21-12-2009Snail trail - Vio-lence
Our resident metalosaurus Scott G takes a walk down memory lane
I remember seeing an advert sometime in '86 in the long since defunct metal magazine 'Metal Forces' for a free demo tape of fledgling Bay Area thrashers Vio-lence, all done through the MCA label subsidiary, Mechanic. I dutifully wrote out my little cover letter and enclosed the self addressed envelope and set about eagerly awaiting the tape to come screaming through my letterbox. It never came.
A few months later in the same mag there was a note from the band thanking everyone for the huge response to their demo and apologies to those that didn't receive it due to it selling out because of huge demand. Why was I so disappointed, I'd never actually heard them so I wasn't missing out on anything ..." was I?
Fast forward 2 years to 1988. Metallica had unleashed '...and Justice for All' on the world and fast, uncompromising 'thrash' metal was really delivering the goods. I thought ...'Justice' was one of the defining albums for 'our kind,' along with others from 1988 such as Voivod's 'Dimension Hatross', Megadeth's 'So Far So Good...So What?', Slayer's 'South Of Heaven' and Death's 'Leprosy', until I did what U2's Bono couldn't do - I found what I was looking for. There, in a little backstreet record shop in sleepy Bridgewater, Somerset of all places, was Acid Reign's e.p. 'Moshkinstein' and even more importantly, the debut long player by Vio-lence, 'Eternal Nightmare'. After reading about their live shows and being caught up in the band's buzz, it was finally in my hands and just the look of it was already generating so much intrigue that I could hardly contain myself. The cover was another Ed Repka masterpiece with a poor soul falling, along with his bed, down the Sarlak looking, teeth brimming series of all devouring open mouths. This really was an eternal nightmare I thought. The back cover had the lyrics printed over a picture of the band set around a car wreck in a scrap yard and they just looked the business. Bring it on ...
The title track bursts into life and even now, 21 years later, the twin guitar work still blows me away. Tight, precision riffing sprints out of the starting blocks courtesy of Phil Demmel and a certain Robb Flynn, (At that time, Flynn had migrated from fellow Bay Area thrashers, Forbidden �" another great band with a lot of songs co written by Flynn on their quality debut album 'Forbidden Evil') accompanied by the frenetic drumming of Perry Strickland and anchoring bass of Dean Dell. The ferocity and sheer intensity of the material is wondrous and the unorthodox voice of Sean Killian, for me, just adds that edge, that uniqueness that hadn't been heard in this corner of the market before. Often a bone of contention for some, Killian's vocals are the Marmite of the thrash world, you either love 'em or hate 'em. Me, I loved 'em from the off. I genuinely feel that when I hear him screaming his line "Reality's slipping and your mind's caving in/ Submitting to the web that you constantly spin/ It's over the edge with the straightjacket on/ Dragging you down to the world you belong," in my mind's eye I can see him thrashing against his belted tight straight jacket, eyes bulging and mouth frothing as he bounces against the walls of his rubber room. More to the point he doesn't let up for the full 35 minutes.
'Serial Killer' ups the ante further with yet faster riffing, faster drumming and the immortal vocal "Run for your life I'm the serial killer I've come to bury you today/No family, no funeral, no rosaries for Slain on this hillside - MY SILENT GRAVE!" following the opening metallic click of a weapon being cocked. This is thrash heaven.
'Phobophobia' slows the tempo down in parts with some tasty axework, mixing in elements of chug amongst the high speed riffing and vicious vocals as they tell the story of a mental patient's struggling battle with their own ever fraying mind.
Closing side 1 is the monster that is 'Calling In The Coroner'. Covered by Stampin' Ground on the Blackfish released 'Tribute to Thrash' some years ago, it's a bone fide classic. Its not the fastest, most complex tune the album offers but possibly the most accessible, even garnering the band's first unofficial DIY video and the closest thing to a 'hit' they would have thus far.
Side 2 kicks off with Perry counting in T.D.S (Take It as You Will), with more guitar histrionics, more speed, more intensity and more aggression following. The middle section lets you digest the telling of drug addiction, infection and overdose as the pace drops slightly yet the intensity level remains high.
Next up, 'Bodies on Bodies' opens with a quick flurry of drums and yet more speed riffing as the more traditional slasher killer/zombie/death lyrical content is spewed forth by the ever manic Killian, along with the perfected Bay Area instigated gang vocal chorus, making the track an aural Friday the 13th of sorts.
Closing the album on track 7 is 'Kill On Command', the final heads down lets go for it speed attack on this thrash metal masterpiece. The subject of contract killing is Killian's final agenda point and it's backed up with barked backing vocals aplenty and a brief solo mid section simply begging for the mother of all circle pits, before the rev counter is pushed back into the red for the increasing speed of the final furlong.
The original layout of the album had 'Torture Tactics' finishing it as track 8, however the band's label, Mechanic, were literally horrified with the lyrical content (which includes torture by teeth drilling, the pulling out of fingernails, 'c' clamping heads, slicing off skin and killing a family's children while listening to them scream) and flatly refused to put the album out if the song was included, so it was begrudgingly dropped. The 7 track album was eventually put out by Mechanic without it. A re-recorded Torture Tactics was finally aired on a self titled ep in '91 following the band's second album 'Oppressing The Masses' through Megaforce Records. The band split after '93's disappointing 3rd full length 'Nothing to Gain', however Robb Flynn later put together a small garage band out of Oakland. He followed the example set by Vio-lence by recording a demo he then made available to the public for free (and I didn't miss out on that one!). This then led to him signing his new band to Roadrunner and them releasing a rather good debut in '94 ...........
The ultimate thrash metal album of all time is undoubtedly Slayer's 'Reign In Blood'. It always has been and probably always will be, as in '86 when it came out, the likes of its speed, precision and intensity had never been heard before and no one has managed to top it since, including Slayer themselves. If I'm giving 'Reign...' a perfect 10, I'm giving Eternal Nightmare 9.9. Had it had come out 2 and a bit years earlier, before 'Reign...,' the timing would have made up that 0.1 and I honestly wouldn't have been able to separate them. Now press play and listen to the quality of music Robb Flynn used to play ......
Stand out Tracks: Eternal Nightmare, Serial Killer, Phobophobia, Calling in the Coroner, T.D.S (Take It as You Will), Bodies On Bodies, Kill On Command
Scott Gabriel
