Kill or Be Killed

“…bury me deep, my underground throne…”

Believe me when I say I’ve tried so many times to extract more from this nine-tracker than just fairly average, mid-throttle thrash which, I dunno, soon afterward turns mostly to stone in my memory banks. Yes, every so often Kill or Be Killed is allowed a fresh rotation to proffer a new defense for its parole, as if the years on the shelf since its last playtest could somehow conjure novel new developments from the same jail cell or something. Well, the strategy did work well on Anvil’s underpowered Strength of Steel. Of course how I feel about this decades-old disc is moot to all the world, but my conundrum with it is more half-assed personal than anything else, ‘cos I really wanna toss it on, kick back and feel more satisfied with it than the last time. At the same time I can’t get any more disappointed with it. The thing is, a fairly possible logical explanation why KoBK turned out the way it did exists, and whilst its lyrics tell nowhere near the interesting tale, it’s all connected to a-side ender “Knights of Old Bridge”.

Y’see, Mendham, NJ’s Blessed Death, prior to their ’84 demo, was Chrome Locust the Black Sabbath cover band. In late ‘83/early ’84 during a gig at Old Bridge, NJ’s Club 516 they met around two dozen local off-da-hook metalheads known collectively (and loosely as well, I guess) as The Old Bridge Militia, who were simply a group of ardent metal fans whose rural housing quickly became popular as the area’s safe haven to crash at, a multi-day checkpoint, and, of course, as party central (the main one - a large farm house on twenty-nine empty acres – was deemed The Fun House) for many early out of town underground metal bands with barely the loot between them for that jelly sandwich they’ll devour in the back of the van that's been their luxurious living quarters for months of unshowered days. These acts – Anvil, Raven, Slayer, Exciter, Anthrax, Exodus, Motorhead, Overkill, Venom, Hades, Metallica…fleabs, every last one of ‘em – came from all over, at first by invitation to perform in shows put together by Jon and Marsha “Megaforce Records” Zazula (whose house also often doubled as an abode for wayward longhairs), based out of their Clark, NJ record shop Rock n’ Roll Heaven, but in time regular visitation revolving around planned performances became less and less frequent as, well, most everyone involved simply became…friends (cue heartwarmed viola solo).

Not surprisingly, these chromed-out Sabbathians were guests of The Fun House after a show as well, however to the Militia’s surprise were clueless of the existence of the many metal bands that had already thrown up on the rugs they were sitting on. Needless to say, by night’s end they sure as hell got clued in, and at least two of the chromed (vocalist Larry Portelli and guitarist Nick Fiorentino) took to Mercyful Fate, Slayer and Manowar in particular. With Chrome Locust’s next visit months later, the singer and guitarist introduced three new members in Anderson and the Powelson twins, their new ominous moniker of Blessed Death, and their debut demo fresh with material aggressively sliced as if it were bloody meat they consumed on that fateful night, which brings us to the tiny tale of obscure Tungsten Records.

So impressed with the newly-embraced, yet contrast in stride of the reformed five-piece, two of the Militia - ‘Rockin’ Ray Dill and ‘Metal’ Joe Chimienti – sought to and successfully financed the band’s debut full-lengther on their brand spankin’ new Tungsten label, but with no distribution the project only skidded to a halt, so they wisely asked the Zazulas if their proven Megaforce label could absorb Tungsten and put Kill or Be Killed (a title inspired by New York subway vigilante Bernhard Goetz. Remember him? Wrote a paper on him my senior year) in stores. And as they say, the rest, as well as the inspiration of “Knights of Old Bridge”, is history. Ah, but that excuse mentioned earlier is still a mystery left lingering.

“…reactors stand like guardians for bones in nuclear wars…”

Well, it's my lovely position that the Blessed ones, or at least the two original members, eagerly rushed the writing process and (prematurely) recorded tunes to emulate the minty-fresh sound that only mere months ago blew their hair back for the first time, and at no time should it be forgotten that this new sound celebrated (at times much) faster momentum, a much more tumbling hide, and could at any moment flare monstrous like a chain of angry volcanoes compared to trudging through typical quagmire-ish “Sweet Leaf”, “Wicked World” and “Cornucopia”. It’s possible the quintet’s rather recent affinity for thrash metal, while genuine, hadn’t the proper time to fully swallow its rather more intense direction, wildling-hearted character, and raunchy underpants that you could smell naturally leaking from the pores of competing acts. It’s just a theory, though.

Unfortunately, the lower points weigh heavier on the ‘ol seismic scale, and after forty or so seconds into dramatically-pitched opener “Melt Down”, the track already hears its own promising grandeur losing steam, caused mostly by having to navigate potholes of bluesy innuendo barely by its midway. Even had the deep blue content of these potholes been ruled an absolute must-have on the disc, someone shoulda told them to champion it deeper into the playlist so that their personal metallic style had time to sink in, y’know, somewhere around the b-side’s second song…and that’s not just ‘cos college-prep course Intro to Song Placement And Other Common Sense says the A1 placement on any recording should have a welcome mat reserved only for a songwriting bonanza that’s treated by the band like a top model.

This is where fandom starts, the ranking factor for whether a listener’s interest in/attention for the music will thicken and grow like The Blob to better absorb the landscape ahead or whether it dissolves like whatever faith was initially put in the cover’s praying hands. Even with “Melt Down” squeezing pretty tight, there appears to be some apprehension in delivering the chokeheld goods at full thrash bore and in this tune ends up reining the horses in when speed metal’s fundamentally slower stable approaches. Then while “Pig Slaughter” and “Omen of Fate” use wider brushes of volatility than their predecessor, still missing is the kind of mega-brazen, bunker-thick, ‘move the fuck outta the way!' thrash urgency that's pleasing when it’s homicidal without fault, palpably scary even to opposing armies, and has conquered with a sonically impregnable wall of diesel chainsaw ruckus.

“…life is a vision, blessed only by death…”

“Into the Ovens” and “Eternal War” expel lots of energy keeping their formulaically lively, yet rather bare bones songcraft awake and on its feet, and it’s unfortunate that even the combined hostility of their establishing rhythms are unable to keep things more interesting than a conversation bereft of nuance, most personality and a good story powering it.

Then with a simultaneous departure in style, both Larry Portelli and the band take the initial half of “Blessed Death” and set out evolving it into a beguiler rather than a beast. With a bent knee solo or two it partially succeeds, but its half-caste melancholy flow is awkward and becomes a handicap that's amplified when hit with vocals. For more than the reason of never finding its stride (which makes locating its peak a lost cause), it’s not the go-to scrambler of the bunch, but kudos for some outta box lab work.

Because of a brief, but memorable off-time marching gait and extendo-burst of thrash-mash, “Napalm” burns extra gooey with an all-around coolness that shoulda found way better footing earlier in the album’s trek. Instead of apologies, however, it flings its fiery new shoes into the face of the title track, but causes it little discomfort ‘cos it’s caught in the throes of the slow celebration of a Sabbath-skewed rebirth much of the lp hadn’t acknowledged. I know someone must've been wondering if all residual Chrome Locust smatterings had been exorcised from Portelli and guitarist Nick Fiorentino’s repertoire, and that answer’s pretty much nope.

Since Kill or Be Killed wraps on a high note that during “Melt Down” was found quickly unwrapping itself, its good points continue rolling until they hear a heated, thrash-worthy set 'o pipes that seems to harbor an alter ego that strafes skyscrapers with the kind of screams that could belong to Tyrant (CA) frontman Glen May with less mystique. Pro shrieker Portelli pulls few punches with a delivery that clings heavily to the psychotic, and don’t let the end of a verse catch his eye unless you want it promptly sharpened and launched into the clouds. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean his high-register rampages aren’t often guilty of overindulgence and, come the end, being oversaturated with repetitive techniques. Regardless, he’s kinda the only band factor here with recognizable merit that makes one think that he’ll one day enlarge his scene presence to something special beyond this. Guess I can’t tell the future after all.

“…slipping deeper into death, cold as stone, my last breath…”

The crown, however, rests on ambitious stretch “Knights of Old Bridge”, 6+ minutes of a more multifaceted Hallows Eve typeset replete with some of the disc’s headiest and fluent thrash and is home to a smaller doom population than in the record’s closer. Portelli emerges as a triple threat with yet greater range than alluded to earlier, adding a persona of enunciated, almost heroic royalty to proclaim “…as I look toward the sky and think of days gone past…” like important suffrage announced by a guest vocalist, meanwhile Jeff Anderson earns his ‘lead guitar destruction’ cred through solos loaded with a higher caliber. A song befitting the people it commends despite lyrics mostly irrelevant to the tale.

Basically, the songwriting approach Blessed Death takes to achieve Kill or be Killed, except for some exceptional visions of clarity, is common and naïve and even understandable if you know the story. It’s also pretty easy to defend a work ethic that had fought hard to adopt and record a style which was somewhere in left-center field compared to their doomier roots, however it’s unfortunate that really only a pair of tormented lungs keeps this thing clinging to my memory’s shelf.

A Small and Possible Political Platform Correlating Kill or Be Killed and Real Life ('cos this review just isn't long enough):

A mostly insignificant tidbit concerning KoBK (insignificant ‘cos it really has nuthin’ to do with the music) that I owe my undying thanks to is the band's back cover shot, where the guys assume not the latest in bullet-belted, studsy-spiked thrashwear many thrash bands were toting at the time, but instead present a menacing, hoodlum biker-without-the-bike appearance - a look I began emulating during my high school days after getting the album sometime during early '86. Admittedly, I was hoping the change in appearance would help stave off the indulgence in intimidation (and worse) enjoyed by particular jocks/burn-outs/'cooler' kids and their national pastime of picking on the short rotund kid with acne. Well, it turns out coupling this 'hoodlum' look with a long shag of hair and the benefits of aggressive weightlifting proved to be a winning combination that by the beginning of the next school year had people assuming I was the predator in the room instead of merely being in disguise to deter my aforementioned enemies, and it also directly reinforced the “…leave me alone, fuckface…” aura I was going for, which also proved worth perfecting for later bouncer life. A few distasteful, yet image-enforcing nicknames like Satan and Devil Man, obviously spawned by screwball-to-the-masses musical tastes, sealed my deal with the devil.

The Point: say what you will about bullying, one of today's hottest kiddie topics, but without such bullies galvanizing me to seek control over this continual trouble and my overall fate - my quest, my problem, my fate - that didn’t include mewling to teachers, the principal or my parents, nor counting on vague, wide umbrella-berthed and haphazardly-written bullying laws rushed to the vote, I wouldn’t be the confident, strong-willed and self-reliant person I am today. Maybe more kids will learn to dictate their own fate. Others doing it for them builds little character.

So that's my half-assed personal connection with this slab. You dig?

“…give me Old Bridge or give me death…”

It's easy to pick on emulators of iconic bands and hit them with labels like knockoff and tag-along, but often times there is some good music to go along with the lack of stylistic originality, to the point of making it so that a favorite band seemingly put out twice as many albums. Blessed Death don't quite measure up to this level of distinction within their speed/thrash niche, which involves heavy borrowing from Canadian outfits Exciter and Razor. On the surface, it's little more than the same sped up, slightly more dangerous version of NWOBHM that Metallica's "Leather Charm" songs embodied, with occasional hints of the developing thrash metal style that was already being purified and distilled by the Bay Area league and their New York competitors, whereas a more dangerous version with the earliest hints of death metal were already starting to take shape via Sepultura and Possessed. Nevertheless, points need to be given to this New Jersey outfit for putting out a respectably raw and vital excursion into high octane metallic goodness.

All of the usual elements are methodically placed, making this aptly dubbed "Kill Or Be Killed" album a rather predictable affair. The presentation largely plays off the horror, war and religious aesthetic that was still largely a staple of bands that were still reliant upon Venom and Slayer for their lyrical inspiration. At times, vocalist Larry Portelli almost listens like an amped up version of Tom Araya, though the banshee wails are employed at greater frequency and with a bit more of a nasally sleaze factor in line with Blitz's glass shattering wails on "Feel The Fire". The guitar work tends to follow a largely formulaic riff set, but the presence of two axe men allows for occasional dueling harmonies, which are employed a bit more often than the usually doubled riff format of Metallica, though the shredding of both clearly favors the older school Tipton vs. Downing mode of head cutting.

Like a number of cookie cutter speed metal albums from the mid-80s, the lyrical content is definitely a side issue and heavily masked by an over-the-top vocal delivery, whereas the music going on tends to be the center of gravity. Most of the shorter numbers like the more thrashing and varied opener "Melt Down" and its one-dimensional speeding follower "Pig Slaughter" establish their credentials entirely by flash and impact, being loaded up with exaggerated vocal and guitar gymnastics while being otherwise fairly simple in delivery. By way of contrast, much like a number of token longer songs found on an average Exciter album, "Knights Of Old Bridge" and "Blessed Death" accomplish their impact by reverting back to more of a down-tempo rocking character and lacing in some speedy sections to remind the listener where it is that they actually excel. The resulting effect is a bit jagged and uneven, but does yield a nice change up from what is largely a one-dimensional format.

"Kill Or Be Killed", like a number of 2nd tier albums from the mid 80s, is one of those albums that isn't an essential pick up but is worthy if it happens to be found in a local bargain bin. To the band's credit, they do manage to get the job done in supplying guitar shred fanatics with plenty of flashy, albeit somewhat choppy lead guitar displays, and the vocal work is about as unapologetic in its 80s character as can be imagined. Exciter and Razor definitely had a leg up on much of their U.S. competition in the speed metal department, and those looking to blow money on a truly killer project would be encouraged to look into their earlier works before seeking this out. Then again, it wouldn't be a crime for a native of the Mid-Atlantic area to check these guys out for sake of loyalty to past local accomplishments, for what it's worth.

Exciter was a very, very important band for the development of the speed metal scene and you can clearly hear it on this Blessed Death debut album, Kill or Be Killed. Basically, the style is the same, especially during the faster parts with a quite raw but pounding production. To be frank, here the sounds are less fuzzy than the ones by very early Exciter. By the way, mostly everything is taken from the Canadian masters of speed, from the riffs to the vocals. “Melt Down” is the very first example of this, showing energetic riffage and a fast drumming. The middle section is definitely calmer and the vocals sustain a darker atmosphere to restart on speed. So far, nothing spectacular but surely worth a listen for those who love up tempo and fast bass drums parts.

The guitars solos are a good blend of different styles and the two axe men have a different style to give a bit of variation. Essentially, one is rawer in style with the tremolo picking, while the other one use more tapping parts. Going on, we can even find early Metallica influences on some calmer parts of “Pig Slaughter”. The refrain features incredibly high pitched vocals while the drums are a bit too low to privilege the dry but energetic riffage. Despite its long length, “Omen of Fate” features also a lot of fast up tempo parts while the riffs are a way between the dark palm muting and the more melodic single chord picking. Once again the vocals go very high in tonality but that echoing sound on the verses is quite annoying even if it can give a darker touch.

The Black Sabbath influences come out during the beginning to “Into the Ovens” and its mid-paced progression. The inspiration is fading here and everything is normal but at times irritating too. There’s no intensity and the vocals are way too screamed and in contraposition to that slow progression. The fast restart is quite decent but nothing particular and the riffs sound quite anonymous. Once again the Exciter influences are massive and they come principally from Violence and Force album. “Knights of Old Bridge” is childish in its intention to be dark and a bit epic. The riffs are bland and really irritating. There is a crescendo of tempo and surely the fast parts are better but not original or too that nasty anymore.

To the insipid speed of “Eternal War” we can find the opposition of the dark notes of the long “Blessed Death” that features quite good arpeggios and a decent lead guitars work. The atmosphere is far more obscure and this is perfect while this time the vocals are calmer and a bit more adapt to this variation of tempo and atmosphere. Anyway, soon the heavy distortion of the instruments return and the tempo starts to increase in some sections. However, the general idea is to keep this track more focused on the gloominess than on the sheer attack. “Napalm” is weird of the guitars riffs and the martial tempo. When the tempo turns to be faster it’s better but once again it’s total Exciter style.

The last song, “Kill or Be Killed”, is a quite long semi mid-paced one with some furious restarts and chaotic solos. The refrain is well-recognizable but the rest is simple uninspired and quite dull. The second half is quite good for some energetic up tempo sections but the rest is too weak. All in all, this is not an album that could be enjoyed so easily. It has a bunch of flaws in inspiration, songwriting and also in the way the bands plays: some solos are terrible. If you add to this a heavy Exciter rip-off veneration, the prospect is complete. It’s not a terrible failure, but these tracks could be easily avoided and I think you can live anyway.

And you'd think I'd enjoy this too...given that it's classic-sounding speed metal...raw and dirty, not overproduced - but still, this is so goddamn mediocre that it's basically unlistenable after three or four songs. One or two, really.

After the uninspiring, if competent "Melt Down", which sounds like they tried to make the most insanely-mega-thrashing song ever, with at least three or four thrash breaks (unfortunately, none of them all that spine-snapping), we settle into mediocrity that starts off amusing but quickly turns unbearable. The next song repeats "Pig bastard! Pig bastard" over and over again, and then it just goes steadily downhill.

We go through cliche after cliche of silly heavy metal, from the (poorly executed) Sabbath-wannabe breakdown in Omen of Faith, to the ripoff Exciter riffs to the shrieky ripoff Exciter vocals... gawd, when they pick things up again in that song after that awful middle melodic portion, it sounds EXACTLY like "Violence and Force", down to the generic "we're riding the coattails of Venom so hard" riff to the meedly-meedly goes-nowhere soloing...

And it only gets worse. The album reaches its complete nadir at "Knights of Old Bridge", which attempts to channel Manowar, of all things, foreshadowing that band's descent into parody... "as I look towards the sky, and think of days gone past, the kings, they enter my mind, born leaders of the quest". Oh my fucking godchristing anti-gerbil sodomisation... THE HORROR, THE HORROR.

"Blessed Death" is a reprise of this complete filth, with the fast parts lacking creativity... they throw in that Violence and Force riff again (gawd, they really must've liked that song!)... and the slow parts being just so completely lacking in groove that they are a grating abomination. The songwriting is awful. They must've thought they were so fucking over-the-top, but they were just terrible. Technical, this is not.

Seriously beyond the first track, and "Napalm" (which does a good job of pretending to be "Megalomania" in parts), there is nothing worth hearing here.

Kids, this is what gives heavy metal a bad name. Avoid.

Always welcome in the community is good thrash. Whether by choice or by force, people will enjoy good thrash, so it's always nice to have some on hand. Kill or Be Killed is an excellent example of this good thrash.

Blessed Death is a band that has always surprised me no matter how many times I have listened to this album. I always manage to catch something I didn't before. The guitars on this are of good old thrashing style. God, for whatever occasion this comes up and certainly is a good introduction into the style that most thrash bands enjoy and abuse. The drums are at a good thrash pace with emphasis on certain guitar parts which add an attitude to the music that is wonderful for, as I said, most occasions. The vocals are an excellent mix between thrash harshness and heavy metal screeches that also adds a specific amount of credibility to the album.

Rife with a lot of excellent playing this album is, shredding left and right as well as with hellish screams that come perfectly out of a dynamic thrash voice.

I would recommend this album as a MUST HAVE to any fans of thrash or heavy metal. Get it or BE KILLED\m/.