Deliverance-Hear What I Say!

Roxx Records/3 Frogz Records

2013

A lot of ink has been spilled over the Christian metal band Deliverance since they first came into existence back in 1985. Founded by vocalist/guitarist, and sole original member (!), Jimmy P. Brown (whose vocals,incidentally, are still as powerful as always even after all these years!), Deliverance's first two albums, which can be found as a two on one CD these days if memory serves me correct, are nothing short of classics. Those two albums, "Deliverance" and "Weapons of Our Warfare" (released in 1989 and 1990 respectively) are everything that speed metal/thrash should be. If you've never heard either then I would strongly urge you to check them out as album number one should easily appeal to fans of Death Angel and Hirax while the group's sophomore release showed an appreciation for groups like Metallica, Megadeth and even Slayer!  I was actually my teenage daughters age when I first discovered the group's "Weapons of Our Warfare" on cassette tape and subsequently saw them play live with Sacrament at the Aurora Library. Back then I was a lost teenager looking for the light, any light really, at the (supposed) end of a very dark tunnel. Thankfully that's not entirely who am now and as far as my own 15 year old? Well, I see her and I see a girl with more conviction and passion then I ever had at that age. But, that's another story for another time as we're hear to talk about this group's latest release right? With this serving as their (reported) final album what exactly can fans expect when "Hear What I Say!" drops on December 10th? Well, while the album's unnecessary intro, "Liber 111", isn't something I'd go rushing to stop the presses over (in other words it doesn't really build any sense of climax) that all changes once "The Annals of Subterfuge" kicks in. Having previously heard the demo version of this song on the "Thrashmageddon" compilation I was anxious to hear how it sounded in full, all guns blazing, living color. Needless to say it did not disappoint! Michael Phillips (also of The Sacrificed, Join The Dead) plays lead guitars on "Hear What I Say!" just as he did on the group's last studio-release, 2007's "As Above - So Below" and man if he doesn't make the album version of "The Annals of Subterfuge" sound killer then I just don't know what qualifies as "killer" anymore!  At about 2:45 or so into "Angst" (the third track on this release after the intro and "The Annals of Subterfuge") things gets epic thanks to his lead skills and from that point on, except for one misstep (which I'll soon enough address), there seems to be no stopping this bunch as they keep the positive energy flowing this ten track release! Manny Morales, who seems as if he has played with Deliverance on and off since 1993's "Learn", joins in on the fun of "Hear What I Say!" as does veteran drummer Jayson Sherlock (Mortification, Horde, Revulsed). If this truly is set to be Deliverance's last studio-album then at least they gave it their all and are going out of top! Heavier cuts like "Detox", which is like a N.W.O.B.H.M.-embracing Pantera trying to corner the market on all things Megaedth, "Nude" and the speed metal-tinged "Passing"' all showcase a band that seems strong and confident. Interestingly enough then some of "Hear What I Say!" sounds as if it is written from a very personal place. "Hope Lies Beyond" comes off as quite reflective as does "Nude" and "A Perfect Sky".  It must be said though that when it comes to "A Perfect Sky", while it's a fine song in it's own right and all, it really sticks out like a sore thumb on this release as it's most straight=ahead rock and roll then anything else. I'm not sure what was going on there. At least Jimmy Brown and company chose to follow it up with a solid cover of Iron Maiden's "Where Eagles Dare". The album ends on a good note with a German version of the track "Detox" called "Entgiftung". So, album number ten features ten tracks in all (well, nine I guess as the intro isn't much to write home about) and other then maybe "A Perfect Sky" it's most certainly a nice goodbye letter to fans. For a group that has had a few hiccups along the way (I'm looking at you "What A Joke"!) and had been criticized  for being a Metallica clone ("Weapons of Our Warfare") this release should silence some of the critics and doubters. Diehard fans will likely come away happy although I do wish there was a bit more to this release as far as the actual material goes. I would have loved to had more tracks like "Detox, "Angst" and "Passing" from Jimmy Brown and Deliverance as that might have really cemented this one as a thrash metal classic. But, it is what it is and at the end of the day "Hear What I Say!" is a fine collection of metal tracks with quite a bit of variety (style-wise) and more then enough emotional depth to make you really think about what you're digesting. Iff this is the last dance for Deliverance then let me be the first to thank them for all they did for the Christian metal community and wish them nothing but the best as they move on. 

So pick up a copy of "Hear What I Say!" from either:
www.3frogzstudio.com or www.roxxproductions.com

Various Artists-Thrashmageddon Volume 1

Roxx Records / Metal For A Dark World
2013

 This upcoming compilation, which is due for release on November 26, 2013 (In both digital and physical fashion with the physical CD release being a "Limited Edition", one time only/you snooze and you lose affair!), is a collaboration between Roxx Records and Metal for a Dark World Records. And, as the time so helpfully points out, this one covers thrash from both older, more established acts and new, up-and-coming ones. Being that it's on Roxx Records it should go without saying that it's all about Christian thrash, but when it comes to some bands like Tsavo Inc. and Supresion it's not as if you can really tell (as, at least with those two acts, the music is plain nasty and comes packaged with gnarly solos that promise to tear apart your body and leave it just lying there for all to see!). With this compilation there were some bands that I had heard before (Deliverance, Join the Dead, Ultimatum and Boarders), some bands that I had heard of but never heard anything (music-wise) by them (Step Cousin being the one band I was most curious to hear as their name had popped up on a lot of Christian metal discussion boards) and bands that I had never heard of before period! That last collection/description of groups dominated most of this album for me which was good as it gave me something to look forward to with each new track!  Things start off with Deliverance who I believe I've mentioned in the past. If not then the short end of the story is that I first heard these guys with their 1990' "Weapons Of  Our Warfare" album and then I actually saw them play live in the basement of my local library! They were pretty good, but I remember being turned off by the group's later work as it always (at least to me) paled in comparison when put next to the Metallica-like "Weapons...". They sound as if they have returned to form with the opening number. This unreleased demo version of "The Annals of Subterfuge" looks as if it's is a sneak peek at what awaits fans when it comes to the group's upcoming new album "Hear What I Say!". As for the rest of the tracks though? It might be a bit too much to do a track by track breakdown, but I did walk away with a few observations and the desire to hear more out of a couple of these bands. Let's see, while that opening cut by Deliverance is really good (very cool power metal/heavy thrash combo!) the next track by Join the Dead is about two minutes to long! We're talking about a cut that runs like six minutes! I had to fight the urge to just hit "next" so while it's a fine thrash track it just goes on and on and on and for w-a-y too long at that! When you look at this compilation's track listing it does seem as if they tried to stack the more well-known acts up front. Take a look-

1. Deliverance – The Annals of Subterfuge (from the forthcoming album ‘Hear What I Say’)
2. Join the Dead – Idol Faith
3. Ultimatum – Blood on a Thousand Hills
4. Tsavo Inc. – Immunodeficiency
5. Boarders – IV Reich
6. Kyrius – Cara a Cara (Face to Face) (Previously Unreleased)
7. Step Cousin – Bitter Reminder
8. Disaffection – Prepare to Die (Previously Unreleased)
9. Divulgence – The Swarm of Eden
10. Last Rites – Wisdom of Job
11. Puritan – Faixa De Gaza
12. Supresion – Total Thrashing
13. Truster – A.C.D. (Attack Against The Devil)
14. Temple of Blood – Fearsome Warrior (Remastered)
15. Spirit’s Breeze – Another Day
16. ESDRASH – Suicidio N.E.L.S
17. Moshketeers – Internal Torment (Previously Unreleased)

With the exception of Tsavo Inc. those first few bands seem to be the bigger names right? Well, as you go along it's actually some of those less known tracks that end up being the better material here. To cut through the clutter I decided to just give each track a rating. With one "+" being an "decent at best" rating it will go like this:
+=Decent at best.
++=Good, if nothing special, metal.
+++=Solid metal that's worth checking out as it comes packed with some cool ideas.
++++=Now we're talking! This band is cooking with real fire folks!
+++++=Must hear! Where have these guys been all my life? I'm off to look for CDs by this band right now!

1. Deliverance – The Annals of Subterfuge (from the forthcoming album ‘Hear What I Say’) ++++
2. Join the Dead – Idol Faith  +++
3. Ultimatum – Blood on a Thousand Hills +++
4. Tsavo Inc. – Immunodeficiency +++++
5. Boarders – IV Reich  ++++
6. Kyrius – Cara a Cara (Face to Face) (Previously Unreleased) +++
7. Step Cousin – Bitter Reminder ++++
8. Disaffection – Prepare to Die (Previously Unreleased) ++++
9. Divulgence – The Swarm of Eden ++
10. Last Rites – Wisdom of Job ++++
11. Puritan – Faixa De Gaza +
12. Supresion – Total Thrashing +++
13. Truster – A.C.D. (Attack Against The Devil) ++
14. Temple of Blood – Fearsome Warrior (Remastered) ++
15. Spirit’s Breeze – Another Day +
16. ESDRASH – Suicidio N.E.L.S ++
17. Moshketeers – Internal Torment (Previously Unreleased) ++
  

So, there you have it. There were some great surprises and some disappointments. I walked away with some new bands to check out like Tsavo Inc. and Disaffection, but found myself longing for more out of Ultimatum (Their track is basically early Exodus meets early Metallica, but it just feels as if it doesn't stand up next to some of their other, better, material that I've heard). Also, the much-hyped (at least in the promo) "Long Lost never before released classic track" from 80's thrash act the Moshketeers was just alright. Nothing at all that special really. It was one of the tracks I was simply dying to hear as the Moshketeers were underground heroes back in the day and one of the few Christian thrash bands that really seemed to be a legit alternative to what was happening in the secular scene. I remember getting a third or forth generation tape of the Moshketeers back in high school and being really impressed by what these guys had to offer. I was surprised then when they never really took off. Back then it seemed as if someone had really dropped the ball, but that happened with a ton of good metal and thrash bands in both the Christian and secure market. It was just one of those things. As for this compilation then? If your a thrash fan then I'd say yes, look into getting this. The better aspects of this compilation out-way the so-so parts and with 17 tracks there really is quite a bit of variety on display here!