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Purgatory > Tied to the Trax > 1986, 12" vinyl, Auburn Records (2nd press) > Reviews
Purgatory - Tied to the Trax

Tied to the Trax - 80%

CrystalMountain, February 21st, 2009

Purgatory are kind of a hard band to label. They are a little bit speed metal, a little bit thrash, and a little bit good old fashioned heavy metal. But they don't really sound like other American heavy/speed metal bands from the early 80's, I guess there are some similarities to Abattoir and Chastain, but with a more thrash oriented approach at times. But all genre specifying aside, this is a surprisingly heavy album, it's pretty damn fast at times too. Especially when you consider that some of these songs were written(I believe) as far back as '84.

The production is surprisingly good for this type of album, especially when you consider that it came out 23 years ago from the time of this review. The guitars shred nicely, great solos and some nice fast riffs. The bass is surprisingly loud in the mix, something that was kind of rare for heavy metal bands from this period. Drums are solid. Their vocalist is not bad either, but he's sort of hit or miss. His mid-range voice isn't all that impressive, but when he snarls or shrieks he sounds great.

The band is at it's best when they play fast. Songs like "Tied to the Trax," "Deep in the Red," "Los Angeles," and "Fear of the Night" are all great speed metal songs, really good quality stuff. "Crush the Black Cross" is straight up thrash, and it's one mean ass kicking song, despite it's quasi-religious lyrics. Reminds me a lot of early Overkill, especially that chorus "Crush! The black cross!" Most of the mid paced songs are forgettable, with the exception being the excellent "Valley of the Shadow of Death" which is probably the best track on here. It changes tempo a lot from slower verses to speed metal lead guitar breaks. Good vocal delivery with some nice screams, and the guitar leads seem to be constantly shifting, moving the song along nicely.

Definitely a solid album, and a hidden gem in the metal world. Fans of really heavy early/mid 80's American bands like Helstar, Chastain, Metal Church, etc. should definitely check this stuff out, you won't be dissippointed. I believe you can hear most of the album on the bands Myspace page.