock stations introduced me to Zeppelin, Sabbath, Triumph, Deep Purple, Van Halen and so much more. It was not long after that I started listening to what was considered Top 40 radio. This, along with the birth of MTV, which I watched anywhere I could until my parents got cable television, opened me up to a new world of music. Soon, I also knew who Rick Springfield, Pat Benatar, Hall & Oates, Blondie, Air Supply and many other were. In 1982 and 1983, my horizons were expanded because so called “new wave” artists were staring to get air time on both radio and that previously mentioned TV station which went from playing videos 24 hours a day to only featuring a plethora of horrible shows such as the one that glorified rich, bratty, spoiled 16-year-olds and their birthdays, or the one that tried to get Tila Tequila laid by everybody, and the one that made Ozzy look like a utter doofus, and on and on. Before MTV went to shit, music was new and exciting as they spun songs by so many cool artists including Prince, Duran Duran, The Police, Tears For Fears, Joan Jett, Soft Cell, The Human League, A Flock Of Seagulls, The Go-Go’s, Men At Work and the band I’m going to be writing about, Modern English. This is the era of music that is forever embedded in my head.
In 1982, the song “Melt With You” got heavy rotation on radio and MTV. Now, as a kid, I loved the song. Knew it back and forth, but never actually bought their full length record. One, I was still in hard rock / metal mode which was my primary focus. Two, I recorded it onto a cassette off the radio so I could listen to it whenever I wanted. Did anyone else have tapes made from the radio that had the DJ talking either at the beginning or end of the song? Ah, the memories. It wasn’t until I was older that I dove back into the full length catalogue of releases by a lot of 80s bands. Some were wonderful like Tears For Fears, Prince, Duran Duran and A Flock Of Seagulls. Some just ended up being one hit wonders to me like Big Country, Real Life, Berlin and Dead Or Alive. Not only do I believe the first two Modern English albums to be pinnacle representations of 80s music, I also believe them to be stellar examples of the new wave that was hitting the mainstream, with their debut, Mesh And Lace, being a prime example of the ingenuity happening in what would soon be titled "alternative" music.
Mesh And Lace, the third full length release for the groundbreaking 4AD label, is both beautiful and brutish. It's an experiment as much as it is a collection of songs. Modern English were young, raw and willing to take risks. Although a melodic nature persists throughout the album, a sense of angst seeps through the imperfect, emotionally charged performances; taking large cues from Joy Division on how to catch the listener's attention and remain coarse. Hints of proto-industrial elements lurk on the record in the form of keyboard interludes, instrumental noise and samples that connect many of the songs in an effort to give the album some continuity and flow which, for the era, was rather cutting-edge. As much as the record was riding that new wave crest, the band solidified itself directly into the annals post-punk history. At this stage, Modern English had more in common with the sonic rumblings of Bauhaus, Killing Joke, Joy Division, Wire, Christian Death, and The Chameleons (yes, they were later, but you get the idea); and they were easily as good as their contemporaries. Mesh And Lace is driven and moody. A touch outside the smooth “Melt With You” exterior they displayed on their follow up LP After The Snow; which, by the way, is another wonderful record that leans much more toward their new wave sensibilities, yet keeps a very independent feeling of creativity throughout the album. Remember, 4AD was not a major label, so “Melt With You” was actually an independent single that became huge and now is seen as a prime representation of “80s” music. And, although I listen to their debut much more consistently, you cannot go wrong with either of these records by this highly innovative band.
Artist:Crusades Album:The Sun Is Down And The Night Is Riding In Year:2011 Genre:Punk
I owe listening to this band to a dear friend of mine. Crusades play a style of punk rock that I will fall all over every single fucking time; raw, driving, brash instrumentation with hook filled vocals and a darker lyrical theme. The last record that hit me like this was AFI's The Art Of Drowning. Different style, but same effectiveness. I wouldn't label the singing as poppy, but it's almost guaranteed you'll be humming along after the first few listens. Crusades changes the tempos just enough that when you need that burst of high energy, they give it to you, but they also know when to hit the brakes and take it down a bit. This makes for a varied and interesting listen. The other positive is that the production is punk rock!No overproduced "Fat Wreck" tones here. It sounds like a bunch of guys plugged in, cranked the gain and went for it.Buzzsaw guitars, loud drums, gritty vocals....just like it should be.Highly recommended.
I have a dear friend to thank for introducing me to this band. Crusades play the kind of punk rock that that I will fall all over every single fucking time: raw, driving, brash instrumentation with infectious vocal hooks and lyrical themes that don't exactly rain down sunshine. The last record that grabbed me this hard was The Art of Drowning by AFI. The stylings are a bit different but both have the same impact. I wouldn't call the vocals poppy, yet after a few listens you'll almost certainly find yourself humming along. Crusades changes the tempos just enough that when you need that burst of high energy, they give it to you, but they also know when to hit the brakes and take it down a bit making for a varied and interesting listen. The other positive is that the production is punk rock!No overproduced "Fat Wreck" tones here. It sounds like a bunch of guys plugged in, cranked the gain and went for it.Buzzsaw guitars, loud drums, gritty vocals....just like it should be.Highly recommended.
Demon System 13, or for you more rad people, DS-13, were a hardcore punk band from the incredible land of Sweden. First, let’s address that name. I don’t know what it means at all but it’s so fucking cool. DS-13 played ultra-frenzied hardcore, bordering on all-out thrashcore, they blaze and slice through songs like nobody’s business, hitting the listener with their dislike of authority, cops, and society in mere seconds. That’s not a false statement; three songs on this release are literally under 10 seconds long. DS-13 did everything right on this 7” and I have to say it is a favored listen amongst their formidable catalog. I never got to see the band live, but the production gives me a sense of what it would be like. I love releases like this. Short songs require a short review. I'm going to take the next 9 minutes and 38 seconds and go listen to the 13 songs on Aborted Teen Generation. You should too.
Coming up with stupid things to stress myself out with is easy. Almost a month ago, I was talking music with a dear friend and the amount of physical media we both own entered the conversation. When we finished, I got an idea in my head: What if I could only own 100 records the rest of my life? To put my dilemma into perspective, at this current time, it would take me approximate 9.7 years to listen to all my records if I listened to one record every day. No CDs. No cassettes. Just vinyl. Then I began to think to myself about the ridiculousness of that amount of albums and time. Could I just live with 100 records the rest of my life and what would they be? I told the concept to my friend and he happily told me to fuck off with that in the nicest way possible. Looking back, I should have told myself to fuck off because I've been working on and intensely struggling with this for a month now. Even though I'm still questioning a few things that didn't make the cut, what I finally figured out is that I will never EVER be completely happy with this final list, This is as close as I'm going to get. Without further ado, my top 100 albums to live with the rest of my life.
7 Seconds - New Wind
7 Seconds - Soulforce Revolution
7 Seconds - The Crew
A Flock Of Seagulls - A Flock Of Seagulls
The Accused - More Fun Than An Open Casket Funeral
Acid Bath - When The Kite String Pops
All - Breaking Things
Anacrusis - Screams And Whispers
Atheist - Unquestionable Presence
Bad Brains - I Against I
Bad Religion - Against The Grain
Bad Religion - No Control
Bad Religion - Suffer
Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality
Boston - Boston
Brutal Truth - Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Measures
Candlemass - Nightfall
Christian Death - Only Theatre Of Pain
The Clash - London Calling
Cock Sparrer - Shock Troops
Coroner - No More Color
Corrosion Of Conformity - Blind
Cro-Mags - Age Of Quarrel
Crumbsuckers - Life Of Dreams
The Cult - Electric
The Cure - Faith
Cynic - Focus
Dag Nasty - Can I Say
Danzig - Danzig
Death - Scream Bloody Gore
Def Leppard - High N' Dry
Depeche Mode - Violator
Descendents - Milo Goes To College
Détente - Recognize No Authority
D.I. - Horse Bites Dog Cries
Die Kreuzen - Die Kruezen
Doughboys - Home Again
D.R.I. - Dealing With It
Exodus - Bonded By Blood
Faith No More - Introduce Yourself
Faith No More - King For A Day Fool For A Lifetime
Well, here we are. The fact I typed the year 2026 and it is associated with a new Megadeth record is an accomplishment to be added to the mountain-sized stack of well-deserved accolades the band has earned. This is especially true since they never took a reprieve from their career in music. Of course, when I use the all-encompassing “they,” we all know I’m truly focusing on founding member and metal legend Dave Mustaine. Regardless of whether this final album is good and whatever debates exist about the band’s catalog of releases, you cannot deny Megadeth’s legacy and achievements. I’m going to review this in a way I’ve never done before. We are going to roll with a PASS/FAIL system with a cumulative opinion at the end.
Tipping Point – PASS
It’s never good to start with the best song on the record. If a band does that, the rest is usually a letdown if the quality doesn’t stay at the same level. I had no clue “Tipping Point” would be the preeminent song on the record until I got through the whole thing. Yeah, you can see where this is going already. It’s a strong song that should’ve introduced a formidable album. It has fire, cohesive parts and the best vocal performance on the record. With that said, some producer should’ve told Dave the “push me I’ll push you back” line is silly and unnecessary.
I Don’t Care – FAIL
Oh boy. Dave is making his best effort to channel the spirit of 80s Lee Ving. Lyrically this reaches a level of embarrassment where someone so established shouldn’t stoop. It’s such a strange attempt at a unifying, antiauthority battle cry. Nobody is going to regard this as a new youth anthem and hold their fist or middle finger in the air while this is blasting through the speakers. The intensity and music is nowhere near the opener. What do the kids say? Cringe? Yeah, big cringe.
Hey God – FAIL
I’m sure Dave doesn’t realize he kind of ripped off a Détente riff which is the only positive thing to say about this dumpster fire. This song goes nowhere. I’m sure the song was written so the vocals could be the focal point, but the lyrics and vocal delivery are the equivalent to nails on a chalkboard.
Let There Be Shred – PASS
Typical, color-by-numbers thrash. More horrendous lyrics. “On the day I was born a guitar in my hand.” Ok. Next, you’ll be a cowboy riding a steel horse. What I will give this song credit for are the guitar solos and overall energy. This doesn’t mean it’s a great song, but certainly not a complete bottom feeder.
Puppet Parade – FAIL
Intensely bad. This makes me think Dave is trying to do what he successfully achieved on “In My Darkest Hour.” The problem is there is no emotion behind it and it comes off hollow and plods along like a overweight cow in a pasture. That means it’s fucking boring. What is that chorus? It’s trying to be melodic but he forgot to put melody in it. So weak and the worst song on this record.
Another Bad Day – FAIL
I was wrong. This is the worst song. This song and structure harken back to the time I started to dislike Megadeth’s trajectory. This song sounds like it should have been shelved during the Countdown To Extinction era. The guitar solo is the only bright spot on a dark pit of a song.
Made To Kill – PASS
Dammit if this song doesn’t start off pretty good. The vocals aren’t anything to write home about, but the opening music is strong. Then it happens…more garden variety thrash riffs. Why do I have such a problem with these? Because any band can pull this off. The guitar parts don’t have that unique Megadeth style imprinted on them at all. Yet, not a bad song. For this album that isn’t saying much so far. This would be a filler track on any stronger recording.
Obey The Call – FAIL
Heavy main riff that reminds me of something between slowed down Anthrax or Exodus, but then the chorus comes in and sends a decent idea straight to the trash can. The speedy ending makes no sense. This is where I have a huge issue with the songwriting. Megadeth were masters of building songs by creating tension and then giving the listener the payoff. This song is three ideas stapled together without the use of transition or creativity.
I Am War – FAIL
I tried as much as I could to stay away from this critique because it could apply to every song so far, but Dave just sounds old and tired on this song. The goddamn song is called “I Am War” and it’s so weak and mundane. Zero fire or intensity. Glam metal bands in the 80s used to have heavier riffs.
The Last Note – FAIL
And the extinguishing flame continues for the last ever Megadeth original. This album goes out with a whimper. An acoustic solo? Really? It doesn’t give it dynamics; it just sounds fragile. What is supposed to come off as emotionally charged end up as pretentious drivel.
Ride The Lightning – FAIL
This should never have been a concept in the first place. Dave calls this a tribute to his past with Metallica, but it was all ego that initiated this shit-fest of a cover song. Did he really think “Ride The Lightning” was how he could prove how much better Metallica songs would have been if he were still in the band? I don’t care what he wrote with them. Good god. This song is iconic and no one should cover it. He would have been so much better off choosing something from Kill ‘Em All to play with an unbridled fury. This is just a horrible idea and what happens when your unattended jealousy gets the best of you. Maybe Dave should’ve competed with one of his own better albums instead of the band whose shadow engulfed him since 1983. This is making all their other bad cover song choices look pretty great now.
This was not an easy review on two different fronts. The first problem is the album is not good and listening to it was a rough experience. The bigger problem, though, is the internal argument it sparked between my 15-year-old self and my cynical, yet trying my best to be reasonable, 55-year-old self. The 15-year-old year old is screaming out about how bad this album is and that if it were released in 1986 he still would’ve hated it. It happened at various times with other albums that people give high praise such as And Justice For All, Practice What You Preach, Pleasures Of The Flesh and Frolic Through The Park. Meanwhile, the 55-year-old is trying to present some logic with that bratty teenager, urging him to be more open-minded and respectful of a record made by a founding father of thrash metal; a musician with a 40-plus-year career who clearly put time, talent, and effort into creating something for his massive fanbase. In the end, the 15-year-old won because this album mostly sucks rocks. There are 3 decent songs on this record and 8 underwhelming compositions I never need to subject my ears to ever again. I didn’t even review the extra songs that are floating around out there because they’re no better than anything that made the final cut of the record.
Yet a couple of silver linings do exist on this lousy album. Dirk Verbeuren is a phenomenal drummer that turns in a rock solid performance. Don’t let the fact that the drums sound like they are covered with a wet blanket deter you from appreciating his effort. The absolute highlight of the album is guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari. Unfortunately, his astounding playing cannot save this record. His solos deserve the spotlight they got in each song as he strikes a perfect balance of melody and technical ability. I’m sure the bass player did a wonderful job, but I can’t tell.
The final struggle I had with reviewing this is similar to dealing with loss, in that a band that electrified me in the most sensational musical time in my life is going to be extinct. When I look at it from that perspective, it doesn’t give me pleasure to degrade their final output. Don’t get me wrong, this album is awful, but this is also the band that gave me Peace Sells and Killing Is My Business, which is something I have been and will continue to be grateful for because those albums continue to be a huge part of my life. I, like the hundreds of thousands of Megadeth fans, owe the band and Dave Mustaine sincere gratitude for giving us their gift of music. With that said, I’m going to hit up the first 4 Megadeth records and enjoy the memories.
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