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Cyclone > Brutal Destruction > Reviews
Cyclone - Brutal Destruction

The whirlwind of thrash reaches the Flemish. - 83%

hells_unicorn, May 13th, 2018
Written based on this version: 1998, CD, Axe Killer Records (Reissue, Limited edition)

To state that the mid-eighties were the days of thrashing wouldn't be much of a stretch, and the reach of this newly and, at the time, highly dangerous subset of metal went well beyond the hot spots found on the continental United States, the U.K., Germany and Brazil. Western and Northern Europe enjoyed a particularly noteworthy influx of high quality lesser known bands, owing in large part to their close proximity to the aforementioned scenes, and one particularly scene that was comparably small yet impressive was the Belgian contingent. The roots of this phenomenon were already laid years earlier with the exploits of Motörhead inspired pioneers Killer and Acid playing heavy metal a tad too fast for the traditionalists, while somewhat more melodic speedsters Crossfire leaned towards the German sound of Accept and Running Wild, to speak nothing for the larger contingent of hard rock-infused bands putting out demos throughout the early 80s while sticking a good bit closer to the mainline NWOBHM sound. Despite this sizable explosion of metallic bluster in Flemish territory, a truly thrashing sound didn't emerge until a bit after the style had fully metastasized, save an early entry via speed thrashers Warhead, who were nevertheless closer in sound to the likes of Exciter and Warfare than a purely thrashing aesthetic.

All things considered, it would be logical to assert that Belgian thrashers Cyclone were the first of their nation to hit that stylistic sweet spot with their 1986 debut Brutal Destruction, and the musical results fall fairly close to the Teutonic one implied in the second word found in the albums very name. It's not quite a full out emulation of the German sound as the chug-happy, rhythmically precise riffing approach and guitar tone leans a bit towards the punchy character of the mid-80s Bay Area sound and the vocal performance of Guido Gevels has a bit more of a shrieking yet smooth swagger to it that's halfway between Joey Belladonna and Neil Turbin. All the same, the generally fast-paced, break-neck character and dark demeanor of this album's cumulative sound has a fairly strong Kreator vibe to it, though it doesn't get quite as intense as Endless Pain and has a more polished production. Basically this album could be summed up as what the aforementioned one would have sounded like had a bit more time been spent in the studio getting the execution tight and trading out Ventor's attitude-laced gruff and Petrozza's morbid barks and growls for something that would be more palpable to a middle of the road audience that wasn't quite ready for the extreme tendencies that thrash had already began exhibiting by 1985.

Things start off on a somewhat restrained and repetitious stride with a two-minute warm up session dubbed "Prelude To The End", which is menacing enough yet drags on just a tad too long. Once things get going, however, heads immediately begin to roll and the intensity level is abruptly ratcheted up from about a 4 to a 10+. "Long To Hell" is essentially a balls out bonanza of speed riffing and banshee shrieks that could have almost been a lost b-side from Kreator or Destruction's LPs from the previous year, save for the vocals being less filthy and the lead guitar wizardry sounding like rhythmically precise outtakes from Kirk Hammett's Kill 'Em All sessions. It is interesting to note that the three songs that existed from this band's demo of the previous year "Fall Under His Command", "In The Grip Of Evil" and "Incest Love" have more of a melodic, speed metal oriented, early Metallica character to them. This clashes just a tad bit with the heavier and darker thrashing feel of the opening crusher "Long To Hell", to speak nothing for the outright ugly troll of a galloping riff monster "Take Thy Breath", which is probably among the more vile and aggressive thrashing beasts to come out of the style alongside Pleasure To Kill and Darkness Descends, and even Guido's voice seems to adjust appropriately to match the characteristic sound.

While by no means a true trailblazing act in the macro sense of thrash metal as an international phenomenon, this was as intense as it got for Belgian metal in general for the day. There are bits and pieces of the American west coast and Germany's mid-80s edge floating around this thing, sometimes clashing a tad, but mostly working together nicely towards a final product that has one foot still partially in the NWOBHM trappings of the style's early roots. It was definitely a fitting addition to the Roadrunner Records family of the time, and saw the band enjoying some additional exposure alongside more conservative Flemish metal bands via the Metal Race split release that occurred the same year, ironically by featuring one song displaying Cyclone's earlier speed metal trappings and the other a pure, Teutonic-inspired fit of thrashing mayhem. Though at varying points in the late 90s and latter day 2000s enough interest resulted in this album getting a needed reissue and remastering, it remains an obscure offering from a time when style was first starting to really come into focus, and still wants for a larger audience when compared to wide array of 2nd tier German bands that came in a year or two later, to speak nothing for the still growing legions of revivalists cropping up in the past decade sporting the same exact influences.

Belgian cyclone - 75%

Felix 1666, February 11th, 2018
Written based on this version: 1986, 12" vinyl, Roadrunner Records

Belgium is a small (and nice) country, but its metal scene was almost bursting at the seams during the early and mid-eighties. In the shadow of the muscular German neighbour and the Anglo-Saxon dominance, formations like Killer, Crossfire, Warhead or Acid (Belgian namedropping, lesson one) produced their own metallic brew. Admittedly, the bands were influenced by their big brothers abroad. In contrast to Killer, Cyclone's sound is less inspired by Motörhead, but Living Death and comparable formations have been an inspiration. I recollect that the reviews were rather mediocre back in 1985 (4 points out of 7 in the German Metal Hammer), but time has told that the album deserves a better rating. The generic yet exciting speed metal makes fun.

First things first, Cyclone were good songwriters. They did not strive for innovative excellence, but they bundled their energy very effectively. "Fall Under His Command" starts with simple, triumphant guitars that draw the listener into the song in a matter of seconds. "Incest Love" - why didn't I realize it earlier? - offers a guitar line that could have been the blueprint for Sodom's concise riff of "Bombenhagel". Pay attention to the riff that shows up after 20 seconds, if you like to discover it. "In the Grip of Evil" deserves high marks due to its strong flow. Admittedly, one also finds songs like the mid-paced "The Call of Steel", which sounds a tad vapid, or "Fighting the Fatal" that has some aimlessly meandering parts. But after all, no song causes headache or even nausea. All of them spread the metallic vibes of its time.

The most prominent protagonist is lead vocalist Guido Gevels. He does not lack charisma and his high-pitched screams are well dosed. Sometimes he sounds like Phil Rind in view of the emphasis of the single lines, but he definitely has his own style. His comrades support with without any technical gimmicks. Solid craftmanship, so to say. No more, no less. This means that the music is well aligned with the production, because the sound of "Brutal Destruction" can also be described with terms such as adequate and solid. The mix is not overly transparent and razor blade sharpness has not been on the pretty basic agenda as well, but the album avoids any form of major defects. This spontaneous debut sounds professional and does not offer a blurred or dull demo recording.

Today, the western neighbour of my homeland still has a lot of more or less extreme metal bands like Ancient Rites, Enthroned, Gae Bolga or Slaughter Messiah (Belgian namedropping, lesson two). Although there might not be a direct connection between these dark hordes and the courageous pioneers from the eighties, bands like Cyclone paved the way and made their contribution for establishing a viable scene in Flanders and Wallonia. Their second work is also recommendable, but that's another story.

It's not often a cyclone hits (at least not in NJ) - 85%

Gutterscream, May 25th, 2005
Written based on this version: 1986, 12" vinyl, Roadrunner Records

I was going to claim that you can count all the Belgian bands on two hands, but then I forgot what year it is and how much the underground has flourished (that ‘search by country’ device is pretty nifty, eh?). Revising my statement, in ’86 you could count the Belgian bands on one hand. Cyclone was one of them, along with Black Shepherd (barely), Danger, Lions Pride, Scavenger, good ‘ol Ostrogoth, White Night…okay, maybe more than a handful, but even the majority on this abridged list were inaccessible. Even with their sole lp at the time, this five-piece became one of the more familiar of the bunch, most likely second to Ostrogoth, Crossfire, and maybe Killer (basically the entire If It’s Loud, We’re Proud three-way comp.), but Cyclone played thrash, were twice as aggressive, and could annoy your teachers in half the time.

Comparatively, Brutal Destruction isn’t as wild or fuzzy as Darkness Descends, hasn't the frenetic force of Reign in Blood, and isn't as raw as Torment in Fire, but within this tightly produced album one will find eight fairly strong tracks that at times can border on ruthless that are hooked together with exceptionally tight craftsmanship, a bevy of menacing riffs, lots of timing and rhythmic shifts, and a fairly original, albeit odd throat. Rough, mid-toned and with an uncultivated edge where screams are often unleashed with screeching gale force, Guido Gevels provides an acceptable battering of thrash conveyance that isn’t really indicative of another’s style I can recall except possibly Leviathan over in Satan’s Host.

The slow and premeditated “Prelude to the End” has ‘album opener’ etched all over it, a wordless collection of heavy, ornery rhythms that hint at the band’s yet-unfurled power, then after a speck of a break “Long To Hell” busts the dam holding back the frantic flow of quick, razor-like riffs and unrefined, near-barbaric vocals. A tough solo plows through like electricity, and it's hard to find a chink in the production’s armor (though I know someone will). “Fall Under His Command” bellows with a surging breaking riff and speeds along to a chorus that declines in haste for a bit more melody. One of the few unconvincing screams kicks off side one’s closer “The Call of Steel”, a decent masher that nearly manages to refrain from a good 'ol galloping rhythm that's been used in metal more than oxygen itself.

“Fighting the Fatal” is dramatic in its opening moments with an array of breaking riffs that pummel the sturdy chorus, meanwhile swift thrash precision coagulates the main verses. A grasping, up-tempo draw possesses “In the Grip of Evil” and its chorus, then as if to cut the allure from its structure, professional bruiser “Take Thy Breath” takes a saw blade of a riff and shears it in half with some formidable timing and rhythmic shifts. “Incest Love” is another full-on speed fiend that tames really only for a chorus that vocally careens like a freight train being ripped from its tracks.

Simple name, standard title, and uneventful cover add up to a generalization that’s pretty off for this Belgian band whose only other known offering is ’90’s Inferior to None, a limited-pressed lp that was quite scarce fifteen years ago, let alone now. All you really need is this strong slab from this strong B-grade thrash act.

Belgian riffage! - 82%

cyclone, September 14th, 2004

Not so well known even among thrash metal circles, Cyclone are Belgians that thrashed in European style back in late 80s and early 90s. This is their debut. As most of the other thrash bands of that era from Europe, they mixed sheer brutality with some excellent riffs. Their singer has quite of a specific voice, but you should like it if you like other European thrash acts from that time, drumming is a bit repetitive throughout the album... As said, riffs are great, so a definitive thumbs up for guitars.

There are some good songs up here. Prelude To The End is sort of an intro and it's instrumental and is cool in it's own way. It features some good bass playing and a good lead riff. Long To Hell is my personal favourite off this one. It starts off with a great kickinyourface riff and it's really fuckin fast. What else could you want? Fall Under His Command has that great singalong chorus and a very good buildup with some ultra fast picking. Then there's Call Of Steel with that great triplet intro. It fades away a bit to the end, but it's still fun. And no, it's not a Manowar cover song.
Next three songs are just average thrash songs, but the last song, Incest Love is a great way to end the record. It is a really fast song it has a nice solo and some nice screams.

Brutal Destruction is a good choice for every thrasher and an excellent choice for everyone who's particularly into EU thrash.