Blaze of Obscurity

Pariah was one of the many British thrash bands of the eighties that lacked stamina. This was a pity, because the thoughtful band distinguished itself with thoroughly composed songs and intelligent lyrics. Among other things, they wrote about euthanasia, false friends, dictatorships and betrayal without using clichés. Quite the contrary, they did it in an appropriate and very respectful manner. To wallow in violent fantasies was not their thing.

The music was not as harsh as you may believe when thinking of the thrash metal genre. Just as an example, the title track could be viewed as a kind of power ballad with some emotional parts. They were contrasted by the heavy chorus in order to create a suspenseful song structure. This number could not be considered as representative, but nevertheless, its election as title track was remarkable. Generally speaking, Pariah never neglected the necessary amount of melody. That does not mean that their sound could be blamed for being inoffensive. They just had an intuitive feel for the right proportion of harmonic elements. Adolescent goals like "releasing the harshest thrash album of all time" were of no importance. One can say without exaggeration that Pariah´s definition of thrash metal was relatively unique. Without copying the success formula of Metallica, they dared to perform an independent form of thrash metal, medium hard, sometimes influenced by power metal, not revolutionary but maladjusted. This sounds as if they had made the right decision to call themselves Pariah, doesn´t it? By contrast, their compatriots of Xentrix, another short-lived thrash band from the United Kingdom, also combined fast rhythms and melodic parts, but they were converging increasingly towards Hetfield´s remote-controlled machinery. In this respect, the misfits of Pariah were more likeable to me, although I appreciated Xentrix, too.

The songs followed a more or less traditional pattern without being predictable. The dynamic and lively rhythm section was the driving force while the dexterous guitarists impressed with their surprising turns and twists within the given framework set. Fortunately, one looked in vain for tedious parts. Lead singer Michael Jackson, of course not be confused with the "King of flop", was the weakest link in the chain. His equable vocal performance was solid, but not really outstanding. Rare high-pitched screams interrupted the expressive sprechgesang (I mean he spoke more than he sang) and his slightly hoarse voice lacked a bit of power, just a tiny little bit.

Saving the best for last was not the maxim of the band that decided to start the album with the strongest tracks. The first three songs presented a firework of power and joy of playing. Due to the mature musicianship, Pariah appeared as a strong unit. Every cog matched perfectly with the next one. It is therefore not surprising, that the remaining songs also played a good role. The same applied for the production. It fulfilled my expectations, but it did not appear as a special feature of the album. Due to all these positive factors, the full-length would have deserved a better place in the history of thrash metal. But the compositional idea of the courageous band fell between two stools. The guys were too harsh for traditionalists and not hard enough for the thrashing hordes. The failure of this magnificent vinyl was no glorious chapter for the metal community.

The Kindred may have marked a solid debut for Pariah, but Blaze of Obscurity blows it straight out of port, on charges of failure to deliver the promised amount of product. You will notice a few differences here: Michael Jackson sounds pretty much identical to how Steve Grimmett sounded when he took over Onslaught. Not as harsh or vicious as the previous album, and to be honest, I preferred the vocals there to this. However, the guitar riffs more than compensate, as they draw from few of the technical edged attacks on the debut, and then pummel the listener over and over with brilliant, hammering patterns of notes...so good that when I first heard the album, I had to often stop particular songs just to go back and listen to particular riffs. Yes, Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey were working overtime in the preparation of this record, and their writing is up there with many of the better technical speed/metal acts of the day...not going as far as Coroner or Deathrow, but certainly better than the majority of the flock. Their power/heavy metal influence only shines, as the solos and riffs can be a little more melodic than the average.

"Missionary of Mercy" is not the best song to open the album, but nonetheless it does. I don't love Jackson's vocals on this all that much, but once you get past the initial thrust of the verse rhythm, the guitars are simply intense. "Puppet Regime" is just mindblowing; the initial riff winds and curves about the fretboard like a shredder on mescalin, and the perky speed licks that frolic below the verse are unbelievable, in a good way. The solos in this track are also quite excellent, and it may just be the best Pariah song in their entire discography. "Canary" comes close though, which more interesting, complex riffs that dance about the beat like a cartoon parody of thrash. An interesting title for a metal song, but it works well when it arrives in the chorus. The title tracks alternates between an emotional acoustic with some of Jackson's 'tender' vocals and a grooving thrash metal rhythm...the vocals don't really work for me during the latter, but there are still a few interesting riffs.

Every hour is dark, life is scarred
with degradation and scathing remarks
pride just chose to hide
leaving you alone with no strength
to carry on, but you carry on

"Retaliate!" brings back the guitar force with an immediately catchy, popping note selection that thrusts straight into the next, with a nice sporadic lead and punctual heaviness to the pre-chorus that breaks into a glorious charging speed metal rhythm and killer chorus. "Hypochondriac" wins out for its wild leads and rhythms, though the verse vocals are pretty lame (they get better at the chorus). The album closes with the scorcher, mid-paced "Enemy Within", which builds to another great lead, and "The Brotherhood", which features some pretty hot, bouncing riffs and a few nice gang chorus bits. The lyrics throughout the album are very typical for thrash at the time, anti-corporate anthems and other social political ideals out in force.

Blaze of Obscurity was a great album, and certainly deserved more attention that it got. But then, this was 1989...many huge bands were just having their careers hit the upswing, and Pariah were not coming out of a popular background with Satan. I don't love the vocals here, they drag it down a notch in quality...though Jackson still delivers when he breaks away from the Grimmett style. But it's a must listen for fans of great 80s guitar work in thrash and speed metal, with some rhythms that still sound fresh 20 years after the fact.

Highlights: Puppet Regime, Canary, Retaliate!, The Brotherhood

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

There’s heavy metal, power metal, thrash metal, death metal etc. the list seems almost endless. Sub-genres are important in metal and bands are quickly classified and labeled. Pariah (the last re-incarnation of Satan) is one of few bands that are difficult if not impossible to classify. Is it heavy/traditional metal? NWOBHM? Pariah don’t make it easy job for me to describe their sound. It’s too sophisticated to be heavy metal, which in its infancy was a rather simple affair. They don’t sound like any power metal band out there, perhaps discounting some of the more aggressive and technical ones, and I can’t detect any signature NWOBHM-sounds. I’m confused. Maybe it would be best to just call it Satan or Pariah Metal?

The guitar playing by Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey is undeniably what defines Pariah as well as Satan and Blind Fury in the past. Their unique style unifies what is otherwise three very different band. Undeniably, Satan has gone a long way; from humble NWOBHM-ish beginnings, to experimental/melodic rock/metal (Blind Fury) and something that could be described as a NWOBHM-thrash hybrid (Pariah – The Kindred). It’s as if they’ve been experimenting trying to find their identity, and finally found it. Stylistically, Blaze of Obscurity can be seen a step back toSuspended Sentence, but this time around they got everything right, down to the last note.

Those who have heard Satan or Blind Fury know what to expect: great guitar playing. And sure enough, Blaze of Obscurity is a demonstration of guitar mastery and is overall a very guitar-driven album, with plenty of mind-boggling riffs and solos are all over the place, but more importantly, it’s a demonstration of some amazing songwriting as well. This is easily Satan’s creative peak and one of the most consistent albums I’ve ever heard, featuring eight great and conceptually perfect songs with lyrics that come across as sophisticated and thought-provoking.

It isn’t fair to put the entire spotlight on Tippins and Ramsey though since the drumming and bass work from Sean Taylor and Graham English really shines. The rhythm is fast and tight, keeping it focused, aggressive and intense till the end. Vocalist Michael Jackson (yes, that’s his name) has to be commended too as this is easily his careers best performance and a clear improvement from previous endeavors. The band scored a jackpot when they found him; his unusual voice is ideal for this type of music and can be described as rough, aggressive, powerful, dramatic and intense. His best performance can be found on the title song, a multi-faceted semi-ballad with some eerie, wide-range vocals which just may be the best song the album has to offer.

The verdict: Blaze of Obscurity is not terribly melodic or catchy, but the level of musical genius expressed here, along with near flawless songwriting, is more than enough to skyrocket it to heights reserved only for classics. The downside is that most would probably describe it as inaccessible. The guitar playing can come off as a bit too clinical and repetitive for the casual listener, and the overall tone is unusually serious and brooding. Probably not your choice for some light listening those quiet Sunday evenings, but those who take a more serious, intellectual approach when selecting their music will find much to appreciate here.