DEATHROW - Raging Steel (1987)

MMM

A definite improvement on the rough and ready 'Satan's Gift / Riders of Doom' album, but still not really quite good enough to make it a 4M album. Once again, it's frantic German Thrash that follows in Kreator's footsteps, but never really comes close to equalling that band's blistering attack and songwriting ability.

DEATHROW - Riders of Doom / Satan's Gift (1986)

MMM

Released under two different titles with two different covers for reasons no one seems entirely sure of, this is a solid piece of German Thrash which would appeal to fans of early Kreator. Sadly the band isn't up to the level of Kreator, Destruction or Exumer, but this is enjoyable enough all the same.

QUEENSRYCHE - The Warning (1984)

MMM

After the 'Queen of the Reich' e.p. expectations were high for this debut album, but somehow, Queensryche managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of the victory that was their's for the taking! I don't really know why that is, but one massive problem here is the dreadfully 'gloomy' production. It's all just so downbeat. Where the 'QOTR' e.p. bristled with electricity, this is the production equivalent of one of those energy saving lightbulbs. Which is a shame, because there's some good material here that isn't presented in the best light. That said, if you are in the mood for it, this is a good album

DIVINE HERESY - Bleed the Fifth (2007)

MMM

Opinions are divided on this over at Metal Archives, it's either 'Dino's Triumphant Return' or it's absolute garbage cock metal! Well, I must say I tend to agree with the former. Bearing in mind this was Dino's first album since the weak 'Digimortal' (Fear Factory), this is a lot more impressive than anyone could have expected. I was going to mark it a four, but on reflection that is a little generous, perhaps a little too much goodwill spilling over from the majestic follow up 'Bringer of Plagues'!

DEATHSTARS - Termination Bliss (2003)

MMM

You can't get much more uncool than liking Deathstars, really... and I certainly don't rate this as highly as I did when I first heard it. I like this kind of electro-goth (sometimes) though, but the lead vocal gets a bit tedious after a while (so, deeeeep...). Middling is a good way to describe this, it's okay, but after a while it gets a little dull, better of sticking to Kovenant, who do this kind of thing better.

MOTORHEAD - Bomber (1979)

MMM

Despite the inclusion of several Motorhead classics (Bomber, Poison, Dead Men Tell No Tales...) I never quite got on with this album as well as I did with 'Overkill'. The thing is I hate the blues, and this album has a blues track on it. Horrid. Plus the whole thing lacks the bite and attack of it's illustrious predecessor. It's a good album for sure, just not a great one.

VICIOUS RUMORS - Soldiers of the Night (1986)

MMM

Solid but unspectacular, this is still an enjoyable romp with shredder Vinnie Moore drafted in to add a little guitar pizzaz. This album was released in 1986, but it strikes me that Vinnie Moore's excellent 'Mind's Eye' album wasn't much later and his playing is far superior there. Whatever, this sounds somehow 'old' compared to 'Digital Dictator' which was only a couple of years later and pummels it on every level really, not least in the vocalist department with Carl Albert replacing Gary St Pierre. Fun but not essential by any means.

CORONER - Grin (1993)

MMM

Conceived in the dark years of the early 1990's, like so many others Coroner suddenly felt the need to do something 'different'. I've never really worked out why that was, but it was a scene wide knee jerk reaction to the Grunge-era, and one which finished many a band's career. One such band was Coroner, the Swiss band who had thus far released four sterling Thrash Metal albums with a strong sense of musicality and originality. Truth be told, Grin is a good album, but it's so dark and despressed that whereas the songs on their own might excite, taken as a whole the album is something akin to quicksand. With that in mind it's impossible to give this one more than a middle of the road '3'.

WHIPLASH - Power and Pain (1985)

MMM

A truly atrocious album cover and a pretty dreadful production can't completely ruin this great album, try as they might. Whiplash had a slightly different sound than most US Thrash bands, at least partly because vocalist/guitarist Tony Portaro largely eschewed the use of palm damping the strings, which meant his riffs sounded less controlled than most of the clinical Bay Area thrashers, and a fair bit more energetic. He could play the guitar too, ripping solo's like Mustaine from his BC Rich Bich (who was also using this guitar about this time), and scattering the record with his intricate and dextrous playing. This is brutal Thrash for sure, with just the hint of a Hardcore edge, sadly it really does sound like it was recorded in a garage, which makes it hard for me to give it more than 3M's.

POWERMAD - Absolute Power (1989)

MMM

Powermad come from the same place as Laaz Rockit, that 'not really Thrash' but kind of that doomed both bands to obscurity. Shame really because this is a good melodic Speed/Thrash album which has plenty of good songs and catchy choruses. Like Laaz Rockit, the singer is good but perhaps not quite 'mainstream' enough for the band to have really hit the big time. Good stuff all the same.

PESSIMIST - Call to War (2010)

MMM

Sodom-esque nu-Thrash that got my attention pretty quickly, this stands out among the masses of mediocre modern Thrash bands and while this album couldn't really be called a 'classic' this band certainly have a lot of potential for the future.

WARRANT - First Strike (1985)

MMM

It's more of the same from Warrant on this mini album, which preceded 'The Enforcer' by only a few months. So it's more typical Germanic Speed Metal, in a similar vein to Warlock. Nothing really outstanding to comment on, but satisfying enough in short bursts.

WARRANT - The Enforcer (1985)

MMM

Classic German Speed Metal which inhabits a similar area to countrymen Warlock, but without the benefits of Doro Pesch's looks and voice. This is pretty run of the mill stuff really, but extremely enjoyable all the same. Melodic and moderately aggressive, you'd have to be fairly hardhearted not to find yourself nodding along at some point.

OBITUARY - Slowly We Rot (1989)

MMM

Definitely a very high three this one, and a very enjoyable blast of primitive Death Metal bludgeon. I remember buying this when it came out and cracking up as the intro gave way to the gurgling vocal. Obituary really don't do subtle and feeding as they did off the grinding riffs of Celtic Frost circa 1984, it's no surprise that Obituary quickly found themselves propelled to the top of their chosen genre.

ONSLAUGHT: In Search of Sanity (1989)

MMM

Actually pre-dating Metallica's foray into the mainstream, this album saw a drastic change in style for Onslaught and the recruitment of former Grim Reaper vocalist Steve Grimmet. Grimmet certainly gave the band a more melodic edge but overall this album wasn't a complete success. By their own admission the band were not the most talented of musicians and everything is so 'careful' that you can't help but imagine the band in the recording studio, concentrating on every note, unfortunately this robs the album of a large part of what made their previous albums so enjoyable, energy. Truth be told Grimmet was more suited to the bluesy rock he went on to perform with Lionsheart and this album is ignored by the band today, dismissed as a failed attempt at mainstream success. The production is pretty lifeless too and the drum sound is pretty lame, but there are some good tunes here and 'Welcome To Dying' is Onslaught's brave attempt to out-Metallica  Metallica, with very limited success (it has to be said).

SLAYER - South of Heaven (1988)

MMM

Possibly the most disappointing album in the history of metal, Slayer knew they couldn't top their 1986 masterpiece, so instead they dropped this lukewarm platter and ran. 3 or 4 really top notch songs hold together an album of filler, frankly, with 'Ghosts of War' and 'Silent Scream' the only songs offering the classic Slayer thrashing their fans really wanted. The title track is a good song, but is overexposed now and worn out. And after the shock and awe of the previous album's stellar production, this one sounds a bit crappy, actually.

KREATOR - Extreme Aggressions (1989)

MMM

Supposedly the best of Kreator's albums, but not by my reckoning. It's solid and much better produced than 'Terrible Certainty' but it just lacks something vital that I quite can't quite put my finger on. This does have some good tracks but somehow I just never connected with this one like I did with the other albums.

KREATOR - Terrible Certainty (1987)

MMM

A tough one to score this, it's either a very high three or a low four depending on my mood. A much cleaner sound than 'Pleasure to Kill' and some dodgy soloing from new guitarist 'Tritze' can't disguise the fact that this should have been better. The 'Flag of Hate' e.p. promised an album perhaps the equal if not greater than 'PTK' but this is not that album. What went wrong? It's no turkey, but it should have been better.

METALLICA - And Justice for All (1988)

MMM

1988 delivered some massive disappointments and this was another one. Following 'Master of Puppets' was never going to be a walk in the park but this missed the goal by some distance. Sure 'One' was a great song (even if the riff is a complete Dark Angel rip off!) and the title track isn't without merit, 'Blackened' too is a good opener and 'Dyer's Eve' is Metallica's last great forgotten thrasher, but inbetween it's all a bit mushy and frothy with not a lot of substance to any of it. The production is crap too, with zero bass audible from talented newbie Jason Newsted, so overall, I really can't give it more than a '3'.

VINNIE VINCENT INVASION - All Systems Go (1988)

MMM

A huge disappointment after the incredible (and mental) debut album. Here Vinnie toned down the guitar playing massively, choosing to make his point in more conventional and brief solo spots... some of these are sensational and jaw dropping but there are problems. For one Mark Slaughter's voice is horrible and the whole thing is coated with sugary cheese and squarely aimed at making the band an MTV sensation. Sadly for Vinnie after this album his whole band left and renamed themselves Slaughter and sold a million albums...