The Final Separation

Glorious ancient times! Back in 1986, an Italian band still had an almost exotic touch. The US of A and the UK ruled, the Germans were as always a little bit behind… but Italy? Of course, they had more to offer than, let’s say, Norway. But if we knew one thing for sure, then we were absolutely convinced that Norway would never spit out a serious rock band. Not to mention metal. Or black metal – ridiculous!

Speaking of black metal, Bulldozer, the South-European bastard of Venom and Motörhead, had some percent of this style in their music. But as real bastards, it goes without saying that the dudes presented a mix of different styles like speed metal, black metal, dirty rock and some more or less funny elements showed up as well. I rather think they are not funny at all, but I am a German and this means I’m an expert in unconditional surrender or blind obedience, but definitely not in terms of humour.

The three-piece (of course the band had to appear in the classic Venom / Motörhead / Tank line-up) recorded some pretty cool numbers for “The Final Separation”, for example the galloping title track, the surprisingly mature “Never Relax” and the straight “The Cave”. Unfortunately, the material sounds pretty thin sometimes and especially the moronically titled “Sex Symbol’s Bullshit” suffers from this mix. It remains pretty powerless in view of its feeble guitars. Fortunately this is an exception and already the following “’Don’ Andras” sounds relatively vigorous again. It’s the piece that wants to emphasise the comical side of the band. To me it sounds like cheers of a group of semi-military joggers in the park on a sunny Saturday morning and I admit that it’s an original track – but I also must say that I do not fully understand why the trio recorded this number.

Anyway, Bulldozer did not sound anymore like amateurs who want to piss with the big players. The riffing of songs like “Don’t Trust the ‘Saint’” is fairly on an equal footing with that of songs like Venom’s “Don’t Burn the Witch”. The boozy voice of the lead singer lies in close proximity to the hoarse rattle of Lemmy (R.I.P.) and with regard to these components, there can be no doubt that supporters of shabby underground formations don’t waste their time with “The Final Separation”. Nevertheless, an open question remains. Which idiot had the idea to record “The Death of Gods”?

The closer crosses the ten-minutes-mark and to call it overlong would be correct, but simultaneously a euphemism. Bulldozer wanted to pen a monumental number, but the only thing that happens is that they fail monumentally. The song drags on and on with some drug-imbued guitar lines which have absolutely no impact. They are uneventful and pale and even the obligatory tempo changes don’t add something like dynamic, fire or spirit. It’s really sad that “The Final Separation” has to end like this, because with another crunchy, compact speedster instead of “The Death of Gods” it would have been a truly casual work from the beginning to the end. But later songs like “Yum Yum” proved evidence that sometimes the dudes of Bulldozer did not know their limitations… Given this fact, we can be happy that “The Final Separation” houses a lot of stable, solid and somewhat exciting metal tracks. In default of own bands, every Norwegian metalhead should lend an ear to the album.

In 1985/86, becoming one of the most acclaimed extreme metal bands in Italy wasn't exactly difficult like climbing the Everest or trying to remain heterosexual after hearing of Myles Kennedy for the first time, since not so much competition was present in the land of pizza and mainly heavy outfits like Strana Officina, Vanadium, or the first incarnation of Death SS, and the shadow of the prog giants of the previous decade (PFM, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Le Orme) was also huge. Therefore, you would expect that releasing a new Kill 'Em All wasn't necessary in order to emerge in this scenario. Indeed, Bulldozer did it with a heavily Venom-worshiping debut, The Day of Wrath. But it also meant that very few people outside my country considered them as a real force to be reckoned with. So, when it was time for another album, they could have moved on and unleashed a totally different work, showing evolution, musical prowess, capacity to walk out of the shadows of... well, you should imagine which band I'm talking about by now. That would actually happen. But we had to wait another year, while in the meantime we got the missing link of Bulldozer discography.

The Final Separation's cover simply exploited a photoshoot of an year earlier, without permission of the band. It had the worst production (somehow worse than its predecessor), and apparently didn't spread many live-favorite songs (barring maybe the title-track, whereas The Day of Wrath had 'Fallen Angel', 'Cut-Throat' etc.). It's never mentioned amongst Bulldozer full-lengths, be it for the 'cult' value of The Day of Wrath or for the blatant superiority of the subsequent two offerings. Currently it has also the lowest average rating here. A chronicle of an announced disaster? I don't think so. But something that I can agree with is that The Final Separation is, even if by a slight margin, the weakest offering of Bulldozer's impressive run of 4 albums in as many years: it has enough flaws to stay far from reaching a 'classic' level, but it still remains a fairly good album with some strong points. It's not a complete change in style (yet), but the acquired maturity is tangible even after a single year from the debut.

I admit that I expected an all-out thrasher from the title-track, even more so considering the opening riff, and though it's not bad at all, with all the tempo changes and that recurrent lead harmony, it's not my favorite here. 'The Cave' is another mid-paced track, much in the style of their debut, with amazingly disturbing lyrics in a debatable English. Conversely, the following 'Sex Symbols' Bullshit' is the most up-tempo number, and a surprising, good track, with solid double bass courtesy of Don Andras. Speaking of him... what kind of drugs did he assume during the solo on 'Don't Trust the "Saint"'? Anyway, it's 'Never Relax!' which aims for the spotlight, and one can forgive the blatant 'Creeping Death' rip-off in the post-chorus section. 'The Death of Gods' is worth it for the haunting, slightly dissonant melodies of Panigada which occupy the most part of its huge running time, albeit a real chorus, maybe in the vein of 'Welcome Death', would have been the icing on the cake.

'"Don" Andras' is probably the most controversial song; I'm not completely familiar with the dialect of Naples (home town of the drummer, who handles also vocals... er, random yelling here), but I can tell that many of the lines are a collection of curse words, like that 'Non me scassà 'u cazz'!' [approximately the equivalent of 'Don't break my balls' (literally: 'dick')] at 1:10: that was the moment I nearly fell off my chair laughing, something that one shouldn't expect to happen when listening to a speed/black metal album released in 1986! It seems something Nanowar would write... so I can't deny it sounds really unsettling in the context of the album, but it's just another way to reaffirm Bulldozer's peculiar taste for humor in each album. Haters (read: non-Italians) gonna hate.

Onward to the production. Yep, it's really the worst one. The sound quality even changes from song to song. The killer 'Ride Hard - Die Fast', in particular, features inexplicably subpar production even for the low standards of the album. The guitars and drums sound completely digitalized, something which reminded me of late Ministry or Open Hostility-era Razor... not something you would expect from a major label. By the way, the main riff is also very Razor-esque, and the solo is seriously one of Panigada's best. In the aforementioned 'Sex Symbols' Bullshit' the vocals are ridiculously low in the mix during the chorus. Fortunately for the most time the quality is, at best, acceptable and it doesn't spoil the music further. However, it's quite a shame since the material could have been worthy of some more points in the overall rating.

The turning point: along with the cover incident, more and more discontent raised against Roadrunner. The label also refused to insert lyrics in the booklet, and probably it was the one to blame for the band's overtly influenced sound, judging from the drastic changes that happened in the year between this and the follow-up, IX, after AC Wild and crew had detached themselves from RR and found another label which wouldn't keep them only as an inferior/cover band because of their provenience. No doubt they have made the right decision.

You can also find this review on MetalBite.com.

This comes from a rather obscure country when it comes to metal, which Italy at that time surely was (in spite of having a strong underground scene), releasing four consistent albums during the '80s, then disbanding before turning into one of the '90's atrocities, although they released a thankfully-forgotten 'rap metal' EP. They're associated with the so-called first wave black metal scene and finally, playing music that just screams out which decade they come from. Bulldozer had everything it takes to become a cult band in some circles. What is often the case with such quasi-underrated acts, the music tends to be not as good as the praises claim, which seems to be the case with Bulldozer on this album.

Bulldozer plays very old school-sounding speed/thrash metal with big hints of Venom adoration and, consequently, a Motorhead one, too. The music is slightly heavier than what their inspirators were doing. The thrashiness of this album seems to be more of a work of their own, evolution from Venom that is rather than an influence of their contemporary thrash metal acts. And despite being associated with first wave black metal, Bulldozer contains no audible extreme metal elements, unlike their countrymen from Schizo or Necrodeath.

The tracks are fairly simple, but enjoyable headbangers, preferably under the influence of alcohol. Riffs are stuck somewhere between thrash, speed, and heavy metal, being uptempo and fairly simple and successfully creating the rock and roll vibe of Motorhead. In order to maintain the easy-listening nature of this album, there's little to medium variation among them and not too big of an amount of them. Not the best, but doing their dirty job decently.

Solos are the more refined part here, obviously attacking you with the old school metal attitude. None of them have that forced sound where it feels like a band was attempting to craft a solo just for it to be there. The vocals are enjoyable as well as AC barks in a manner similar to Cronos. I have to admit I actually enjoy his voice more than his idol's.

The trademark of this album in the Bulldozer discography are catchy and fun sing-along choruses (The Final Separation, Don't Trust The Saint, Never Relax). The bass playing, again, is greatly influenced by their guru Cronos, but a good thing springs from that and that is this instrument's actual contribution to the music, especially on the outstanding track, The Death Of Gods, a long slow-paced piece possessing a truly devilish atmosphere that's different from the rest of the album which sounds rather unserious, especially given the cheesy lyrics.

The drumming is simplistic and uneven. There are interesting parts and fills though, like Never Relax's intro. They mostly follow a mid-paced tempo supporting the guitar in making the album catchy, sometimes with almost a punky style. The track "Don" Andras is some kind of joke track dedicated to Don Andras (the drummer) that might feel good for the band to put on the album, but remains embarrassing in retrospec. The production on this album is raw and cheap at the price of contributing to the old school feel and makes the album sound dated, which is probably the main concern of this album. Sure, it's old school and fairly enjoyable, but it's simply not competent enough for current times. Never in fact being a great release, its flaws only could become more visible with time.

Regardless, there's a fair chance you'll end up liking this depending on your attitude towards outdated material, because this album definitely IS likable, more so than objectively good. It's the type of thing you don't want to reject because of a strange kind of acquired nostalgia, appearing even in spite of having no long time connections with it.

The second album by the Italian black/speed/thrash metal legend Bulldozer came one year after the debut album, The Day of Wrath and features more or less the same characteristics that contribute in making this band a true legend even outside the home country. The Final Separation is the second confirm of a good quality band. For all its length, the nastiness of the speed metal and the brutal influences of bands like Venom and Motörhead collide to create another high impact effort, in pure 80s style. So, forget about technique or elegance because here we enter the Bulldozer world and try to survive it!

We immediately face the title track with its ethereal sounds and arpeggios. The drums show immediately a far direct approach with really raw sounds and the guitars finally enter. The atmosphere is always gloomy and desecrating and we settle down on mid-paced progressions for the vocals to enter. They are always heavily Cronos influenced but growler. The speed metal restarts after the symphonic breaks are just obliterating and the riffs are truly fast. The guitars solos are not too fast but louder to add more darkness to the sound, while we go on with the sheer speed and brutality of “Ride Hard-Die Fast”. The up tempo and the riffs are definitely more thrash metal oriented as we meet some more melodic touches by the chorus.

The dirty rock’n’roll influences are heavier on “The Cave” song. The guitars have plenty of them as the drums follow a sort of Hellhammer up tempo style. The good solo after the drums one is to remark for its goodness and its addition of melody. The arpeggios parts are scary even for the distorted vocals. “Sex Symbols' Bullshit” is a truly in your face track, like the ones we could find on higher quantity on the debut album. The fast bass drums beats are constant as the riffage always conserves that incredibly hard rock touch, but on speed. With “Don Andras” we reach the top in hilarity! The vocals and the melodies have plenty of the stereotypes from Naples and south Italy. The tempo is fast and the riffs even more but the atmosphere is fun and really crazy!

“Never Relax” has a kicking drums intro to continue on speed for the up tempo and the fast bass drums patterns. The vocals are again low and dirty, while the riffs switch many times in style, from the hard rock influences to the classic speed ones. The breaks are just massive for the truly massive riffs and the dark atmosphere it’s recreated. “Don't Trust the "Saint"” has another drums intro and it introduces a savage speed metal riff. The up tempo is always present, as well as the fast bass drums work. The chorus is quite catchy too and this is very important. Even if the structures are quite simple on these songs, they are all quite enjoyable for the genre, without being terrific or awesome. Once gain, the best parts come with the solo and the impulsive, relentless restarts.

The last “The Death of Gods” features again those ethereal and occult atmospheres with long arpeggios sections and dark sounds. When the heavy instruments enter, the tempo remains doomy, privileging the atmosphere and the dark touch. The vocals are ritualistic too on some parts and the solos are always there to accompany us with a hint of melody. All in all, this is another good confirm of the goodness of the Bulldozer’s sound back in the 80s and it’s good to recommend it to the old school fans of this lethal black/speed combination.

Okay, the Venom worship is almost entirely gone by now and Bulldozer has developed more onto their own sound with this release, but...the production is lame!! I mean, I loved the rawness of the first release as well as this one, but the music is hidden behind the fuzz, even though you'll probably get used to it once you get deeper into the album. This album would probably be a bit better than the first if the fuzz had been eliminated.

The Final Separation - I love the way this song starts off, very moody with dark and mystical synths in the background, then the double bass kicks in followed by a catchy as fuck rythm that will please any metalhead. Now you can't really notice any fuzziness yet until AC begins singing. His voice is buried behind the fuzz. Even still, this is the album's best track and one of Bulldozer's best songs.

Ride Hard, Die Fast - Typical speed metal more in the vein of the first album, raw an nasty, except now the fuzz has seemed to increase. Only real highlight is the solo at the end of the song, but Bulldozer has done better.

The Cave - Whoa, this sure caught me off gaurd! Sounds sort of like footsteps in the beginning followed the the ear piercing scream of a woman, which wasn't really expected. After the scream, the speed and riffage kicks in, turning out quite catchy and much better than the previous tune. Much more variety in the riffage and beat, as well as a better solo.

Sex Symybols' Bullshit - Another typical speed metal song in the vein of the first album. This is probably the weakest song on the album.

"Don" Andres - Don Andres is the drummer of Bulldozer, who also does vocals on this song as well. In the beginning, it sounds as if he is shouting something in Italian, followed by a drum solo. Actually, through out the song, the entire band can be heard screaming Italian words as if they were at a party or something, while Don does goes crazy on the drum set. They were probably drunk as Hell when this track was done...

Never Relax! - Speaking of drum solos, that's what kicks this tune off. And speaking of drums in general, the drums are the only highlight of the song. Though they are mainly in the traditional thrash/speed style, they change pace quite a few times. Another reason why they are the only highlight is because neither the vocals or the riffs are anything special.

Don't Trust The Saint - Aside from the title track, this is the probably the album's next best song. There is much variety among all the instruments in this song as well as AC's vocals, and the fuzz isn't as present here as in the other tracks. Now as for the solo, it kills! Once the pace of the song speeds up, that's when the solo kicks in, being the major highlight of the song.