Threatcon Delta

Best known for being the Anthrax singer that everybody just kinda forgets about, Neil Turbin certainly is a fascinating figure. He’s certainly stayed busy with a variety of projects over the years, but their short-lived durations and sporadic activity means he doesn’t have much to show beyond guest slots and the occasional single. Perhaps that underdog appeal is what makes his lone solo album, 2003’s Threatcon Delta, such an intriguing listen.

It’s certainly a pleasant surprise to see Turbin’s voice holding up this well. His howl sounds much fuller and more controlled than the often reckless approach he exhibited in the Fistful of Metal days, drawing on a soulful Paul Stanley-esque swagger punctuated by the sort of shrieks that come off as adrenalized rather than overcompensating. The extensive cast of session instrumentalists also put in some energetic performances with the guitars sharing in the flamboyance and the bass offering some extra bits of bottom-heavy power.

While the high-octane pacing may suggest some commonality with Turbin’s speed-thrash roots, the songwriting spends more time toeing the line between hard rock and classic metal with priority placed on compact structures and explosive choruses. “The Truth is the Best Lie,” “Keep the Fire,” and the closing “Piece of Me” feature some particularly explosive hooks while “Cut to the Chase” and “Blue Screen of Death” show off the most intense speeds. The bonus tracks are also welcome with “Wrecking Ball” making for a raunchy rocker and some nice justice done to AC/DC’s “Touch Too Much.”

However, there are a couple flaws that keep it from being some lost classic. While the performances are pretty tight across the board, the production isn’t quite as consistent with varying volume levels over the course of the album that remind one of its raw setup. A couple songs are also prone to some jumbled-sounding verses and “Sick of it All” is a sore thumb with its chugging Black Label Society reject riff set and a chorus delivered at the exact cadence of “Breaking The Law.”

Threatcon Delta is the sort of album forever designated to the most niche of niche status, especially since Turbin still hasn’t really released a proper followup twenty years later, but it’s a blast to listen to. It’s great to see Turbin in top form vocally and clearly having a blast with the material on display. With his alma mater and even his successor both releasing full-lengths that same year, it’s amusing to see him coming out with the strongest results. The real ones know I guess.

I often wonder what would have happened to Anthrax had they never dismissed Neil so early on in their career. As much as I truly enjoy the albums featuring Belladonna, I personnaly feel that Neil is simply a more capable vocalist. Especially in terms of the high ended falsetto stuff, which even in a live setting, Neil has no problems hitting.

As far as this album goes, Threatcon Delta is a fantastic true heavy metal record. It's not thrash, and it's not progressive, simply classic metal played to near perfection.

One problem that I do have with this album is the fact that the production quality on each and every song is different. Some songs sound great, and some don't sound that great at all. It would appear as if this album was a long time in the making, and the songs were recorded at different times, and eventually compiled together to make a complete album. Whatever the case may be, this is one complaint that I cannot ignore.

The musicianship on this album is really good, especially some of the lead guitar work, if I'm not mistaken, I think Paul Gilbert even does some flashy lead work on here. The vocal melodies are truly the highpoint for me. Neil's melodies are absolutely killer. Very memorable, and very catchy. The vocal harmonies are found in practically every song and they too are a necessity in complementing the melodies that seem to ring on for miles.

No need in breaking down every song since their are no real stinkers on here. Each track is worthy to be heard, however I will make mention to the fact that Piece of Me, and Dog Eat Everything are probably my two favorites.

If you are a fan of the harder edged rock of the eighties, without the sexist and chauvenistic overtones of the glam bands, then you'll probably dig the music on this above average disc. If you're a fan of guys like Steve Perry and Sebastian Bach, then you'll probably dig the vocals. Hopefully this album fits the bill for you, I fuckin' love it!