Venom - Bloodlust (1982)

The Bloodlust single was released by Neat Records in August of 1982, a couple months before their second L.P. This single was not any more important than the dozens of other releases just like it, but it happens to contain two of my favorite Venom songs so it seemed appropriate to review it, here.

"Bloodlust" starts out with a couple of stray guitar riffs and then Cronos shouting, "Come on, turn it up!" Abaddon utilizes a classic old school drum beat that is typical for the period as Mantas unleashes a Hell of a guitar solo as Cronos shouts his name. The song never really gets up to high speed, as this is more of a relaxed tune and has all the evil atmosphere of a 70s/80s horror movie. Even the lyrics echo this sentiment well enough:

"Now I shall feast

On your life giving blood

Leave you to die

On the land you once stood"

Everything about this song is perfectly executed with regard to the feeling that they were going for. With the campy lyrics and the obvious sense of humour, it is clear that Venom could not only make hellish music but they could also have a good time while doing so; something many later bands forgot how to do.

On Side B is the song "In Nomine Satanas". This song is a little heavier and mid-paced. It is pretty relaxed, like the first one, but still a little more serious in its delivery. As the song nears its conclusion, everything calms down and all that is left are terrifying, drawn-out guitar chords as the drums pound randomly and the dreadful voice of Cronos speaks out over the screams of the damned:

"Hear infernal legions plead

As Satan sings his songs of war

As I see mortal corpses rise

Up from the depths"

Bloodlust is a great single, featuring a killer B-side and served as a good way to keep Venom fans sated until the release of Black Metal while offering up two classic songs that would have been at home on either one of the first two albums.

Venom - Welcome To Hell (1981)

In January 1981, heavy metal meant bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden (who were weeks from releasing their second album), Motorhead, Angel Witch and Diamond Head, among others. There was no Slayer or Metallica and certainly no Bay Area Thrash scene. There was no German Thrash Metal. Brazil was bereft of any sort of Black/Death Metal and Scandinavia's most widely known musical output was from a disco group. Even Ozzy Osbourne had only released one solo album at this point. The hard rock/heavy metal landscape was far different from what it is today; it was quite different than it would be, even a few years later. When people listen to Venom for the first time, most are unable to truly fathom what this band signified because they've heard heavier and faster bands. They fail to realize that all of this had to start somewhere. This was the birth of extreme metal. This trio from Newcastle, England was very influential to the Thrash, Death and Black Metal bands that came after them. Venom influenced bands including Slayer, Bathory, Hellhammer, Possessed, Death, etc. And how many others did those bands go on to influence? Even Metallica cited Venom as an influence, in the early days.

Welcome To Hell is the raw sound of heavy metal in its most primal, feral form. The sound of a band holding nothing back, with a style that took the essence of Motorhead, punk rock and Black Sabbath, shook it all together then distorted the result until ears bled and people ran screaming for cover. This album is the musical equivalent to the Earth splitting asunder, opening up and revealing a filthy, gaping maw to the Kingdom Below. It's the sound of sinners screaming in eternal damnation, hellfire licking at their charred and blackened limbs. It's the sound of a succubus mating orgasmically with a mortal man. It's the sound of Lucifer's voice emanating from Linda Blair's lips. It's the sound of a sacrificial knife slicing bloodily between a virgin's breasts.

"Sons of Satan" bursts from the silence, as soon as you put the record on, with all the energy of a Motorhead tune. However, this features more bass, which adds to the aura of doom, and very raspy and diabolical vocals. The song rages from the inferno of black flames, though there is a slower section in the middle that showcases a relaxed bass line, before bursting forth once more with conviction and fury. Though they weren’t entirely dissimilar from other NWOBHM bands, Venom’s entire presentation was as terrifyingly unique as Black Sabbath’s debut was a decade before.

The next song is "Welcome To Hell" and it sounds like a chainsaw attempting to slice through a steel girder. This is a little slower, featuring a mid-paced thrash riff that would go on to be ripped off a million times from Motley Crue and Celtic Frost to Bewitched and legions more. The sound is rugged and low-fi and suits Venom just fine. There’s an almost intentional sloppiness to the record; the guitars and bass are so raw that you start to question whether some of the things you’re hearing are really even there. The drums are produced pretty poorly too, but they’re so frantic that it’s excusable. Cronos’ nearly atonal vocals are also a plus: his signature growl and occasional shrieks have been echoed by Tom Araya and dozens of other thrash vocalists. This song may have been influential in its use of female vocals for a brief spoken word passage, as well.

"Schizoid" is next, is another uptempo song with memorable riffs and enough changes to keep the listener interested. This is a great example of Venom's ability to join together insane speed (for the time) with a very catchy chorus. This is a menacing account of a mentally disturbed murderer stalking his victim and it sounds as if it was actually recorded somewhere in the pits of Hell. Somehow, it would be hard to imagine it any different. It definitely fits the dark, sinister and filthy atmosphere of the songs.

"Mayhem With Mercy" is a brief instrumental that serves as an interlude. This acoustic passage has a somber feel to it and the sound of the winds blowing only adds to the cold effect. This piece stirs feelings of abandonment, solitude and hopelessness. This is all swept aside as "Poison" rocks in from the darkness. This is a relatively fast song, using Satanic imagery to convey a pretty sickening tale that, probably, was all-too-common in those days. This certainly isn't the darkest song on the album, but it fits in just the same and features some killer thrash riffs and hellish solos. This atmosphere continues with "Live Like An Angel (Die Like A Devil)". This song has some of the best riffs of the whole album, especially the twin guitar harmonies around the two-minute mark. This, as well as the wicked solos, helps to give the song somewhat of an epic feeling (if this can be applied here).

Side two begins with the fastest and most evil song on here, "Witching Hour". The rumbling bass joins the sound of flames flickering in the wind as the gates of Hell open wide and demonic screams issue forth. This brilliant song must be heard to really be appreciated, especially the awesome lead solo. The song ends in a frenzy of hellish chaos. This is followed by the merciless and unrelenting "One Thousand Days In Sodom". What the song lacks in speed, it makes up for in heaviness and power, crushing those that dare stand before it and grinding their bones to dust.

Quickening the pace once more is “Angel Dust”, another barbarian at the gates that rips them from hinges with a bursting chorus. Much like "Sons of Satan", this is uptempo and reminiscent of Motorhead. Cronos screams with quite a bit of conviction and it serves the song very well. Then the fires turn black. With the unholy entrance of “In League With Satan” the draconian mood ascends to another level. Just when you think this album’s psalms to Hell have already been penned in their purest form, this innocent song comes along to crush them and all other feats of darkness up until that point and some time after… the morose, back-masked intro, the distorted and demonic vocals, the droning chorus, lyrics written with the tears of priests… This plodding tune adds a lot to the evil atmosphere of Welcome To Hell. The finale, “Red Light Fever”, is more basic than most of the group’s tracks, beginning with what was, probably, the heaviest riff of 1981. Abaddon never deviates from the most basic of drum beats even during the tune’s moments of pure outburst, a solo that’s foremost white noise while Cronos growls whatever seems to come to mind. As the song nears its conclusion, it speeds up to a chaotic frenzy before everything runs out of steam and fades out.

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement yielded a lot of talented bands, many of which were underappreciated. Venom was not one of these. With a sound that was, at the time, the most reckless, menacing force in music, Venom rightly garnered acclaim and infamy. Though their music might appear a bit derivative these days, their striking sonic departure was pretty revolutionary at the time and it is easy to say that they were the first extreme metal band. Welcome To Hell represents the first step in the evolution of Thrash, Death and Black Metal. While it may seem tame by today's standards, it is important to keep in mind that Venom is the band that paved the way for those that came after. Yet this was only the first chapter.

Hellhammer - Satanic Rites (1983)

In the autumn months of 1996, I received a package from Metal Blade Records that included the first five of the Metal Massacre compilations, on cassette. These tapes blended in, nicely, with my collection as I was only somewhat aware that the 80s were over. To walk into my room back then would be to step into a dark cave that was always filled with music. Whether it was Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, Venom, Death, Morbid Angel, etc. it was, more often than not, something spawned in the 80s or before. I looked forward to the Metal Massacre tapes, though there turned out to be a lot of horrendous music contained therein. However, a few gems stuck out and attracted my attention. Among these were "Condemned to the Gallows" by Voivod and "Crucifixion" by a Swiss band called Hellhammer. I don't think I had ever heard or read of this band before that day. Following this, I sought out whatever I could find of them. It would take a year or so before I was able to find out that this song was taken from the Satanic Rites demo. Once I learned this, I pursued this obscure release for quite some time before getting my hands on it.

Satanic Rites is the third demo released by Hellhammer. However, the quality is so superior to what was heard on Denial Fiend and Triumph of Death that this can be considered more of an album than a demo, by comparison. This album was recorded in early December 1983 and it marked the first time that Hellhammer recorded music in a proper studio. Stephen Priestly abandoned the band around this time and, as a result, Tom Warrior played the bass for these recording sessions. This would lead to Martin Eric Ain joining the band shortly thereafter. After moving all of their equipment over from the Grave Hill bunker to the studio, they recorded 10 songs in the first day, with the guitars and drums being live. The bass, vocals and leads were overdubbed.

Satanic Rites cost about 600 Swiss francs and was officially released by Tom Warrior's fictional Prowlin' Death Records on 200 Sony and TDK cassettes. The album was recorded by the request of Noise Records (Berlin, Germany). It led to a full recording contract in March 1984 and the Apocalyptic Raids E.P. that would follow. This recording is responsible for beginning the legacy of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost as well as the legions of bands that would be influenced by this music.

The idea to create Hellhammer was born in late 1981 when Tom and Steve Warrior deliberately slowed-down playback of Venom's "In League With Satan" single from 45 rpm to 33 rpm. They pay homage to this moment during the intro to Satanic Rites as they slow-down the ending riff of "Triumph of Death". This sets the dark and obscure mood, right from the start.

The first song is "Messiah", and it fades in with a sloppy, yet energetic sound, and a terrible shriek from Tom Warrior. His vocals improved a great deal from the ridiculous nonsense found on the earlier demos. This is stripped-down, primitive and ugly Black Metal. This was Venom's legacy, already corrupting the youth of Europe and beyond. Hellhammer's music struggles with itself, cycling through repetitive riffs that seem thrown-together; the guitar almost desperately sawing back and forth between chords that simply don't sound like they belong together at all. Often it sounds as if Tom isn't sure quite what chord to play, and simply ends up thinly strumming half of it, or forcing an anguished bent note out of his instrument. The drums, in the majority of the songs, clip along at a fast pace, but the rest of the band crawls, so that even the faster songs come out doomy and hobbling. The complete absurdity of some of these riffs would make most musically minded people cringe, yet it works in this context. If you want great riffs and sinister melodies from this time period, listen to Show No Mercy or Melissa. This is for those that want something ugly and primal.

The raw minimalism continues on "The Third of the Storms (Evoked Damnation)". The overall sound of Satanic Rites is actually preferable to that on Apocalyptic Raids, but this song probably sounds better in its final form. There is a completely over-the-top echo on Tom's voice, which gives the music a sort of distant feel that isn't present on the E.P. The guitar is much thinner on this particular recording, but in a way that makes it clearer. There are a couple of glitches in the sound here and there, which obviously point to the fact that the CD was necessarily mastered from a cassette that was degraded in a couple of places, resulting in the breakup and distortion of sound common in old and often-played audio tapes. It's not a chronic problem though, and only surfaces in a couple of tracks, most notably for a second or two in the previous song.

The next song is the doom-laden "Buried and Forgotten". It was later stripped of certain elements and given a few others, developing into "Necromantical Screams", as heard on Celtic Frost's To Mega Therion. The Hellhammer version is a lot less precise and tight, obviously. It's very slow and full of those torturous bending notes Tom is so fond of, as well as some very menacing riffs. This is one of the highlights of this album. The vocals are ghostly and evil, adding to the atmosphere rather than detracting from it, though they do sound kind of weak in other parts of the song. The fast part, near the end, is completely unexpected and doesn't do a lot for the song, but it is brief enough to dismiss. Also worth mentioning is that Metin Demiral performs some guest vocals on this.

"Maniac" is not evil or dark, in any way. This song is much more up-tempo than the previous one and is faster, though not really that fast. It's at this point that the listener really senses that this band came out of nowhere, which is part of what makes them so great to so many. Tom Warrior listened to a lot of Motorhead, Venom and other NWOBHM bands like Angel Witch, at the time. Those are probably the bands, if any, people would be quick to pin on Hellhammer as obvious influences. However, if they had been able to play as well as Motorhead or even Venom, they would not be the original phenomenon that they were, because as Tom would have pointed out, they would have tried to sound like them. The fact was though, that Venom looked like virtuosos when compared to Hellhammer, and that is a scary thought for a lot of people.

"Eurynomos" is one of the most memorable tracks to be found here, possessing a lot of the early 80s rock vibe that was present on the earlier demos of Hellhammer. This isn't particularly evil, but it is pleasing to listen to. I have many good memories of listening to this while speeding down the highway after picking my girlfriend up from work, late at night. This is a fairly fast song, kind of sloppy, but it serves its purpose well.

The next song is "Triumph of Death" which is better than the previous version, but pales in comparison to that which is found on Apocalyptic Raids. It's neither as slow nor quite as epic as the later version and represents only one step in the development of this song, which is considered the defining opus of Hellhammer as a creative entity. The thrashier riffs (that were recycled on Morbid Tales) sounds more natural at this speed, but the rest of the song seems awkward and, while it is still a good song it simply isn't as satisfying as the version on the E.P. The suffocatingly dark atmosphere is absent, as are Tom's soul-shattering shrieks of anguish and despair.

"Revelations of Doom" is a pretty straight-forward song that can also be found, in a different form, on the Apocalyptic Raids E.P. This is more primitive, rock-based Black/Thrash from Switzerland. It's not one of the more inspired tracks, but it has its place and is good if you are in the mood to rock.

One can easily hear some pre-Morbid Tales riffs in the next song, "Reaper". This one is pretty mid-paced and gets things back on track for this album. This primitive, minimalist track leads into "Satanic Rites", which is epic by comparison. The title-track has a brief build-up before unleashing more traditional hard rock/heavy metal rhythms. Sadly, the lyrics for this song seem to do more to showcase Tom's perverse nature which was one of his inspirations for getting into music, anyway. Certainly, he needed some sort of outlet for all of the pent-up aggression and music seemed to double as a way to get women interested, as well. Despite this, "Satanic Rites" is one of the more memorable songs on the album and is one of the most inspired tracks to be found here. It's fairly simple and repetitive, yet it is done in a way that you'd hardly notice that the song was over seven minutes long.

The last song on here is the first Hellhammer song that I ever heard, from the Metal Massacre V compilation on Metal Blade Records. "Crucifixion" makes the previous song look like a complex and technical masterpiece. This is about as stripped-down as it gets. The opening moments are reminiscent of the beginning of Slayer's "Aggressive Perfector". This is straight-forward, ugly Black Metal and serves as a good way to bring this album to an end.

The outro is similar to the intro, a slowed-down riff from "Revelations of Doom". This doesn't create quite as dark an atmosphere as the intro, but it makes its point.

Overall, Satanic Rites is a great representation of what Hellhammer was. While the earlier version of "Triumph of Death" is vastly inferior to what is found on Apocalyptic Raids, the rest of this actually does a better job of conveying the spirit of Hellhammer than that E.P. This is the band as they were meant to be: stripped-down, raw and unpolished.

Sodom - In the Sign of Evil (1984)

Along with Venom, Bathory, Mercyful Fate and Hellhammer, Sodom was one of the pioneers of the First Wave of Black Metal with their debut E.P. In the Sign of Evil, which was released in 1984. This emerged from the darkened depths of Hell some months before Bathory's self-titled album, just to put this in perspective. Sodom would later go for a pure Thrash Metal style, more similar to fellow German bands Kreator and Destruction, but this release is total blasphemy and evil captured on tape. There is a strong Venom influence, though this is darker and heavier than anything that they produced, yet not nearly as coherent as the early Slayer albums.

This twisted affair begins with a brief and horrifying intro that leads into rumbling guitars and animalistic snarls, like the sound of something escaping from Hell to wreak havoc upon the living. "Outbreak of Evil" is aptly titled. The drumming has somewhat of a sloppy feel, yet it works very well within the context of the music and is still more coherent than Hellhammer. Angel Ripper's vocals are more of a puked rasp than anything else, sounding very sinister and evil. The guitars, mostly, consist of tremolo-picked power chords and seem similar to what Bathory was doing around this time. Overall, this has a very evil and barbaric sound.

"Sepulchral Voice" is next and this was the first Sodom song that I ever heard; the one that got me interested in checking this band out in the first place. This begins with a few singles notes being drawn out over the sound of rabid demons waiting to be unleashed upon the living. This slow and ominous intro yields to unrelenting fury as the song picks up speed and Angel Ripper's venomous vocals slice through the wall of sound. The pace alternates from deathly slow to very fast, throughout the song. This primitive sound was very influential to bands such as Sarcofago and others in the Brazilian scene, for example. Near the end, there is even a brief bass solo before the song reaches blinding speeds once again. This one song probably best exemplifies the dark feeling of this E.P.

The next song begins with a brief build-up of guitars and demonic laughter before erupting at full speed. "Blasphemer" is one of the fastest and ugliest pieces of Black Metal on this album. The atmosphere is one of pure Hellish chaos. This unholy song is held together by frenzied rhythms and a rabid chorus as Angel Ripper continues to laugh like a demon that is filled with demented joy to be hurling you into the fires of Hell. The overall pace is reminiscent of Kreator's "Tormentor" (which actually came the following year).

"Witching Metal" has more of a traditional metal sensibility, while being unrelenting in its ferocity. Angel Ripper seems quite possessed at this point and Witchhunter does his best to keep up with Grave Violator's fast guitar riffs. He throws in oddly timed rolls and cymbal crashes at obscure moments. Either way, it works and the fierceness of his performance commands respect. This violent song is fairly short.

An eerie intro leads into "Burst Command Til War". The sound is Hellish and evil and would have been a good way to begin the album. The final song if this classic E.P. truly does burst forth from the dark shadows, claiming all pathetic lives in its way. The effect on Angel Ripper's vocals adds to the demonic fury of his delivery. The riff on this one has a similar early power/speed feel as the one riff from “Sepulchral Voice”, but the context it’s presented in is so different that it isn't so easy to notice. The song ends with more chaos and something that sounds like a bomb exploding and incinerating thousands.

In the Sign of Evil features five songs that each bring something unique to this release, while all maintaining the same morbid atmosphere. This E.P. was very influential to those Black Metal bands that came later and it is a shame that Sodom did not stick with this sound for a while longer to fully explore what could have been achieved, before moving on to pure Thrash Metal. In the Sign of Evil really captures the darkened intensity of the early scene and is about as good as it gets regarding early extreme metal. If you own only one Sodom album, make sure this is the one.

Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales (1984)

In 1984, after a brief existence, Hellhammer was laid to rest and Celtic Frost was born out of its ashes. It was said that nothing more could be accomplished within the limited framework of Hellhammer's sound, especially after the monumental song "Triumph of Death" was unleashed. The truth is that Morbid Tales could, easily, have been released under the Hellhammer name. It sounds a little more professional and polished, but there is no more difference between it and Apocalyptic Raids than is found between Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning, for example.

For anyone that has had any sort of lengthy correspondence with Tom Warrior, you surely know what an insincere and pompous piece of shit that he is, so there is no telling why Hellhammer was really ended. He spent many years speaking ill of that project, so it may be that he was embarrassed by the reputation that had been earned, up to that point, and wanted to start over. One must remember that it was only in recent years, after he saw that there was money to be made off of the Hellhammer name, that Mr. Fischer embraced these old works once more. Whatever the case, this band was no more and Celtic Frost was in its place, releasing the Morbid Tales E.P.

"Into the Crypts of Rays" begins with the screaming of damned souls as they descend into the abyss. This brief intro ends, abruptly, as the song erupts at full speed. This album, typically, gets a lot of praise for being a huge influence on Black and Death Metal, which it was, for the most part. However, it doesn't really hold up to similar releases such as The Return, Endless Pain or even Apocalyptic Raids, which was spawned by the same band that composed this slightly more mature, yet less exciting release.

The next song is "Visions of Mortality". This one begins in a fairly slow manner, being a little sloppy and relaxed. Absent is the murky guitar tone of Hellhammer, replaced by a much crunchier sound. The drumming is more professional, and helps to hold everything together. As for the vocals, they are certainly unique but they lack conviction, at times. They are certainly not dark or evil, in any manner. It sounds more like the slurred speech of a drunken Cronos impersonator. Mr. Fischer makes up for this by butchering every other word, thus making it entertaining in some form. As this song continues, the pace speeds up and the listener is assaulted by many riffs and lead solos.

The next song has been covered a million times and is one of Celtic Frost's better known works. "Procreation (Of the Wicked)" is a mid-paced song that is surrounded by an aura of doom. The vocals are a little better suited for the music on this song, though still not holding a candle to Cronos, Tom Araya, Angelripper, Quorthon, etc. All in all, it works. The demonic voice in the background adds a nice effect to the song as well. This was actually done by Horst Müller. This song never speeds up or changes in pace, at all. It crawls across the murky landscape, leaving a trail of sludge behind it, devouring all in its path.

"Return to the Eve" is next, opening with more typical Celtic Frost riffs. You would almost think that you have already heard this riff, and you're probably right. This song is pretty mid-paced, but still features a few riff changes. This is one of the more interesting songs of the album, until the last minute or so when the brief spoken word part (done by a female) intrudes and kills the feeling, to an extent. Surely, this was inspired by Venom's "Welcome to Hell" and it wasn't much appreciated there, either.

The album nears its conclusion with the very eerie instrumental, "Danse Macabre". This may not sound like much if you're listening to this while at a party or driving down some crowded street, but try immersing yourself in this alone, in the middle of the night. This is like something pulled straight from a nightmare. This actually would have been a very appropriate way to end the album, but perhaps they wanted to pull the listener back from the edge of the abyss before leaving them alone in the darkness.

Unfortunately, "Nocturnal Fear" does nothing to capitalize on the horrific feeling created by the previous song. It rages forward at a high speed, actually sounding very similar to the first song, "Into the Crypts of Rays". As it slows down, it recycles more riffs found elsewhere on the album, particularly from the title track. This isn't terrible, but it seems a bit uninspired. However, after the brilliant instrumental, they get a pass to do whatever they wish to close the album out.

All in all, Morbid Tales is a good E.P., though a definite step down from Satanic Rites and Apocalyptic Raids. Despite its shortcomings (such as the involvement of a scumbag like Tom Fischer) it has earned its place in metal history. While it lacks the aggression and dark atmosphere found on early albums from Slayer, Bathory and Kreator, it maintains an identity of its own and managed to influence many bands that came later.

Megadeth - Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! (1985)

Throughout 1982 and into 1983, Dave Mustaine was the lead guitarist for Metallica. During the band's formative period, he was instrumental in the development of Metallica as well as that of Thrash Metal as a whole. They took their NWOBHM influences (including bands such as Motorhead, Angel Witch, Diamond Head and Venom) and harnessed this with a youthful aggression that produced something heavier, faster and much more vicious. Mustaine was a huge part of this, yet he found himself ejected from the band just before the recording of Kill 'Em All, in early 1983. It was a blow that Dave would never fully recover from, yet it inspired him to prove something to the world.

In the summer of 1983, he met David Ellefson and formed Megadeth. Early on, he attempted to get Sean Harris (of Diamond Head) to sing for his band, but with no luck. By the end of the year, Dave Mustaine took this duty on as well. After recording a three-song demo, Megadeth recruited Kerry King (of Slayer) for some of their first live shows, but he returned to his primary band after a short time. Mustaine and Ellefson were then joined by guitarist Chris Poland and drummer Gar Samuelson. By late 1984, the band was signed to Combat Records and entered the studio to record their debut L.P. Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! was released in early 1985.

Along with Metallica, Megadeth was one of the first Thrash Metal bands that I got into, so many years ago. I grew up with a lot of rock and traditional metal and NWOBHM, including Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Dio, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Satan, Motorhead, etc. What bands like Metallica, Megadeth and (later) Slayer represented was something harder, faster and more aggressive. While it may not have been the most evil thing released, Killing Is My Business... features a lot of dark atmosphere, especially for someone who was some years from hearing his first albums from Slayer, Bathory, Venom and so on.

"Last Rites/Loved to Death" begins with a very eerie passage, played on the piano. Much like a horror score, it creates a dark atmosphere and builds to its climax of doom. As these sounds fade, a familiar guitar riff opens the album. If you listen to the first albums from Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth, you'll notice a very similar way of opening the first song. The difference here is the ferocity and anger that fuels Mustaine's playing and the animalistic roar that he unleashes at the beginning of the song. Immediately, it is evident that this is faster and more intense than Mustaine's previous band, while also being much darker in sound. Even the lyrics are morbid and obsessed with death and murder. The socially conscious, political lyrics that Dave became known for are completely absent from this release.

Already, by the time the title track begins, the listener gets a real feel for Mustaine's style of songwriting. This song begins in a relaxed, mid-paced way before racing along at break-neck speeds. As with the previous song, there are plenty of riff and tempo changes. Often, people complain about the production that this album received, but it suits it just fine and adds to the charm. Anyone who came years later and only got the remixed version, you have been robbed of a true classic Thrash Metal album. The raw sound is as much a part of this as the riffs and vocal lines.

"Skull Beneath the Skin" begins with a psychotic lead solo and more of Dave's demonic screams. This song features some of the best thrash riffs written and it's no wonder how Mustaine was so influential to this growing scene. The lyrics are dark and much more fitting for this music than the political topics that would be used, later on. Of course, this isn't as harsh as Bathory or Sodom, but it is certainly darker than Metallica and Anthrax. Even all these years later, this music is filled with a great deal of energy and makes you want to destroy everything in your path while listening. There is a strong, violent force that pulses through this album.

The awful cover song must have been the result of a bad night of drugs and alcohol, so it will get no more attention here other than to say that it is completely out of place.

The next song is one of the most straight-forward Speed Metal songs of the album, "Rattlehead." This one lacks some of the dark atmosphere that is present elsewhere, but it makes up for that in pure, raw energy. This is simply one of the most intense songs on Killing Is My Business...

"Chosen Ones" is the shortest song on here, clocking in under three minutes, though it features a few more riffs than the previous song. This one really shows the NWOBHM influence and has more of a relaxed feeling, while still maintaining a decent speed. As with most of the other songs, this is very memorable. It's actually somewhat reminiscent of Motorhead, which may account for the calm pace. It is these more retrained parts of the album that might imbue the listener with a little frustration as Mustaine is known as one of the godfathers of Thrash Metal and it can seem like a waste when he's not unleashing incredible thrash riffs at full speed.

The next song begins with a very dark intro. "Looking Down the Cross" builds up very slowly and has the most evil and epic atmosphere of any of the songs on this album. The speed is more mid-paced, which lends to the dark aura. Brilliant riffs are circling over your head like vultures over a fresh carcass. The lead solos on this album are very methodically structured and individual in character. This is quite apparent on this song. It's difficult to believe that while this album displays a lot of complexity for an early Thrash Metal release, it's relatively straight-forward when compared to later Megadeth albums.

This classic is brought to its conclusion with "Mechanix", which is better known as "The Four Horsemen", from Metallica's Kill 'Em All. This is the original version that Dave brought with him into that band. This is much faster, features different (ridiculous) lyrics and is missing some of the dynamics that made it so effective on Metallica's debut. Mustaine did add a very nice intro to the song, but it does seem to fall a little flat when compared to "The Four Horsemen". The intro is mid-paced and works to create a sense of doom before the shredding onslaught begins. This is not filler, by any means. So long as it's no compared to anything else, it stands on its own pretty well. It's been said that Dave's vocals aren't the greatest but they make up for it in rawness and attitude. Well, this song is probably the biggest "fuck you", musically, as this gives him the opportunity to showcase his ability to play the riffs and lead solos that he created and that Kirk Hammett got credit for.

All in all, this is a very impressive debut album. It put the metal world on notice and made sure that Dave Mustaine would not be forgotten. Some criticize the cover art, the production or the vocals, but all of these things come together to make Killing Is My Business... the classic Thrash Metal album that it is and the starting point for one of the best bands in the genre. For any Thrash fans that have not yet obtained this, do whatever it takes to get your hands on the original, rather than the awful remixed version that drains all of the character right out of the album.

Mefisto - Megalomania (1986)

Mefisto was an underground Black/Speed Metal band from Stockholm, Sweden that released only a couple of demos in the mid-1980s. The first of these two demos, Megalomania, displays a band that was already somewhat ahead of many of their peers. Mefisto had a very unique style that easily set them apart from other Swedish bands such as Bathory and Morbid.

The intro to "Missing in Action" is somewhat terrifying to hear, with the sobbing and shrieking. The acoustic guitar is reminiscent of similar passages found on Sepultura's Schizophrenia, though this was released in May 1986 and predates that album. In a short time, the song erupts with a hellish sound and goes straight for the throat. Sandro's vocals are pure demonic evil and suit this chaotic frenzy very well. This sound embodies all the darkness found in the Brazilian Black/Death scene but with a sense of melody derived from NWOBHM bands such as Satan. There are some riffs that even remind one of early Metallica. The musicianship displayed by Mefisto is actually a bit unexpected from this style, yet they really have something unique going on here.

"Frost of Inferno" has the unenviable task of following this brilliant song. It begins much the same, with a somber acoustic melody being accompanied by a distant and dismal lead solo. The image that comes to mind is of a forgotten battlefield, littered with bodies now frozen to the earth and covered in snow. The song slowly builds up, with Speed and Thrash riffs coming together to create an epic atmosphere. The sound is very harsh, with a lot of variety being shown in the vocal department. Some of these screams are truly not of this world. This is darker than Sodom or Kreator, more violent than Venom and it completely kills Hellhammer and old Mayhem in musicianship and songwriting.

The next song is "Betrayed Truth" and it has that NWOBHM feeling right from the beginning. This song rages at full speed throughout the first couple minutes before slowing down for a more melodic break in the middle. One has to hear this brilliance to truly appreciate it. The solo works very well with this, much like the hissing sounds added by Sandro.

This demo concludes with the very explosive song, "Act Dead". This is the shortest and most straight-forward of the songs, yet there is still plenty of variation in riffs and tempo. The intensity level is similar to Possessed, in a sense, and the song ends with another chaotic solo, much like a Slayer album.

Megalomania is a very strong release from a band that seemed destined for great things. It is a real shame that they only went on to put out one more demo before vanishing forever. This four-song demo is vastly superior to many full-length albums that were being released at this time.