Final Holocaust

Death thrash? Thrash death? Even my pedantry has its limits. If we’re talking in terms of pure extremity, then Massacra exists at the borders of thrash, at least philosophically if not in actual output. There’s no quirky dissonance, the drums are sticking with straightforward bursts of energy that rely on their relentlessness over anything too complex, and there’s not much in the way of melodic hooks to sink your teeth into. There is only a tessellation of frantic riffs, tripping over each in their rush to pull each track in competing directions. It feels like death metal because it is the logical conclusion of thrash as the pursuit of extremity in various guises: speed, aggression, chaos, energy. A sit down with some non-metal music theory would be required to take this music beyond this terminus of genre. If the story of thrash started in America, it would end in Europe with acts like this, before death metal took up the mantel and changed the face of metal yet again.

France’s Massacra are possibly one of the most underrated bands of this era. Maybe it’s all the Frenchness, or lack thereof given that France is not the first place that comes to mind when discussing late 80s thrash metal. Their first LP ‘Final Holocaust’ released in 1990 is a fitting way to close off the story of the previous decade. The direct heir of Teutonic thrash, at first glance this could be considered a mere juiced-up version of their German counterparts. But appearances can be deceiving. Massacra take the riffsalad philosophy to a whole new level on this album. On the one hand we could view it as an over excited puppy jumping from one activity to the next with no structure and absolutely no patience for seeing an idea through to its fruition. But it is in this frantic energy that ‘Final Holocaust’ really pays its rent.

Once one has grown accustomed to the exhilaration and seemingly limitless energy found on this album, it becomes a useful instruction manual for what metal was doing at the time in terms of riff mapping. As a demonstration of this, pick any track at random on ‘Final Holocaust’ and give each riff an algebraic designation; you could also use a sub label like A* for minor variations and reiterations of the same refrain (or you could get laid). Once the schematic is complete, give the track a few more spins. As the piece unfolds you will notice the rudiments of a story or logical timeline build up. On repeated listens it becomes easier – and more fulfilling – to follow this story through, as each riff that blasts by is understood not as just another random element chucked in because it sounds cool, but functions as a cog in a greater machine. For this reason as well, variations in timbre and dynamics are only secondary for this form of narrative composition, because it trades solely on the internal logic of each connection and their culmination in the arc of the final piece.

The choice to focus entirely on connecting up these micro ideas into a larger structure is reflected in the overall presentation of this album; despite the obvious limitations of the mix. The guitars are placed front and centre, with two clearly distinctive tracks which – for the most part – play in unison, keeping counterpoint to a minimum. Even solos are somewhat suppressed in favour of rhythm guitar, used simply to accent moments of heightened drama and chaos with amelodic fretboard murder replacing a distinctive hook. Drums are clear and distinct, offering a tight, energetic and varied backing to the real stars of the show. They follow the activities of the guitars to the letter. Every shuffle and rhythmic fidget, every lick to sign off one riff into the next is mirrored in a drum fill or accent. This leaves the vocals alone as the only other element that remains somewhat free of the dictates of the guitars, offering monstrous declarations of chaos and war in primitive staccato form, revelling in the ever-shifting foundation of this restless whirlwind of colliding narratives.

‘Final Holocaust’ is a classic of death/thrash that to this internet-dominated day has still gone largely overlooked in favour of adoration for the same old shit. It is both instructive at a mechanical level and a joy to listen to, and easily holds up despite the obvious shortcomings placed on it by time and place.

Originally published at Hate Meditations

Massacra’s Final Holocaust is a nice, meaty fucking slab of death/thrash. By this point (1990), death metal was starting to become its own thing, but mostly in Sweden and the US. France was absolutely a different story, which is why a lot of their death metal from the early 90s comes across as just heavier variations of Pleasure to Kill than the more brutal, sort of atonal death metal from bands like Cannibal Corpse and Dismember. Even then, while Agressor and Mercyless were interested in tightly executed all out thrashing, Massacra preferred to just thrash about wildly. That riff sounds violent? It thrashes like it’s trying to escape captivity? It’s the sonic personification of a prison riot? Put it in there – no, I don’t care if it’s sloppier than sloppy Joes, just put it in there! Just arrange the riffs to where the songs sound like a ceaseless barrage of hard-hitting riffs more violent than anything Kreator and Possessed had put to tape! There, now you have Massacra’s Final Holocaust.

The end result is an album that just kind of does whatever. It mixes all sorts of fast-paced thrash riffs with mid-fast-pace bridges, mid-paced breaks and all-out insane riffs that happen when you inject some Seven Churches into Butchered at Birth. Structurally, it embodies what you’d expect out of death metal – it’s fairly unpredictable with how they change the pacing or even just the riffing of each section, it’s atonal with how the riffs all come together, and it’s insistent on flailing between the different riffs and speeds. But from a foundational standpoint, thrash runs through its veins. For instance, “Researchers of Torture” vacillates between ultra-violent thrashy riffing and a sort of NWOBHM-inspired riff to break things up. Throw in a Hannemann/Hoffman-esque solo, sort of play with the tempo of these riffs, and you’ve got a song that has the makings of a tip top thrash-heavy death/thrash hit. Repeat that eight times and there’s your album.

Many of Final Holocaust’s issues stick out more when the album is taken as a whole, rather than in terms of individual songs. “Eternal Hate” has this real kind of bay area thrash crawl before blazing through with riffs more interested in showcasing their devastating reign and doomsday mania than anything else and it comes across rather viciously as a result. But well after “Apocalyptic Warriors” marches the listener into battle with an onslaught of razor-sharp riffs and “Sentenced for Life” rolls on through with some real headbanging thrash, “Eternal Hate” just hasn’t quite got it like they do. In many ways, Massacra play their hand pretty quickly. Once “War of Attrition” is done, it becomes more about fitting in whatever sick ass riff they can play in the corresponding hole, and fuck you if you think they can’t fit it in!

It’s this kind of enthusiasm, coupled with the riffs themselves, that makes this album tick. Final Holocaust is a cavalcade of violent riffs. To its credit, it doesn’t totally fall into the same trap a lot of death/thrash does, as it does vary up its assault and craft some memorable riffs. But it becomes more about cramming as many cool riffs down your throat than it is about engineering them into full-blown songs. It’s why “Researchers of Torture” sounds fresher and more exciting than the titular song, despite the latter having much of what made the former work so well. It just lacks that last bit of tightening to truly make it a masterpiece of death/thrash. There’s lots of cool shit here, but objectively, it is very much a first album with more enthusiasm than out and out execution. Everything here winds up working better on their follow-up, Enjoy the Violence. Realistically, Final Holocaust is a manic assortment of high-quality riffs that, while its compositional sloppiness makes Pleasure to Kill sound like Rust in Peace by comparison, makes for an eminently enamoring experience.

Coming from France, Massacra started off with a few demos before they finally released "Final Holocaust" in 1990. As the bigger thrash bands of the '80s began to go for a much less thrash sound, Massacra did the exact opposite. They wrote some of the most intense and vicious thrash to date. With insanely fast riffs, brutal drumming and crushing vocals, Massacra was ready to create a huge name for themselves in the metal underground.

The best parts of the music on "Final Holocaust" are definitely the riffs. The blazing fast riffs aren't only amazing because of their speed, but they are extremely catchy. The first riff after the intro sound bite on "Apocalyptic Warriors" is impossible to not headbang to, but the riff after the verse of the song is even catchier. There are also some great death metal style riffs to be found as well. The main riff of "Trained to Kill," features the fast tremolo picking utilized by death metal bands since the dawn of the genre. You mix that death metal style riff with some great thrash riffs, and you have a recipe for greatness. Massacra also shows off their ability to create some great mid-paced monsters like on "The Day of Massacra." There's plenty of everything. Speed, aggression, and heaviness. What more could you want?

The fast paced drumming is also a plus on the album. Some of the riffs are more mid-paced, but when layered with the tight and swift drum section, the music seems faster and heavier, while the listener headbangs along until the whiplash sets in. Along with the drums, there are the vocals, capable of destroying small animals, they are so powerful. "Researchers of Tortures," has some of the catchiest verses and choruses on the album, due to the perfect sound made when Jorgensen's vocals synchronize with the brutal music behind them.

Overall, there are no complaints that can be made about this masterpiece. Massacra blends the best of death metal and thrash on "Final Holocaust" flawlessly, and it shows. So, if you have not yet experienced the brilliance of France's finest, Massacra, then you need to remedy that ASAP. After you have listened to this, it will eventually become a constant staple of your regular listening, and eventually will be talked about with albums such as "The Awakening" or "Dreaming With the Dead."

Highlights
"Apocalyptic Warriors"
"The Day of Massacra"
"Researchers of Tortures"

Originally written for Nightmare Reality Webzine.
nightmarerealitywebzine.blogspot.com

Historically-important as a transitional album from thrash to death, Massacra's Final Holocaust (I bet they must have been pissed when Immortal released Pure Holocaust, huh?) is definitely one of the most underappreciated albums in metal. Though its influence may have been minimal, there's no doubt these Frenchmen were very much in the thick of things, taking the example set by Slayer and Latin thrash and turning it up to eleven, urging along death metal like a midwife delivering the Son of Satan.

Instrumentation:

Vocals are alright, but nothing to write home about. I honestly wish they changed at some point during the album. Where this band shines is the guitars. Rhythm guitar is simply gnarly and mixed very well. The solo guitar is awe-inspiring. They're always full of energy and creativity and composed in a way that they always reach a shattering climax (side note: check out the very last part of the album for one of the strangest guitar solos you’ll ever hear). The drums serve their purpose and are pretty much above average, I'd say.

The one thing you'll notice out of the gates is the energy of this album. These guys really took no shit from anyone for this release. Of course, at 45 minutes, sometimes this energy works against you and the whole thing tires you out (the next album may have improved on this a bit).

Lyrics:

The best thing about metal lyrics is finding out how the people of Europe butcher my native language. In this category, Massacra must win a prize: “Scenery of death and destruction,
show of sack and aggression”. Ah yes, something I know oh so well. I also enjoyed the “life is more precious than cash” line, especially from a death metal band talking about a holocaust.

Composition:

The compositional skill of these guys is obviously top-rate. I'll use Apocalyptic Warriors as an example, but any of the songs would work. It starts with a national anthem – not the current French anthem, so I have no idea which country it could be, the Basque anthem perhaps. Anyway, it continues with a rather typical riff, but then things pick up. After a drum fill, the next riff fits so well with the last you could play one under the other and it would sound fine. In effect, the first half of the second riff resolves the dissonance of the first riff (this is also how the song ends). If this sounds complicated, it is, because this is some serious shit. Repeat the verse riff and transition to yet another variation of the first riff, in effect copying the rhythm of the first riff, but with different notes. This transitional riff is repeated only twice. The chorus riff has one half of a rhythm lifted from the second half of the second riff and the other half totally is new.

I'd continue on with this, but I'd only confuse you and myself. To be as blunt as possible, this whole album is one massive riff salad played with great aggression and composed with intelligence. Connections to classical music, and Bach in particular, are worth noting, as just as a Bach composition, entire songs are centered around one framework with endless variations. To call this album “neoclassical” might be stretching it, but the parallels exist. You could spend a whole day transcribing this music, figuring out what fits with what, and dissecting the minds of these metal geniuses.

Conclusion:

Positive points – genius composition; great riffs; energetic.
Negative points – it gets tiring after a while; vocals hardly change at all; lyrics suck.

What can be said about ‘Final Holocaust’ except that they were one of the rare thrash metal bands from France who made name for themselves outside of France together with No return and Loudblast. Possibly the fame came more from being a French metal band with an actual record deal than because of the amazing mind blowing and trendsetting quality of the music. Because let’s be honest, Massacre were really the rear end of death thrash in 1990. Everything they did, had been done before and better at that. By the time Massacra were finished worshipping Terrible Certainty, Illusions and Spectrum Of Death the originators themselves were already miles ahead again.

Compared to the death-thrash acts being around at that time like Merciless, Deadhead, Thanatos, Sadus and Necrophobic with their classic Slow Asphyxiation demo, Massacra sounded already outdated and more important, extremely sloppy for 1990 standards. They would’ve gotten away with it, had it been 1986 or maybe even 1987 had they been a Brazilian band. But not anymore in 1990.

Everything here is average. I honestly can’t really complain about this album because it isn’t horrible either. It is so perfectly mediocre I sold my copy about 15 years ago to someone who just had to own everything and couldn’t find a ‘Final Holocaust’ original. A while back I got me a digital copy for old time’s sake. Listening back to it now after all these years I understand again why I sold it.

When you’re a big collector of death and thrash originals from the eighties and very early nineties this is one of those compulsory collection fillers which takes up some place but you probably won’t ever play it twice since there are hundreds of better death and thrash albums around from that era. Since I find the album not worthy enough of keeping an original copy, I’ll deduct some extra points. And I never bothered to check out their next few albums.