Kill for Pleasure

This album has been brought to my attention a couple of weeks ago, up to then, I had no idea about this band's existence. The 80s thrash scene was so damn populated, it looks like one can never know every good release there was. Either way, Blood Feast's debut record is an excellent lesson in primitive, ape-like brutality. Bits and pieces of "Tortured Existence" come to mind when listening to this album, but even that record, which is a pretty brute force record is a sophisticated work of art. This one is just completely fucking nuts and all over the place, but in the best way possible.

At core, this is a 100% thrash metal. Even though it's often referred to as deathrash, this is purely lean and crystal clear thrash metal. There are very few thrash albums that are this chaotic, though. This band's music completely lacks structure and any kind of general principle that would have applied to a thrash record in 1987. While the record is generally fast, there are a lot of stops, a lot of pace changes and slowdowns, which sound very organic and unfiltered. They also come at completely unexpected times, for example, right after a verse out of nowhere. This band had their own pace and own philosophy, and just rolled with that instead of following anything or anyone. It's a way better decision than the 856th Testament/Metallica impression.

The album is really primitive and crude, but believe it or not, that's why this album is so good. The songs are almost comical due to how much the band was trying to demonstrate their unrefined, primal aggression. The riffs are laughably simple, but nonetheless effective. They're generally fueled by strummed power chords, but they do have a lot of spirit and will to destroy. It's hard not to headbang along all the way through. They are complimented by the drums, which are played absolutely perfectly. They're also not technical, but they don't need to be. See with a record like this, the band can get away with simplicity, if they just have one element. All this record needs to be, with their fast paces, juicy mid-paced breaks and shredding solos is TIGHT. And this is tight, let me tell ya. Everything is screwed together as much as it could have been. Just check out "Cannibal" from 0:31, and you'll understand what I mean.

Vocalist Gary Markovitch reminds me of Paul Baloff of Exodus, with a little bit more fanaticism. The fact that his vocals are very loosely timed instead of being super exact adds even more to the chaotic fury the record brings to the listener. Don't expect to understand a word of what he's saying, but to be honest, who cares? The intent to devastate is what really matters, and this dude has that in excess, similarly to Skip McGullam from Num Skull.

Interestingly enough, there is very little technically impressive about this record. Yet somehow, it's as enjoyable as the best albums of the time, just in a different way. One can rightfully ask the following question: In what situation would this album be the way to go among the sea of more virtuostic and deep thrash masterpieces? When you're trying to have some fun. You want to take a break from all the serious and philosophical thrash metal records, and not take listening to music so seriously for a while. In that situation is this album one of the best choices there are.

If you're a fan of the first Cannibal Corpse album, and you love the speed and intensity of thrash classics like Reign in Blood or Pleasure to Kill, this album is for you! Combining the nonstop assault of dual guitars that match any of the great thrash kings of the 80s, the fuzzy, hateful bass of lo-fi groups like Hellhammer, and a drum sound that would have sounded right at home on a Death or Possessed album, you get music that will inspire you to jump, kick, bang your head hard and break everything in your reach.

The production is not crisp or clean, but considering the year this album was recorded, and the nature of proto death metal, the mix works perfectly. It highlights the crunching fury of the guitars, lets the bass have it's own place, hovering ever just below the rhythm guitar and feeding plenty of low end fuzz to the ravishing thrash cocktail, and the assault of bass drum and snare are loud enough to be serious punctuations of the brutal sound, without being overdone or washing out any of the other instruments.

As far as the production, I have one minor complaint about the drums, and that is regarding the hihat. That particular time keeping unit seems to be just a bit more prominent than the rest of the drum kit, and can be a bit overwhelming during some of the faster passages. All things considered, the mix could certainly be much worse and this album sounds exceptional, given the low budget and relatively new sound the band was working in.

Vocally, we've got that thrash howl covered in a bit of reverb, something like a predecessor to the more guttural death metal to come in the following decade. The vocals here might remind you of Chuck from Death in some passages, maybe somewhere between there and the more insane yelp of John from Obituary. In the more thrash influenced moments, one gets a strong hint of something you'd hear in early Exodus but with a bit more rasp. Very much an early example of the deepening growls that would eventually culminate in a completely guttural death growl.

From start to finish, this album maintains it's intensity and metal fury. There are no really weak tracks, every minute of this is devoted to thrashing and riffing, and despite the fact that this group slipped under the radar, I consider this to be a brilliant example of that special time in the late 80s when death metal was first beginning to find it's boundaries, and the thrash metal influences were still common enough in all available death metal. It was a unique time in metal, and a lot of the albums that bridged the gap between the established arena of thrash metal, and the budding new cousin, death metal, are still some of the greatest albums when you want something heavy, violent and energetic.

This album deserves a listen if you love thrash or death metal, and given the time and circumstances, it stands as one of the more underappreciated examples of that great time of transition.

One of the greatest dangers of an underground metal scene driven by nostalgia is its tendency to inflate the value of nearly any recording written and released during a particular period in time. So it goes in recent years for the early death metal stuff, and so before that it went for the Golden Era thrash metal. Second and third tier bands (at best) are showered with credit, failed records misremembered as successful, and buying trends produce loads of reissues, which is honestly the best part of the phenomena, since it puts some real gems back into print. New Jersey's Blood Feast, through no fault of its own, is certainly one of many indistinct thrash bands of the 80s to have garnered some buzz due to their placement in history. I can faintly remember a little discussion of Chopping Block Blues (their superior sophomore effort) in high school, thanks to one other student owning the cassette, but these fellas were hardly front page news...and for a reason.

Now, before the hair gets ruffled and the panties bunched, I'm not advocating that Blood Feast was some horribly incompetent band. As far as the New Renaissance Records roster, Kill for Pleasure was a rather middle of the road release, hardly the nadir of a label which produced only a handful of gems. For me, though, two of those particular gems, Indestroy's self-titled and debut and the North American release of Sepultura's Morbid Visions help exemplify exactly what it is I don't enjoy about the Blood Feast debut. Both had comparable, filthy speed/thrash aesthetics which could easily be filed under the proto-black/death metal category. Both brimmed with fun, unforgettable songs, dirty and distinct vocals and hooks that felt at the minimum threatening and at most downright Goddamned evil. Kill for Pleasure, on the other hand, just sounds like someone closely memorized a bunch of Slayer songs, trimmed out the infernal nuances that made them so revelatory and unique, and applied a vocalist who at best could be said as a more grotesque attempt to one-up Jeff Becerra of Possessed. Sure, everyone was influenced by Slayer, but if I had a dime for all the half assed "Black Magic" riffs here I'd have made back my money for the record. To dub this debut a bargain bin backup for Hell Awaits and Seven Churches might seem a cruelty or disservice to some, but it's nonetheless the honest truth.

But let me step back and talk about what I feel Blood Feast actually had going for them. For one, though horror influences persisted in the hard rock/heavy metal scene as early as the 60s (potentially earlier), the sort of 70s/80s inspired splatter metal was still pretty fresh by the time Kill for Pleasure rolled out. In fact, part of the charm anyone would feel for this or Chopping Block Blues is the nostalgia for the endless slasher sequels and 'forbidden' mock cannibal VHS tapes that started to thrive through this particular decade. The lyrics here largely revolve around films and stories of serial killers, mythical creatures of the night, and occult fueled apocalypses. It's Halloween metal for those individuals who privately venerate the holiday over the course of the entire year. That doesn't make it incredibly unique in the 80s, but bands like Blood Feast were unquestionably blueprints for the throngs of thousands of gore or kitsch-horror obsessed death metal mavens to follow. If Kill for Pleasure wasn't an inspiration for the roster of Razorback records, for example, I would be completely shocked. So that sense of antiquated slasher atmosphere and brutality permeates the experience here, and really makes me wish to like it more than I do...

Unfortunately, the music is just not up to the task. Boilerplate chord progressions paraphrased from a good number of other records leading up to it, thriving only off the inherent visceral intensity spearheaded by Gary Markovitch, the sadistic vocalist who channels the aforementioned Becerra's style into ghastlier heights of morbid grunts and vicious snarls. Oh, he's a lot of fun on a tune like "Cannibal", but the supporting rhythm guitars fail to stand out, and it feels like you're the target of some foot chase perpetuated by a knife wielding psychopath, only to realize in the middle that this is a pretty boring foot chase. 'Just kill me.' As I've persisted through the record every time I've broken it out in the past 25 years, I've kept waiting to hear those surprise hooks flutter in from beyond the verses, or some climactic chorus carnage that made me wanna flip back the needle for a replay, but they just never happen. Like a lot of its contemporaries (Darkness Descends or Reign in Blood), speed is the general rule, with a couple meaty palm muted breakdown grooves for the moshers, and those are across the board uninteresting. Naturally, I don't have a problem with such a driven, breakneck album, but I at least expect some catchy riff patterns strewn in there, and Kill for Pleasure does not deliver.

The production is a bit sloppy, so several of the complaints I've read are warranted in this area, though I have no idea why one would expect a major budget on such a small label. There are plenty of soiled and amateur sounding records I love to death (like the two other New Renaissance releases I mentioned above), but that's because the studio choices (or lack thereof) seem to emphasize the quality of the songwriting, or at least ensure that the listener is paying closer attention. Kill for Pleasure is dense and workmanlike, with Gary's lunatic vocals up front above the considerable drum mix and wet-ass distortion of the rhythm guitars. The leads are also pretty gross sounding, though occasionally they seem better prepared and more melodic than others, at which they seem like afterthoughts that sadly lack the frenetic capacity of what Slayer were weaving into their tunes. Blood Feast is definitely one of the earlier thrash bands to put such a distorted and sleazy tone on the bass...in fact it's so thick and repugnant that it places Kill for Pleasure almost into early grind territory at times (circa Scum or Horrified). A good choice, but the bass lines themselves are hardly interesting enough to provide more than a gut-spilling accompaniment. Drums are fired up and abusive, to say the least, but rarely if ever enter that extreme metal territory that Hoglan and Lombardo were pushing.

Really, Markovitch is the center of attention and the only component of this record that I found marginally entertaining, because he's just not holding back. He's crazy. Matched up with some truly bewitching or evil progressions of chords or melodies, Kill for Pleasure might have been sinister as shit, even turning the lead vocal down a notch, but this is ultimately 42 minutes of average schlock that secedes from the memory almost as soon as its injected. I mean, take Rigor Mortis' eponymous record, an excellent if imperfect example of how to integrate frightening, morbid rhythm guitars with dark vocals and cult horror lyrical themes, or older records like Hell Awaits, Metal Inquisition, hell even Welcome to Hell and Black Metal leave an infinitely more wicked impression upon the psyche than this; not to mention Chopping Block Blues which is more varied, unusual and interesting, even it trades in some of the savagery. Kill for Pleasure is not a compete dud, some acceptable slasher metal to spin in the background while you organize your Friday the 13th DVDs, but its only merits stem from its over the top frontmanship and unflinching rawness. Your heart won't quicken, you won't jump at shadows, and...no goosebumps. A bloody steak, sure, but not a tasty one.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Blood Feast is easily one of my favorite bands for pretty much one reason. INTENSITY. This is by far one of the most intense, aggressive, all out insane albums ever made. I agree, the production isn’t the best and yes they didn’t invent anything with this release but my god these guys knew how to make fast, chaotic thrash metal.

The production isn’t too bad. The guitars are a little fuzzy, but not something that makes me not want to listen to it. The bass is audible and has some cool distorted parts, (“Suicidal Mission”), but doesn’t really wow me. The drums are loud and sound amazing. The snare is really loud and the cymbals make the thrash beats used on this album even more intense.

Now, the music. Well…thrash, thrash, and more thrash. That’s pretty much how I would describe it. Every song on here is fast as hell. “Cannibal” has a pretty cool riff, and then comes the speed, which kicks your ass until the end of the song. “Vampire” is easily the best song on here. Its starts with a “Raining Blood” feel to it, and then explodes into a thrash masterpiece. The chorus is kind of catchy and the whole song is structured nicely. The guitar solos in this album are so so. They’re pretty much shredding thrash solos but fit the song perfectly. Now, the vocals…this guy has one of the most insane voices I’ve ever heard in thrash. If you heard him on “Chopping Block Blues” where he is tame and not so insane, wait till you hear him on here. I can’t even think of someone to compare him to. Definitely the stand out of the album along with the drummer.

Every song on this album is good. There isn’t really one filler on the whole album. Every song delivers chaotic thrash and leaves you wanting more. I just wish they could’ve followed this album with something along the lines of this album in terms of intensity.

I would recommend this to fans of Exodus and Slayer, and who doesn’t like Exodus or Slayer?

Best tracks – “Vampire”, “Cannibal”, “Suicidal Mission”, and “Darkside”

I'm afraid I must beg to differ with with the folks who have been praising this album so far. I bought this when it came out in 1987 and was, well, underwhelmed. The others seem to not be looking at the fact that, well, Blood Feast were painfully typical of the thrash genre and, well, average players at best. With the notable exception of Kevin Kuzma's vigorous kit abuse, he was easily the best player in the band.

Gary Markovitch's highly distinctive vocals were annoying, unfortunately--he sounded like a rabid rodent at best, in my opinion. And Mike Basden and Adam Tranquilli were typical unimaginative pentatonic scale wankers with typically unimaginative Slayer-like (there, I said it, get over it) whammy bar abuse characterizing their leads. The riffs were predictable and boring, and not as evil or crazed as the masters themselves whom they are often compared to (Slayer) were in those days. No, I am not calling them Slayer clones, I am calling them boring and uninspired. The lyrics were also typical of the era, tales of blood and gore and death, and just weren't that good at all. Araya and company (as in many of the better bands of the time) had them beat in terms of shock value and outrageousness.

The production is the usual underproduced trashy garage ambiance associated with most New Renaissance releases of that era. The bass is buried except for the "solo" spot in "Menacing Thunder" and the drums sound like trash cans, and the guitars are thin and weak--sometimes bands with production this bad can pull it off with style and attitude, but this band just couldn't do it. The necessary levels of creativity and attitude were just not there in this case.

This is yet another mid-80s obscurity that deserves to stay buried in the 80s metal graveyard. Good but not great is a charitable term to describe this album, in my opinion. Quality thrash this was not, and never will be. Look to the masters and the lesser-known Hirax for better examples of the form.

“…lightning flashers, thunder booms, feel the rattle in every room…”

To flip through dusty ‘86 issues of EC Rocker (East Coast Rocker, a popular source for upcoming shows in the tri-state area that evolved into the more mainstream Aquarian) and not stumble over advertisements for Blood Lust’s notorious Suicidal Mission demo is a hard case to defend. The band can never be penalized for not pushing their sole demo to the public, and though b&w and at a mere eighth of a page, that inverted cross is huge, juiced of sinister intent, a zero-in factor that didn’t go unnoticed by shaggy-headed teenagers searching for that next great thrash monster. Don’t let people tell you Blood Feast’s harsh, craggy sound didn’t find its way around NJ’s congested, polluted streets. Then there’s the large poster I’m told hung in the window of local record store Rock N’ Roll Heaven, owned by young Johnny and Marsha “Megaforce” Zazula and well-roamed by gnarly, pimply-faced ruffians of the denim ‘n leather lot. Yeah, lots of nostalgia stems from this one.

Early on, Blood Feast had its share of paralegal problems. First the well known name change, the other American band Blood Lust guilty as sin for squandering the cool moniker, then the album’s original title Pleasure to Kill fell to the sophomore kreation of Kreator, an album that’s done the justice to the name Blood Feast had pined for. Without straying far from their original ideas, the five-piece would become one of the better known and received acts to wear the New Renaissance castle on its debut lp’s jacket.

There’s no great mystical dynamic behind BF’s ruthless, fuzz-ridden cacophony, but kudos must be given to the band’s line-of-sight vision, a twofold non-device separating them from thrash’s 1987 changing of the guard that remarks on 1) their obvious disinterest in the technical allure that was cleaning up the style with suds Tide-like and squeaky, and 2) of the bands remaining loyal to the original anarchic fusion, the boys from Bayonne were one of the more hellacious and strong-willed to grab the tattered flag and keep running.

Two of the songs here and on their demo appear on auspicious New Renaissance compilations Thrash Metal Attack** and Speed Metal Hell Vol. 3***, showcasing in full glory the lousy bass-bloated Earthquake Studios (not far from me in Scotch Plains) production. Thankfully the debut crawled away from that earthen crack and waddled over to Waterfront Studios for a ramshackle, ultra-noisy, and viciously enthusiastic mix that bestows these nine tracks with their grinding, wool-swallowed overbite they’re avowed for. With nothing to lose, the majority of tunes rely on a harshly passionate fervor that can’t be feigned or counterfeited, fairly avid in the lurch n’ jerk perception that if structuring and pace aren't allowed to meander or stick around, it’s one less contaminate for the recipe, keeping the likes of “Menacing Thunder”**, “Cannibal”, “Suicidal Mission”***, and “Venomous Death” from losing consciousness and spreading the disease to the listener. A formidable example of this common sense is the title cut, stalking into motion cruel-eyed and simmering until an attack velocity increase ensures a memorable kill. Vocalist Gary Markovitch shrieks with airborne lung carnage that venomously plows through the production’s thick aural bramble and the band’s intense foliage, more poisonous and merciless than five John Connellys and maybe two Paul Baloffs, breathing acrid fumes into “Darkside”, then redoubling it for ripping lp closer “R.I.P”.

My only pet peeve about Blood Feast is actually no fault of their own, but concern incessant comparisons to Slayer by fans that that are either very unimaginative, unlearned, lazy, or have the ears of an ostrich with its head in the sand. Sure, any mid-late ‘80s thrash/speed bands that claim they’re not shaving a little Slayer off into their own crock pot is kidding themselves, but some of the linkage I’ve heard/read about is as overglued and charitable as stories of Kill For Pleasure being a rare piece, limited blue wax or regular.

Despite a sound blackmailed by two decades and little innovation outside of the construction of metal insensitive and unforgiving, Blood Feast’s songs are reasonably memorable, stiff-handed yet deceptively artful in their severity, owing much to their ability to engineer compellingly structured tunes in a style that by ‘87 bore its share of snoozers and strategizers.

Hell yeah! A classic from 1987, lost in the 'vinyl-to-CD' shuffle and subsequent folding of New Renaissance Records, recently reissued. Fuck Necrophagia - THIS is one lost thrash/death metal gem that we're all happy to have back. This quintet from New Jersey had a penchant for just thrashing it out, and that's exactly what Kill for Pleasure does - 42 minutes of nonstop thrashing brutality. The intensity isn't all that far from either the Bay-Area scene (ala Exodus or Possessed) or the Germanic thrash titans (Kreator, Destruction), but the riffs and songs are a bit more straightforward. Brilliantly chaotic solos (courtesy of Adam Tranquilli and Mike Basden) also add to the thrashiness, and the drumming prowess of Kevin Kuzma is unbelievable - he just doesn't let up! The vocals of Gary Markovitch are a little strange; they're not the typical death grunting, but rather are like 'shouted' death vox, sort-of Schmier-like, but higher and more frantic sounding - but he does have this slightly annoying tendency to sing slightly offbeat, but again in a weird way it sort-of contributes to the overall 'out-of-control' feel the whole album has. Hot spots are the one-two punch of "Menacing Thunder" and the title track, and "The Evil".

Production was pretty good for New Renaissance standards in those days - maybe a little thin, but the guitars are suitably ripping, drums are okay, and the fuzz-distorted bass is rather nicely done. The original cover art was preserved in the reissue, as were all of the lyrics, liner notes, and the de rigeur 'collage' photo under the CD in the tray inlay. Another nice little bonus is that, though the liner notes and lyrics only list nine songs, there are actually TEN on this disc - RIP from the "Face Fate" EP is also included as track five. Essential.

(Originally published at LARM (c) 1999, with minor edits 2002)