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!

LNJ / JTD / Sacrificed-Roxx Christmas 2012

Roxx Records
2012

 
I've lost count of how many holiday-themed promos I've received in the last week or two. This 3-track release is a Roxx Records Exclusive EP. During this Christmas season, 2012, if you purchase any item from Roxx Records they will throw this in as a freebie. I'm not quite sure if what is being offered is a digital download or a physical item so be sure to check out the link below for more information. Now, as for the actual EP, what would make this release any different then the bulk of similar seasonal releases? Sure, there is the fact that Roxx Records is a Christian label. What difference does that make? Well, the sentiment behind some of the music, as well as the label's actual stance, is most likely more sincere. They want to remind the listener to keep Christ first this Christmas. Considering how commercial and materialistic the holiday season has become anyway it's not such a bad thing at all to take a step back and reflect on something other then the latest and greatest "must have" seasonal purchase. That's just an observation on my part so, as much as I'm sure everyone just loves my daily reflections on life, let's get to this EP. With only 3 songs it's a quick listen. Up first is Liberty n' Justice with a cover of "The Grinch". It's unfortunate that no line-up information was provided with this promo as the music is slick, old-fashioned hard rock/heavy metal with some great solo work out of the guitarist. Music-wise this can't be beat and all it does is make me hunger for Liberty n' Justice's upcoming "The Cigar Chronicles". But, "The Grinch" really doesn't match-up very well when it comes to lyrics verses music. More then anything it just seemed like an odd fit. Track number 2 is Join the Dead with a heavy thrash version of  "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". I thought
the debut album from this Bay Area thrash band, which was released earlier this year, was a winner with it's old-school take on thrash metal. Join The Dead does the same thing with this cover. If you've always wondered what a Bay Are thrash cover of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" was like then wonder no more. This track isn't anything fancy, but it's got a certain charm all it's own. Last up is The Sacrificed. They cover "The Little Drummer Boy" and, for the record, this one track was released before. Without looking through my reviews I'm 99% percent positive I said the same thing then as I'll say now-it's OK. It really doesn't offer the listener anything interesting so I'm holding out for some more material from The Sacrificed. The promo says that it might come out "before 2013 comes to an end" so I'll look ahead to that. So, while this might not be all that special, it is free with any purchase so there's no real reason to complain out it.


http://www.roxxproductions.com/ 

Ultimatum / Join The Dead-Promotional Sampler

Roxx Records
2012

As Metal Mark said yesterday " The promo links are piling up.". With that being said (and with the express understanding that I am still only typing with one hand so any/all reviews from me will be short and sweet) I am also going to try to knock a few more out of the way over the next several days. This particular promo sampler features two solid Christian thrash outfits. Ultimatum are a band I'm rather familiar with. Lead by
Scott Waters (of No Life 'til Metal blog site fame) the band plays old-school thrash that is heavy and hard-hitting. I've always thought they sounded like a cross between Exodus and Metallica. In both cases I'm talking the earlier (and better) of both of those bands. All around good thrash that will make you want to turn your living room into a mosh pit. Excuse a bit of the old "cut and paste" here, but (per the promo):

Tracks 1 through 5 were taken from the brand new Ultimatum Album titled 'Heart of Metal - 20 Years of Ultimatum'

1. Heart of Metal [Remix 2012]
2. Blood on a Thousand Hills [2012]
3. Scattered (Body Parts) [2012]
4. Hook, Line & Sinker [2012]
5. Rip 'n' Tear [2012]

Meanwhile, tracks 6 through 9 were taken from the debut self titled album by Join the Dead  which I am fairly certain is the same EP I covered once already:
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=Join+The+Dead-Join+The+Dead+


Anyway, they tack on four very cool thrash tracks:
6. Mask of Fear [2012]
7. Out of Breath [2012]
8. Self Inflicted Pain [2012]
9. Idol Faith [2012]

And finally, track 10 is an "Exclusive Bonus Track made available only to 'You' and only here on this promotional sampler.". OK, I  can dig that. Said "exclusive bonus track" is a cover of the the Deliverance number " What A Joke?" and features Michael Phillips of Join the Dead and Scott Waters of Ultimatum. Is it any good? Well, it's a cover track so let's just leave it at that. Incidentally I actually caught Deliverance live when they played in the basement (yes, the basement!) of the local library "down the road". This was back when I was still in high school. They played with fellow Christian band Sacrament and made me realize that Christian thrash wasn't as bad as I had been lead to believe. Of course these days "White Metal" isn't as much of an issue anymore as the fine line between Christian and secular has been thoroughly blurred. It's easy enough to enjoy bands like this even if you are not a Christian as the music is, at it's core, just good old-fashioned thrash.

Join The Dead-Join The Dead

Roxx Records
2012


Join the dead? Well, I might feel like the dead first thing in the morning before my coffee (just fair warning to everyone out there-PLEASE do not approach me before I've had my coffee! I am dangerous when cornered!), but life does hold so much promise so maybe I'll hang on to the living for awhile. In reality what we have here is not so much a plea towards death or even an acceptance that you might become one of the walking dead (what with the zombie apocalypse in full bloom!), but rather a new thrash band from Roxx Records. This Northern California based thrash band features Michael Phillips (Deliverance, The Sacrificed, Fasedown) Paul White (Decadence) and Tim Kronyak (Deliverance) meaning while they might be "new" there is a lot of back bone to this outfit. This is full-on thrash meaning a bunch of guys moshing it up the old school way. Exodus, Forbidden, Vio-Lence, Death Angel, Testament, early Metallica, etc. Too be honest none of this is new as Join The Dead recycle a lot of classic thrash riffs. On their debut release the band blasts through four tracks of old school metal and what it lacks in originality it makes up for in epic thrashing. These four tracks will be released in digital format. That said, the EP will also be available in a "Limited Edition" CD pressing that will include 13 bonus tracks. This might just be the one to spring for if you are a Christian thrash freak. The bonus material features previously unreleased demos and live recordings that, more or less, tell the story of Join The Dead. These early recordings features material from some all time greats from the Christian thrash scene including The Crucified's Greg Minier (who by the way released one killer self-titled EP worth hunting down), Tim Kronyak, Michael Phillips, Paul White, Jim Chaffin and Jimmy Brown. The CD release will include a full color booklet telling the story and history of Join The Dead and offer up insight into the unreleased tracks. While all I had to review was the simple four track EP my gut tells me the CD release will be even better considering the who's who involved in it's making.