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ADX > Exécution > Reviews
ADX - Exécution

Cet Enfant Est L'Ange Du Mal - 95%

CHAIRTHROWER, September 2nd, 2017
Written based on this version: 1985, 12" vinyl, Devil's Records

Even though France relinquished the guillotine i.e. capital punishment (not just for murder but counterfeiting, as well), in 1980, it didn't prevent Paris' ADX from releasing a sharp "metal blade" debut five years later under Devil's Records. Now, as much I dig Satan Jokers and Attentat Rock, have yet to come across anything comparable to undeniable French heavy metal kings Sortilège...until now!

Just today, I threw this on my mp3 player before blithely ambling along; by the time I was half-way through "Déesse Du Crime" (Goddess Of Crime), I could be glimpsed banging my head and flailing around vigorously with no qualms whatsoever about my conservative - and gawking - surroundings (I reside in sleepy Kelowna, after all). For one thing, the track names kick ass, there's no doubt about it! From "Prisonnier De La Nuit" (Prisoner Of The Night) to "Prière De Satan" (Satan's Prayer) and the razzle-dazzle closer "Caligula" by way of "Le Fléau De Dieu" (The Scourge Of God), one's left reveling in the diabolical French lyrics and crunchy yet fluid riffs, jangling, and at times downright hectic bass lines (think "Etranger" i.e. Stranger and "Exécution" proper) as well as screeching guitar solos and face-hammering drumming, complete with wickedly placed cowbell, like at end of "Déesse Du Crime".

Another compelling feature is the smooth production, which is simultaneously rich and raw, thus allowing Deuch's resounding bass lines and Didier "Dog" Bouchard's imposing high velocity drum beats to prominently accompany Phil Grélaud's waylaid and pained vocals, alongside crisp twin guitar treble charge of Pascal Betov and Hervé "Marquis" (R.I.P. 2016). Also worth mentioning is how this concise just-under-forty minutes package is comprised of eight tracks - four to each side - and while they average five minutes each, none overstays its welcome, including the eerily serene instrumental title track.

"Le Fléau De Dieu" and "Vampire", with its catamaran drum solo, are also lead heavy humdingers while the grippingly great, insanely melodic "Prière de Satan" is right up there with Sortilège's "namesake" track as further profound reason I'm eternally grateful Canada's second official language was forced down my throat at a young age - vive la loi 101!

I duly recommend ADX's Exécution to metalheads the World over...if anything, it too makes me proud to know French!

Oh là là! - 90%

Xyrth, June 9th, 2016

ADX is one of the most underrated bands in the history of metal music, and that's as indisputable as saying that ice is cold. But then, the French 80s metal never quite managed to explode outside of its county of origin, perhaps due the fact that most of those bands sang in French. A beautiful language indeed, comes pretty handy if you plan to take to bed a beautiful woman… but is it metal enough? Outfits such as Killers, Sortilège, Nightmare and ADX seem to say: OUAIS! In the case of the last one, it is in fact one of my favorite bands to come out from l’hexagone, along with black metal acts Deathspell Omega and Blut Aus Nord, or the closely fashioned but more recent Lonewolf. ADX's brand of melodic speed metal is quite delicious and elaborate enough to set them apart from many similarly styled bands from the mid-eighties. Mixing Priest-like riffs with Maiden-like melodies while speeding up the formula, it is fast, complex, catchy and enjoyable as hell.

1985 saw the release of many excellent speed metal albums, like Iron Angel's Hellish Crossfire, Helloween's Walls of Jericho, Agent Steel's Skeptics Apocalypse, Savage Grace's Master of Disguise and completing that top 5 of mine is ADX's debut, Exécution. Graced with the capital punishment symbol per excellence on the cover, la guillotine, these guys started with all the right elements aligned. As for their name, ADX stands for “sweet steel”, a soft type of steel used in construction, and they choose it to emphasize their mix of hard-edged riffs with lush melodies. No surprise that the guitar team of Hervé “Marquis” Tesson and Pascal Betov rule the show with amazing musicianship, both with top-notch riffs, as noticed right at the beginning of the record with “Déesse du Crime” (Goddess of Crime), great melodies and masterful solos that are somewhere between the Murray & Smith type of soloing and the faster, more chaotic breed of the Canadian & American speed / thrash scene of the period.

The rest of the band also performs magnificently, and that's why this debut is such a complete masterwork of speed metal with little, if any, weaknesses. The vocals of Phil Grélaud are of the classic heavy metal mid to high-pitched variety, and thankfully he doesn't employs obnoxious shrieks or ball-wrenching falsettos, just stays there comfortable on his range. Nothing too special perhaps, but with enough passion, personality and technique, pretty solid and entirely decipherable, if you understand French. The rhythmic section is also stellar here, the drumming of Didier “Dog” Buchard being a clockwork steady backbone for the rest of the band, with a decently fast double bass attack in many songs, which together with the excellent riffs will make you rattle that skull of yours. Perhaps even superior to Dog's drumming is Frédéric “Deuch” Deuchilly's throbbing bass playing, very interesting in his own right, as heard on the middle section of “L’Étranger”, but he shines in many spots throughout the album, and luckily the production, quite balanced, gives him presence.

There's plenty of power at display here, as in the opener or “Vampire”, whose main riff recalls Dio's “Stand Up and Shout” and both songs have a similar fist-pumping drive. But like I said before, ADX's music is a bar or two more complex, ambitious and detailed that most of their similarly sounding peers, and not everything is straightforward speedy slashing and bashing. There're many parts of calm, melodic beauty inserted into tracks, like the middle-section of “Prisonnier de la Nuit” or the middle-section of the instrumental title-track. Most songs display a few mind-bending changes in rhythm, and while some of them might sound a bit weird, most are well-placed and give the compositions a proggy edge, not very common for that time. The eight tunes here have enough variance and personality to be enjoyed in one sit-through or separately. The opener is the fastest of the bunch, carrying the most punch! Ha! Other favorites include “Prisonnier de la Nuit”, “Prière de Satan” (Satan's Prayer) with its Antichrist theme, and the fast energetic closer “Caligula”, which has another set of excellent, memorable melodic riffs and a Black Sabbath-ish ending.

A great start for a band which sadly is not as well-known and highly regarded as they deserve, but I'm praying (to Satan) one of the four persons reading my reviews will pick this one up and listen to its greatness. Exécution showed great promise for these guys, but surprisingly it is not their best work. But I will tell you about that one in the future. For the time being, if you crave some old school obscure speed metal you'll do no wrong in cranking this up and exercise your neck in the process. A bientôt!

Agent Steel, The French Edition - 85%

Xeogred, May 4th, 2007

And this edition is incredible! Alright, so ADX is one of the better examples of pure speed metal out there. And what do you know? This album came out in 1985, the same year Agent Steel's debut came out, Savage Grace's, and Abattoir's. Other bands who just didn't care about speed limits, and didn't really fall into pure thrash territory while doing it. Writing the blueprints for one of the most controversial genres around! The thing that seems to seperate ADX from these bands is their slightly clearer production. And those guitars! Talk about RAZOR sharp guitars.

No, no French jokes. Now I don't speak any French at all, and that takes me to the one thing that seems to annoy some people about ADX. The lyrics/vocals are in French, not English. This obviously adds a "well what are they talking about?" factor to the whole picture here for those of us who don't understand French, and at times it may feel a little unnatural for those used to nothing but English vocals. This could probably be a bad thing for some metal listeners. Regardless, the vocalist is great and sounds just right for such a band. Higher pitched and quite a shrieker. The vocals do -flow- well with the music, I can say that. And the choruses are still catchy as ever!

When I think of ADX I can't help but think of the guitars. Betou and Marquis are completely over the top, and a lot of it is thanks to the production. Its not outstanding, and even a bit gritty at times, but the guitars themselves seem to stand out like no other. The rhythm's tend to be a little more dynamic and upbeat than the norm as well, extremely catchy. Above all however, the dual harmonies are absolutely mesmerizing. They're riddled all over the songs here, especially on the first track Déesse du Crime, Le Fléau de Dieu, the epic ones on Prière de Satan, and the ones in between the burning solo's on Caligula have that perfect hypnotizing sound to them. As good as the guitars are, even the bass stands out at some point in nearly every track. The production is definitely raw, but man is it perfect for such a style.

Its hard to say what my favorite track on here is. Caligula just has those incredible melodies and harmonies all over, probably even giving Running Wild a run for their money. But truly, this entire album ignites nothing but flawless speed metal. When I think of "speed metal", ADX is one of those first few bands to come to mind. If you want speed metal defined in its purest form, this would be one of the best albums to check out.

This = Megaman Metal?

Total French Speed Attack!!! - 97%

Thrashohol, April 6th, 2006

Within seconds of hearing the opening riff to ADX's Execution, I somehow instantly knew that this album was made of speed metal gold. It's always great when a band does exactally what you want them to do. For example 'I hope they keep going with this riff and add a descending bass harmony' and then the band does just that, etc. Some of you will know what I'm talking about, some of you wont, but anyway, ADX does everything a great speed metal band should.

First off, I cant say how glad I am that this band decided to keep the lyrics in French, instead of struggling through an awkward English translation, and marring the effect of the song. I dont need to know what they're saying, all I know is that they're totally fucking ripping. I've heard the singing described as annoying, but honestly, there's nothing wrong with this guy's voice at all. He sings but he doesnt wail, there's no heartfelt crooning, he doesnt over reach; it's just great raw yet tuneful singing. Twin guitar riff attack that gives you the perfect combination of insanely fast licks and harmonized leads. Good bass work and drumming, although it kind of lacks accents.

This album isnt too hard to find nowadays. It's been re-released on CD, although the name of the label escapes me at the moment. Speed metal fans will be happy to know that it can actually be pretty readily purchased for under $15 from various metal distros. Look around. For those of you searching for the perfect speed metal album, and have been burned by supposed 'Speed Metal' acts that end of being bland, mindless metal, be not afraid. Execution contains no ballads, no 'rockers', and no endless guitar wanking.

Full Speed Ahead - 90%

MetalThunder, February 26th, 2004

I'm sure there are many of you out there who have no idea who the hell ADX are. For those of you in that category, ADX are a French speed/thrash metal band who formed in the early 1980s. EXECUTION was their first release, and in my opinion, it is their best release.

I enjoy listening to ADX a lot. I have their first four studio albums, and they are all excellent old school speed metal. As you would expect with this sort of band the vocals are half sung half shouted, and as usual this works well with the type of music they are playing.

The opening track "Deesse du Crime" starts off with one of the best riffs I have ever heard. Thrashy and fast, and it makes this first track one of the best on the album. While playing quality speed metal, ADX manage to add the feel of pure traditional metal and the classic sounds are present in all the tracks, making it a very nostalgic album to listen to.

However, trying to get a hold of this gem is damn near impossible and would probably cost a small fortune, but if you do manage do get it you won't be disappointed.

(Originally written by me for http://metal-rules.com)