Sepultura - Schizophrenia (1987)

In early 1987, Sepultura lost their lead guitarist, Jairo T. He was replaced by Andreas Kisser, who brought with him a style much more based in Thrash Metal. Around this time, the members of Sepultura were getting into bands such as Metallica, Exciter, Slayer and Kreator. All of this led to a shift in the band's sound, one that gained them much more attention and resulted in a record contract with Roadrunner. Their last album to be recorded in Brazil, Schizophrenia was released in October 1987.

Whereas Morbid Visions was a Black Metal album that contained some Thrash as well, consumed by an evil atmosphere, Schizophrenia is something entirely different; however, it still retains a dark feeling. The style on their second L.P. is best described as Death/Thrash, and they do it very well.

An ominous intro begins the album, sounding like something from an old horror film. It ends with a possessed, backmasked, scream.

"From the Past Comes the Storms" opens with a riff that owes a lot to Slayer's "Chemical Warfare". Right away, one notices that the sound is a bit thicker than on the previous record. The feeling is somewhat claustrophobic and oppressive, as opposed to the eerie fog that surrounded Morbid Visions. The songwriting is a lot more complex, featuring plenty of riff changes and so on. This is the doing of Andreas, more than likely. The lead solo is brilliant, showing great skill in execution as well as a good ear. In a strange sense, the aura created on here seems much older than it is.

The next song is "To the Wall", maintaining the intensity from the first track, as well as the dark and suffocating feeling. The overall pace is fast, though there are several tempo changes. This is certainly not the straight-forward Black Metal approach from the previous release. Another difference between this album and the last is that the vocals are pushed back a bit and utilized in a different manner. Max doesn't sound as demonic here, he is simply a vocalist. Around the 2:00 mark, there is an interesting series of drum rolls that sound very similar to something found on Kreator's Pleasure To Kill. Beyond this, the sense of melody that Andreas brought into the band, and the way in which they managed to merge this into the Sepultura sound, is excellent.

"Escape to the Void" opens with a lead solo that melts the flesh from your bones. The initial moments seem more subdued, yet the level of intensity, quickly, increases as things progress. Another thing to note, here, is the completely different lyrical approach. Gone are the evil and Satanic lyrics from the past. This is much different.

"I look at my face on the other side of the mirror

My face falls down in pieces full of worms

I burst my rotten heart with my own hands

I am dying and I can't help myself"

The solos and guitar harmonies on this song are genius. This possesses all the speed and violence of Kreator, while keeping an even darker feeling present, throughout.

It is followed by the bleak and abysmal instrumental, "Inquisition Symphony". This composition further demonstrates the new level of musical maturity that Sepultura had arrived at. If anything rivals Metallica's "The Call of Ktulu", this is it. It begins with synth and an acoustic guitar. The synth is simplistic, being very similar to something out of a horror movie. It doesn't take long for the guitars and drums to take over. What follows in an epic musical journey that can hardly be described. There are moments of serene peace, utterly thrashed by dark and dismal guitar riffs. This song is filled with an old school sensibility, regarding riffs and even drum patterns. Later on, the acoustic guitar returns, though briefly, just before another brilliant lead solo is unleashed. This instrumental consists of many peaks and valleys, speeding you listener to grand heights, only to drag back down into the murky depths. The last moments convey a hellish feeling of soul-death.

"Screams Behind the Shadows" prolongs this somber, funereal spirit. It slowly builds up, as a threatening tension fills the air. The pace isn't quite as fast as earlier songs, which works perfectly in the context of the album, as a whole. There are tempo changes, even including a very nice tremolo riff, but this velocity is not static. Again, the guitar riffs, as well as the solos, are incredibly well done. Despite being a little shorter than the track that preceded it, this one bears much the same imposing ambience.

The record continues on with "Septic Schizo", which takes some time to build up to full speed. The thrash riffs alternate with power chords, in the opening moments. This utilizes the sort of intensity reminiscent of Haunting the Chapel, at times. The pace varies and the vocals have a decent amount of reverb, giving a wicked touch.

As Schizophrenia nears its end, another instrumental track sets a gloomy tone. "The Abyss" is fairly brief, consisting of simple, yet evocative, acoustic guitars. The melody is like the emaciated hand reaching up from the darkness within, gripping your heart in its cold hand as a cryptic reminder that the end is near. For something so ephemeral and minimalist, the sentiment of dread is conveyed adequately enough.

"R.I.P. (Rest In Pain)" erupts from the silence, like a black tank rolling over a lone white flower, growing in total solitude, erasing it from existence. There is a stark contrast between the serenity of the previous piece and the sheer violence of the album closer. The manner in which it begins is fast-paced, brutal and uncompromising. There are some tempo changes, yet it returns to this furious approach. As the song ends, things seem to fall apart. A brief bit of circus music intrudes, soon sounding as if it has been consumed in flames, as the record grinds to a halt.

While Schizophrenia lacks the evil atmosphere present on Morbid Visions, it still succeeds in creating something dark and intense. Few other Death/Thrash albums managed to create such an obscure, yet violent, aura. This is the last essential album from this band, so be sure to pick it up.

Sodom - Obsessed By Cruelty (1986)

Sodom's debut L.P. took some time to appear. Two years after the release of In the Sign of Evil, in May 1986, Obsessed By Cruelty was finally unleashed upon the Metal underground. During those two years, some things changed for this German band. The primal Black Metal that was found on the E.P. had transformed. Though the sound was not so distant from what it had once been, there was a significant difference in the music and its execution. The vocals weren't as evil and possessed; the atmosphere wasn't as dark and wicked.

The intro may have had some people expecting more of what was heard on In the Sign of Evil. The funeral organ and demonic voices work well to set the tone for unholy Black Metal. Yet, instead of that, there exists something more related to Thrash Metal. "Deathlike Silence" erupts from the graveyard, punishing the listener with a violent pace not far removed from "Blasphemer" or "Burst Command 'Til War". The lyrics are dark, but not Satanic. Aside from the different style that is employed, one may also notice that the guitars struggle with the percussion, in vain, as the latter maintains aural dominance. This is a major complaint against the entire record, really, as drums should never overpower the music like this. Despite such grievances, the first song is still memorable, energetic and one of Sodom's best-known for a reason.

"Brandish the Scepter" bears the same anti-Christian sentiment from before, though it is bereft of any mention of Satan or Hell. It begins with a blinding flurry of riffs and vocals, but manages to slow down for a bit. It is during these slower sections that the album is most enjoyable, as there is less percussion for the guitars to contend with. The drumming on this one is, more or less, a primitive blast beat.

"Proselytism Real" begins with a slower riff that hearkens back to the E.P. The lyrical theme is still, somewhat, cryptic and occult, though not making a great deal of sense. Though the song does speed up, it never seems to reach the frenzied pace of the earlier songs. This means that the percussion is a little easier to digest, giving the guitars more room to breathe. Musically, this track wouldn't have been out of place on In the Sign of Evil, but the vocals aren't evil enough, nor are the lyrics. Nonetheless, it remains one of the better songs on this album.

A brief drum solo opens "Equinox", a straight-forward Thrash Metal song which owes quite a bit to Venom's "Witching Hour". Of course, bands like Venom and Motorhead were an influence to Sodom, so it is not surprising to hear this come through in their music. As with the rest of the album, the vocals seem to be buried a bit more than on their previous release.

"Volcanic Slut", like the last track, begins with only the drums. The bass and guitar come in to create a hellish feeling of death slowly creeping toward you. This is quickly abandoned as the song goes full blast into pure Black/Thrash.

The next song is "Obsessed By Cruelty". This one starts with an eerie intro, with twisted guitar notes giving the impression that the band is burning in the flames of the Kingdom Below. This is accentuated by the demonic vocals of Angelripper. After a couple minutes, Sodom trades a dark atmosphere for intense speed. Around this time, a lot of bands seemed overly concerned with some non-existent contest to see who could play the fastest, often sacrificing brilliant ideas for the sake of an increased velocity. There are some decent riffs and leads, but one gets the impression that the song could have been something more. Some of the riffs are quite memorable, but where the band really shines is the slower section, near the end.

"Fall of Majesty Town" begins with a nice thrash riff and a, somewhat, subdued pace. Unfortunately, within about a minute, it returns to the same generic Sodom riffs that are found all over this album. Not that the riffs are even that audible, buried so far beneath the pounding drums.

Another killer thrash riff introduces "Nectemeron", though the bloody drums overpower it once they arrive. It sounds as if this would be a passable song, if the production wasn't so atrocious. As the pace slows down, one can get more of a feel for what is going on, until the drums ruin it, once more. Really, Obsessed By Cruelty has to be one of the most abrasive albums recorded. It's difficult to sit through, with the cursed percussion drilling into your brain.

"Pretenders to the Throne" seems reminiscent of "Burst Command 'Til War". This one is fast-paced and straight-forward. It is fairly simplistic, while still retaining a good amount of energy. Much like the final song, "Witchhammer", it is more in line with the Black Metal approach of the previous release. The latter more so than the former.

Obsessed By Cruelty is adequate enough, when it comes to songwriting. Though the departure from the early Black Metal sound, in favour of Thrash Metal, is disappointing, is kind of a let down, the real problem here is the awful production. It's not that it sounds too primitive, for that would be just right for this type of music. The main complaint, to reiterate this, is that the drums are far too high in the mix and make this an annoying listening experience, at time. Obsessed By Cruelty has a lot of potential and it would be interesting to hear this in a remixed form. While this is superior to what many of their peers were putting out, Sodom was capable of much better.

Slaughter - Strappado (1987)

Slaughter was one of the first Canadian Thrash Metal bands, formed in August of 1984 by Terry Sadler, Dave Hewson and Ron Sumners. The band recorded a handful of demos, as well as the Nocturnal Hell E.P., between 1984 and 1986. By early February 1986, Slaughter entered the studio to record their debut L.P. Strappado. Due to delays, the album wasn't released until 1987.

I discovered Slaughter through the song "The Fourth Dimension", which was featured on the Metal Massacre X compilation. After going back and listening to that song (just before writing this), I must say that it's not as far behind the material of their debut as I imagined. It's definitely more complex. At any rate, it was enough to get me into this band. This album was obtained around the same time as Tales of Terror from Hallows Eve, Torment in Fire from Sacrifice and Dark Angel's We Have Arrived. As a result, they are forever linked in my head.

The album begins with the title track, which is very short. The first thing that this made me think of was Slayer's Reign In Blood. Even some of the vocal patterns are similar, in a sense. The production is kind of fuzzy, which suits this style just fine. The vocals are kind of harsh but not completely. There still remains some semblance of humanity in his voice, with some of the screams being similar to Rob Urbinati, of Sacrifice.

With no time to gather your thoughts, "The Curse" blasts forth. As with the previous song, there is something very familiar about the vocal pattern. This time, it seems very close to something from Celtic Frost's To Mega Therion. The song is very brief and maintains the same pace, throughout. Despite its brevity, it possesses a great deal of power. The lyrics are suited to this sound, well enough.

"To summon up the gods of wrath

Into forests, Satanists chant

To bring forth the beast in flesh

To spread the curse is our quest"

"Disintegrator" is the shortest song, at only one minute long. This one is a bit more intense than the last one, still keeping with the frenetic pace that has been established thus far. Unfortunately, it's too brief to really get into. It bleeds right into the next track.

"Incinerator" is the longest song, up until this point, yet it is my least favorite. The vocals are cleaner and the vocal pattern isn't very pleasant, for some reason. It sounds like something from a Belladonna-era Anthrax album, which doesn't fit in too well with this album. The song isn't bad, especially during the sections bereft of vocals.

This is followed by "Parasites". Again, there is no pause between the songs. This one is dominated by a mid-paced thrash riff and a return to the harsher vocal style. The tempo picks up during the chorus, but this is rather brief.

"F.O.D. (Fuck of Death)" begins with a riff that is very similar to the one from the previous song. It is mid-paced as well, remaining primitive and simplistic, while adding Slayer-esque lead solos to give a more hellish effect. Clocking in at just under four minutes, this is the second longest track on here.

The next song is "Tortured Souls", with an opening riff that sounds like a sped-up version of something from Kill 'Em All. As the song slows down, a demonic voice says: "We are the tortured souls!" The track alternates between fast and mid-paced riffs, with a brief solo thrown in.

"Nocturnal Hell" is my favorite song on here. This is one of the more memorable slabs of Death/Thrash on here, and may have served the album better by being positioned earlier on the record. The main riff is certain to remain in your skull. One even might detect some hint of influence from Hellhammer, as this song progresses.

Strappado concludes with the longest song to be found here; "Tales of the Macabre". It begins with the drums and then a heavy bass sound that follows. The guitars then rise from the crypt, possessing kind of a twisted feeling. There is a definite Hellhammer feeling on here. The vocals are cleaner on this one, but it works better this time. They are kind of weak, but it matters little. The ending of the song is interesting enough, as it borrows heavily from an old Slayer song, in the manner that is builds up to the final moments.

Slaughter is one of the better bands to emerge from the Great White North, so it is recommended for all fans of old school 80s Death and Thrash Metal. This isn't quite on the level of Sacrifice's Torment In Fire, but it is essential for any fan of Canadian Death/Thrash Metal.

Samael - Medieval Prophecy (1988)

Samael was founded in April 1987 by Vorphalack. In 1988 at the beginning of the summer, Pat (the first drummer) left Samael to form another band. He was replaced by Xytraguptor, from the same blood as Vorphalack. Their first demos presented a slow, doomy style of thrash metal with raw vocals, similar to that of Hellhammer/Celtic Frost. In October they recorded their 7" E.P. Medieval Prophecy.

The E.P. begins with "Into the Pentagram". The sound is about as raw and necro as it gets, with a slow, doom-filled pace and an inhuman voice screaming in the distance. The production is pretty horrible, being quite reminiscent of the Hellhammer demos. Of course, this only adds to the dark feeling created by this Swiss Black Metal band. The tempo picks up a bit, going into more of a mid-paced thrash riff, but never exceeding this. The atmosphere is evil and dark, with a somber touch. Several minutes into the song, everything fades out and the haunting melodies are replaced by hellish and tormented sounds. These create a very uneasy feeling. Slowly, a dark harmony bleeds through and takes hold of your mind. All goes quiet again as you hear a demonic voice cry out.

"Into the pentagram!"

The Hellhammer influences are obvious, yet Samael manages to surpass what they had accomplished, for the most part, creating a much darker aura than the majority of the songs on Satanic Rites or Apocalyptic Raids.

The next song is "The Dark". This instrumental maintains the hauntingly dark and bleak atmosphere of the previous song. The intro features only an acoustic guitar and the bass, working together to create something truly sinister. As the guitars rise up and rage forward, another influence becomes apparent in the guitar harmonies. It seems to have some influence from the NWOBHM bands. The song isn't entirely bereft of any vocals, but they seem to take on the form of background screams and whispers, appearing for but a few brief moments. Though the approach is different from the previous song, it shares the same dark and epic feeling.

The E.P. concludes with a cover of Hellhammer's "The Third of the Storms". The execution isn't as tight as the versions on Satanic Rites or Apocalyptic Raids (as difficult as that is to comprehend), but the vocals are much more fitting for the song. For one reason or another, Samael opted to skip the lead solo, taking something away from the song. It is alright, but not as good as the original. The only improvement would be the harsher vocal style.

Medieval Prophecy is an impressive E.P. At a time when Black Metal still dwelled farther beneath the surface than it would a few years later, this cemented Samael as a band to contend with and lead them on the path to releasing a full-length album. Pick this up if possible, as it is a highly recommended piece of 80s Black Metal history.

Obscurity - Damnation's Pride (1987)

A short time after releasing their first demo in 1986, Sweden's Obscurity returned in 1987 with yet another slab of underground Black/Death Metal known as Damnation's Pride. This recording showed improvement in the overall sound, as the production allowed for a much more powerful representation of the band. The songwriting was a bit more varied as well, with the band experimenting with a few things. It was recorded in the same studio as Ovations To Death, which had been rebuilt into a 16-track studio. The Satanic lyrical theme was now absent, except for the title track. Upon releasing this, the band members found themselves a bit more satisfied with their efforts.

"Graves of Rebirth" emerges from the shadows with a slow doom riff and ghoulish hissing, before demonic cries and pounding drums build a bit of tension before the song truly explodes from the darkness to rip your face right off. The riffs and solos still owe a great deal to Speed and Thrash Metal. The pace is relentless and the vocals are still possessed by a deep hatred, as on the previous release.

The title track continues this onslaught, with one curious difference. For the vocals, they chose to use some sort of effect. Not being an expert on studio trickery, it's difficult to say it the vocalist used a harmonizer of some sort or if the effect is caused by a lot of reverb. At any rate, it seems to be utilized for the purpose of adding more of a demonic sound. It works well enough, though it wasn't entirely necessary as it results in a loss of the raw hatred. That isn't a complaint so much as a simple observation.

"Mortal Remains" makes use of more of some mid-paced thrash riffs. This is good, as it displays a little variety in the sound, allowing for the songs to be more easily distinguished. The same vocal effect from the previous track is also present here. The tempo remains consistent throughout the course of the song. It all ends with a very nice lead solo that is played over slow doom riffs.

The demo closes in a furious manner, as "Demented" rushes forward at a frantic pace. The vocals are back to the normal, hate-filled sound and he even lets out a quick high-pitched scream. This song is pretty intense, despite its ephemeral nature, and serves well to bring things to an end.

Damnation's Pride showed that Obscurity had improved in a short amount of time. Judging from this recording, one would think that the band would have put out an L.P. at some point. Unfortunately, it never came to pass. Two brief demos are all that remain of this band. The band name, then, becomes all the more appropriate when thinking of this. This demo is highly recommended. Perhaps, for a glimpse of what an Obscurity L.P. may have sounded like, I would suggest picking up the first Merciless album.

Obscurity - Ovations To Death (1986)

Ovations To Death is the first demo from Obscurity, an old Black/Death Metal band from Malmö, Sweden. Influenced by the likes of Motorhead, Slayer and Bathory, the band's initial demo was released in 1986, not long after they formed. This was recorded in an 8-track analog studio and featured an aggressive sound and Satanic lyrics.

"Across the Holocaust" begins with a somber atmosphere, as Chopin's Funeral March serves as the intro. This is then interrupted by a hellish blast of guitars and explosive drums, accompanied by a sinister hissing. The song is driven by the pulsing drums and sped-up thrash riffs. The vocals are somewhat unique, as they aren't quite as harsh sounding as one might expect. The vocalist sounds possessed by madness. The sound is not entirely one-dimensional, as the tempo changes and a mid-paced thrash riff appears, briefly.

"Excursion To Eternity" continues the fast-paced assault. The production isn't great, but it's adequate enough for a demo. The style is very reminiscent of The Awakening, from Merciless, though that album wouldn't be recorded until three years later. Oddly, this bears little (if any) semblance to other Swedish bands such as Bathory, Mefisto or Morbid. As on the previous song, the bass is quite audible and the lead solo is well-placed.

The longest song on the demo is "Spiritual Entity". The opening riffs of this song are slower, with the doom-filled bass lines adding to the ominous feeling of dread. The track takes a minute or so to really build-up, finally resulting in a violent outburst of sound. Surprisingly, the vocalist throws in a high-pitched scream, which definitely dates the recording. It's a nice touch. After a bit of a bass solo, the fury resumes, pounding relentlessly. The music is intense and the vocals are filled with hatred.

"Celestial Conquest" is next, beginning with fast-picked bass lines and guitar riffs that soon join. This is another song possessed of a furious tempo, more high-pitched wails thrown in and brief guitar solos. This one is raw and straight-forward, being very primitive in its approach.

This is followed by the shortest track on here, "The Condemnation". This song is pretty fast-paced as well, but it seems a little more subdued in its execution. This is, probably, more a result of the production than anything else. However, it features some really nice tremolo riffs, briefly emerging from the chaos. All of this sounds quite good, expecially for a demo. In actuality, the quality is equal (or superior) to some of the full-length albums being released in Brazil, around this time.

"Unblessed Domain" brings the demo to its conclusion, maintaining the merciless bludgeoning of your skull. The pace doesn't really change, throughout the song. During the chorus, the vocalist injects a bit of melody, matching the rhythm of the guitar riffs. There are also a couple lead solos that add to the sound, though not being particularly special.

Ovations To Death was another hidden treasure that I recently discovered, feeling great shame in possessing no knowledge of this forgotten Black/Death Metal band from Sweden. Then again, there is a part of me that is grateful that some things have been missed, as it provides more mystery in this music; it is pleasant to think that there may still be gems such as this, waiting to be discovered. The closest thing that I would compare this to is early Merciless, so any fan of that (or other underground 80s bands) should seek this out.

Mefisto - The Puzzle (1986)

The Puzzle is the second demo from Sweden's Mefisto. It emerged from the obscure funeral fog a mere six months after their first demo, Megalomania. This one shows a bit of a different approach; what some would call more sophisticated, maybe.

"Hunting High, Die" starts out with an acoustic intro that nearly lulls you into a trance. It creates a rather tranquil atmosphere, almost similar to the intro to Blood Fire Death, which would appear a couple years later. Once the guitars, drums and bass all appear, a sense of tension and dread is built. The sound is remarkably clean for a demo, but it's not slick, by any means. The vocals seem to be buried in the mix, a bit, and the approach is more subdued and parts seem a little reminiscent of Destruction or Kreator. There are some faster parts, but the tempo is mostly mid-paced. The solos are executed well enough and the snare drum has quite a distinctive punch to it. The songwriting is a little more complex than the previous demo, but not by a wide margin.

The next song is "The Puzzle", begins with more of the pounding drums, which sort of equal the guitars, in terms of power. After a few moments, they settle down a bit so that the focus can go where it belongs; naturally, that would be on the guitar riffs and the vocals. There are several tempo changes here. Despite the harsh vocals and the morbid funeral bells, this recording is bereft of the Black Metal feeling of Megalomania. It seems that they took the slower sections and certain melodies and decided to expand upon those. This isn't a bad thing, but it does represent a clear progression in the band's sound. There is even a duel guitar harmony, near the end, that plays underneath a lead solo.

"Os Liberty" begins with some odd acoustic part, joined by the distant wailing of an electric guitar. This leads into a somber guitar solo and depressing bass lines that add to the despair. After a minute or so, this stops and the guitarist spends some time to show off his skills. The feeling created on this instrumental isn't so far off from a Metallica's "The Call of Ktulu", though not nearly as epic.

The final song is "Underground Circus". It's the longest track on here, clocking in at over eight minutes. It begins with the feeling of doom, as slow riffs are joined by a funeral bell. This almost sounds like it could fit on a Candlemass album. More melodic solos flow throughout the song. This piece consists, mostly, of mid-paced thrash riffs and slower doom riffs, as well. The vocals aren't as varied as on Megalomania, but Sandro does unleash some hellish screams, though they are used sparingly. The bass becomes much more prominent, later in the song, as the speed increases. It all builds to a hellish conclusion, ending with a lot of insane soloing, similar to the end of a Slayer record.

The Puzzle features quality befitting a full-length album, despite the fact that it is merely a demo. The sound is on par with many records of its day and the songwriting is, easily, on the same level as many of their peers. It isn't as raw as the previous release, which I missed, but that is simply a matter of personal preference. That these Swedes never managed to get signed and release an L.P. is a crime.