No More Color

A power trio hailing from Switzerland, Coroner have had a highly esteemed output over the course of just 7 years, as one can deduce from their review scores. Beginning with their debut R.I.P. in 1987, they spearheaded the rapidly growing technical thrash metal movement and continually refined their style over subsequent albums. While Coroner had set the bar exceptionally high early on, they kept elevating the quality of their music to higher forms despite this. No More Color is a testament to their creative ability at their peak in 1989 and may just be their finest hour, as well as one of the crowning achievements of its genre.

On this album the band are undoubtedly sounding the best they ever have up to this point. The production is clear enough that Ron Royce's bass and Tommy T. Baron's guitar can be heard in equal measure, but still has some grit unlike the more polished sound of Mental Vortex. Additionally, Marquis Marky's drums pack much more of a punch than they did on Punishment for Decadence. This was in no small part due to the band recruiting Scott Burns this time round to mix the album; he had already been producer for Sepultura's Beneath the Remains which similarly had a great sound. Not a single note sounds misplaced amongst the controlled chaos of Baron's consistently excellent soloing, and even Royce's bass gets some time to shine, like in the mid-section of 'D.O.A'. Marky meanwhile handles highly complex rhythms and alternates between time signatures with ease, being a highly underrated drummer in my opinion.

No More Color is a record that maximises its main strength, that being the band members' technical prowess, while at the same time avoiding any overindulgence or pretentiousness. The result is a highly consistent set of songs that at just a 34 minute runtime has practically no filler anywhere. None of the tracks exceed 5 minutes in length which is highly unusual for an album this technical, but this means that each one of the 8 tracks has at least a few unique ideas that grab you from the beginning and won't let go. Everything just flows seamlessly from beginning to end, the result being that even when all manner of technically impressive or unorthodox things are happening, it feels natural to the listener. There's no jarring transitions midway through songs like some other technical bands try to make themselves seem more progressive; the only one here is right at the end of 'Last Entertainment' where the intensity builds and then abruptly comes crashing down into a mysterious ambient section, fading out with a final spoken verse to remind you that the experience is over. Instead, the focus is where it should be, on servicing each song with equal amounts of aggression, catchiness and technical brilliance without dragging the experience down at any point, and while I do wish it could have been longer, there was no wasted potential here whatsoever.

However, this album's greatness stems from not just from what's being played, it's how all the elements combine together to create an emotionally charged, dark and intense atmosphere that complements some of the most surreal lyrics I've heard in a thrash metal album. While Toxik were attacking worldly issues such as greed and corruption, and while Voivod were taking you to a sci-fi universe, here was a whole different beast entirely, delving into the darkest corners of the human condition. Ron Royce's gritty, Tom Warrior-like vocals might be an initial put-off to a lot of people, but he really accentuates the weight of the often depressing lyrics in a way that no clean vocalist could. While the themes that are conveyed, especially emotional/physical pain and death, are powerful enough to conjure a clear image, they are also ambiguous enough to be open to interpretation - "Shining metal, arc of light, red eyes, smell of fear, deep cut, red stream, on white skin, in slow motion" to give just one example. The lyrics take on an almost poetic quality as a result and stand as such a wide contrast to the majority of thrash lyrics, even those on Coroner's previous albums, that I can't help but appreciate how intelligent yet mystifying they are.

Overall, No More Color is a quality album packed with immense complexity that highly rewards repeated listens, as there are so many details enhancing the experience that you won't notice during just the first spin. Whereas other similarly technical bands lost much of the edge they had attempting to make their sound more progressive, the Swiss trio managed to retain their aggressive character here and as such it will strongly appeal to most thrash metal fans. However, Coroner were still not done after this record and would continue evolving over their next two outputs during the early 90's, but by that time the sands were shifting beneath their feet as tech thrash began to dwindle in relevancy. Thus, their next efforts would unfortunately sacrifice much of the speed and intensity that had defined their sound on the first three albums. Still, if you want to hear how incredible this overlooked band were at their peak, then this in its entirety is highly recommended.

This is Coroner's finest moment. "Punishment For Decadence" may have been the first truly great album from Coroner, a fusion of thrash and shred that solidified them as a force of talent and creativity, but "No More Color" is where they hit the jackpot. This album maximizes all of my favorite aspects of Coroner's style. It manages to balance variety, technical skill, uniqueness and great hooks like few other albums are capable of doing. It is dense, but not so dense that the average thrash metal fan cannot comprehend it. It has a very distinct sound and feel among other albums of its kind. Every single reason why I love this band is fully manifested on this album.

The songs are all filled with strange rhythmic patterns all across their structure, but these rhythms flow into each other without any obstacles and are not excessively complex, so as to mesmerize and not alienate the listener. The same is evident with the rather frequent avantgarde influences, which are still secondary to the thrash metal elements. The lead guitar wizardry here is as abundant as ever, but compared to Coroner's previous work, it's much sharper and more dissonant in how it sounds. The neoclassical style of their first two albums is replaced with a different, far more controlled sound which is no less complex, catchy and dynamic. The lyrics, while still retaining the subject matters of politics, society and psychological struggles, are a bit more esoteric, and they work very well with the instruments. The song structures are not very complex, but this only adds to the immense memorability of the songs.

Out of all the songs present here, my favorite is "No Need To Be Human". The rhythmic structure of the riffs works amazingly well with the desperate lyrics. "Die By My Hand" and "Tunnel Of Pain" both quickly grab your attention with very technical guitar and bass melodies, which soon make way for amazing thrash riffs. "Read My Scars" is incredibly dynamic, never once failing to keep you on the edge of your seat. I especially love the intense bridge in this song. The most unorthodox song here is the closer "Last Entertainment", not only due to the spoken word vocals, but for how it constantly builds and releases tension in an almost mocking manner, complimenting the lyrical topic of the movie industry's decline.

With so many breathtaking moments packed into its runtime, this is the best album ever released by this outstanding band. This is one of my all-time favorite tech-thrash albums: on a similar level as ones like "Rust In Peace", "Control And Resistance" and "Killing Technology". However, it does not represent the final stage of their musical evolution: the more atmospheric and outlandish elements of this would be further refined and given a bigger role on "Mental Vortex" and then fully take center stage on "Grin". If you're only going to acquire one Coroner album... well, you'd be doing a great disservice to yourself, as they are all excellent, but this should be the first one to get. Depending on the aspects of this album which you like the most, I'd then recommend you next get either "Punishment For Decadence" for the dynamic guitar work, or "Mental Vortex" for the more clinical feel of the music compared to their previous offerings.

Coroner are the prime example that good music is not enough to be really successful. They never had an aura like Celtic Frost, they never hailed the doctrines of the underground like some of their further label colleagues, for example early Kreator or Deathrow. Adding insult to injury, they also lacked an impressive image and this was surely a reason why I never became a Coroner maniac, even though I admit that it should only be the music that counts. But here comes the next "problem": I never appreciated their form of thrash in the same way I loved the more rumbling approach of other hordes of the eighties. The style of the Swiss trio was a little bit too technical for my rather primitive music taste. Moreover, I must confess that I liked both the music and the clichés of the metal scene, but Coroner avoided a lot of stereotypes. That's actually a good thing, but my ignorant mind did not realize this actually laudable act of individuality. However, when I listen to an album like "No More Color" today, I cannot identify an extra portion technicality. I must have been totally confused during my adolescence - too many pretty girls I did not kiss...

In 2018, I am listening to pure thrash metal. Of course, there are some bulky riffs, for example during the verses of the opener or in "D.O.A.", but the listener is not confronted with an overwhelmingly big number of technical gimmicks. To prevent any doubts, let's say it clearly: you will not find arrogant demonstrations of musical skills for the sake of itself. The trio concentrates on the songs - and the results are amazing. "Mistress of Deception" combines crystal clear riffs with pretty discreet oriental tones, tracks like "Why it Hurts" are also mainly shaped by the (surprisingly straight) riffs. But Coroner also intersperse interesting breaks that enrich the respective song without hurting its flow ("Tunnel of Pain", for example). The song-writing mirrors the maturity that the band had achieved in 1989 and it marks the main advantage of the album, because the production leaves room for optimization. The guitars sideline the vocals. Therefore, the voice remains pretty vapid and fails to put its stamp on the compositions. This minor flaw aside, the album is properly recorded. It does not lack strength or vitality.

Coroner try to find the right balance between individual tracks and an homogeneous overall impression and they are pretty successful in doing so. The material boasts with constancy. In addition, it does not suffer from meaningless or boring sections. Even rather solid but not outstanding songs like "No Need to Be Human" are based on a more than sufficient idea. In alignment with the missing image of the band, the songs are presented in a bone-dry manner and this could be the reason why they lack this touch of extravagance that ennobled some compositions of their compatriots called Celtic Frost. But Tom Warrior's cult club is probably not the right benchmark, although Coroner's first steps were influenced by the role models from Switzerland. It makes more sense to recommend this album to these guys that like to listen to works such as Deathrow's "Deception Ignored" - with the difference that Coroner have done a better job. Nevertheless, this album is comparable in terms of style with "No More Color", which shines with a simple yet impressive artwork as well. In hindsight, it remains a riddle why the Swiss dudes did not get more famous. The somewhat apocalyptic closer with its flickering synthesizers, the great guitar work and the spoken lyrics shows their potential for the last time while offering a symbiosis of outro and regular song. Indeed, with regard to this competent line-up, I guess it was only the eye-catching image that was missing.

Good lord. I don't quite remember which albums in my collection were "random impulse purchases," but if I would have to rank them, this would have to be at the top. What a goddamn riff monster. It's so fucking good it makes Punishment For Decadence look like a letdown. Hell I still listen to Punishment For Decadance and mostly wonder why it wasn't as good as No More Color? Because progress. Progress is a good thing people. Bands should get BETTER, not worse over time. Progress works as a root musical description here as well because most metal critics like to praise this album for all the avant garde influences it introduces. I think that should be not so kindly redefined as "avant garde influences it lets slip past the radar" and as far as I'm concerned, that's how metal should ALWAYS work. Riffs and screams first, everything else second.

I'd like to say, I have tried. I have tried to deeply breakdown what exactly is going on here. But everytime I do the club bouncer better known as Tommy T Baron's fretboard grabs my ass by the belt loop and slams me against the sidewalk headfirst every single fucking time. Seriously, anyone who likes to claim technical music has no feeling has clearly never heard the main riff to No Need To Be Human. And that's a slow riff too! Slow song as a matter of fact, but will you will still rage and kill in the moshpit like Angel of Death or Strike of the Beast is being played at MDF (or whatever metal festival you tend to punt). This is definitely one of those songs where the song you are listening to at the moment is good you think to yourself, "Ok, that was too good, the next song HAS to be filler." Then it just comes in with a moment that it so deliciously psychotic it turns your brain inside out. That happens, well, six times throughout this album, as Last Entertainment....its certainly not a turkey by any stretch. It's probably a good thing that it's as relaxed by comparison with the end of the album because Why It Hurts was already a surgical strike climax to the whole thing. The album really has nowhere else to go aside from doing a Burning of Sodom but even that would seem a bit basic and passe here, particularly since this was the same year Altars of Madness was setting new standards in torture. There are some days where I'm only not sure whether Trey Azagthoth or Tommy T Baron should take home the guitar hero award for 1989. The guitar work on both albums is incredibly dynamic, lethal and complex.

No More Color is the ultimate evolution of the Celtic Frost sound that Coroner would start off with R.I.P.. This would be the greatest technical thrash achievement of all time if not for one Rust In Peace. This album should still hangeth it high with no shame, as such there are some peaks that can not be topped and one should beith proud of what they have accomplished. Sort of like how Dave Mustaine should quit whining that he didn't make as much money as Metallica. Whoa. Even I surprised myself with that one.

Recommended tracks:
LISTEN TO THE WHOLE FUCKING THING YOU ASSHOLE
(ok seriously, No Need To Be Human, Why It Hurts, Die By My Hand, DOA, Mistress of Deception, ok now I'm just reading a track listing)

Looking back at 1989 as a year, there was a good deal of great thrash metal released. Germany alone produced Agent Orange and Extreme Aggression. Just to their south, there was a band that had been making very good music up until then, but was about to take it up a notch. Coroner's masterpiece wasn't released to a great deal of fanfare, but it doesn't detract from how great it is. The riffing and production were as good as it would ever be, and the closer is probably their best song.

Tommy is a great guitar player, and he didn't actually improve much from album to album. He started great, and his improvements were fairly subtle. I would say his riffing is one of these subtle improvements. The riffs feel more focused and concise than previous albums and not as peculiar as the follow-up. I should add that shred fans may be disappointed, as Tommy's main shredding occurred on the debut. Interestingly, his soloing seemed to get bluesier as he progressed. This shouldn't bother too many, as the gain in riffing is very enjoyable.

Royce is essentially a Warrior-knockoff. That's not surprising considering their connection, and it's not as bad as it sounds. So few vocalists directly imitated Warrior's approach, that it seems cool rather than unoriginal. The lyrics also contain this character, often as esoteric and vague as Frost's. Again though, for as few bands directly imitated them it works. His bass-playing is also quite good, not Roger Patterson level, but better than Dave Ellefson for my money. The drumming is probably the weakest link of the album. This drummer isn't bad, but he is much closer to average than his fellow musicians.

Compared to their previous albums, this is the best produced. The early albums were produced at a quality I would liken to the Morbid Tales EP. The problem with this is that they weren't going for Frost's atmosphere, so it just ended up weakening the music. This corrected that problem, and we end up with an excellent job. On the Celtic Frost note, there is a sort of furthering trend in their music. Each album got a little further from Frost sonically but closer in atmosphere and aim, so if you have strong feelings either way about Frost you should keep this in mind.

Another thing to note is that most of the songs are fairly short by tech standards, none over five minutes. This is somewhat unusual in tech-thrash. Most tech also involves strong progressive elements, but this does not. It's literally just thrash played with a higher degree of precision and accuracy. While I enjoy a good deal of prog, this has one strong advantage. Most longer listens require more investment on my part, and I don't like cutting songs off halfway, so that limits how often I will listen to them. Color avoids this completely and can be listened to at almost any point. The songs do work a little better strung together but not to the point that you can't listen to a random song and enjoy it.

Of all these songs, Last Entertainment is the best. It starts out rather slowly, with an almost airy delivery as it kicks in. The delivery will be noticed immediately as it is very different from the vocals used on the rest of the album. This is much more spoken, rather like the poem from Metallica's To Live is To Die, and it seems to share a lyrical idea about Western Society's moral decay. The music being played is no better or worse than the rest of the album, but that is high praise considering the excellence that preceded it. The main benefit to the song is just how heavy it is with the gravity of the vocals and lyrics. Between all of it, you will remember this song long after the album stops.

Life Cycle may look at this album's chin, Energetic Disassembly may look at his mouth, but only Killing Technology may look No More Color in the eyes. As far as tech-thrash goes, this is what all but one aspires to be. As far as who I would recommend it to, I honestly am not sure who I couldn't recommend this to. Unlike most of this subset of thrash, I don't have to worry about someone else's attention span. It's also not so fast that I could blow away more of a hard-rock or alternative fan. Considering the acumen that goes into the execution, I could also see a Jazz fan at least taking a peek. To sum it up, this is one of the best albums I've ever heard, and I would recommend anyone who reads this and hasn't heard this classic, to do so immediately.

How does one improve upon perfection? What does one offer a king who lacks for no worldly possession? Coroner have your answer, but you'll have to traverse the cold and mechanical depths of their third album No More Color to understand why. Having already embarked on a remarkable musical journey into the tortured, glorious back waters of human sanity through their stunning debut R.I.P. and its colossal, flawless followup Punishment for Decadence, the Swiss set upon themselves to broach modernity. Thus the cleaner, clinical production found here, the more biting eaves of progressive thrash and lyrics honed even more focally onto depression, social unrest, pathology and media mindwashing. Yet, there is no sign shown here of abandoning the spurious fits of technical brilliance that first manifest through R.I.P.

This album is unbelievable. Now I love Punishment for Decadence like any man would love a skilled handjob, but No More Color is somehow even more important. In all honesty, if some theoretical situation were to arrive in which I was to be incarcerated and allowed only about ten albums to take with me, I could not pass on this.. Each of the eight compositions is highly potent, polished and writhing with ideas. It doesn't fly off the hook quite so much as Punishment, but here the effect of the band's proficiency is more one of drugged, surgical envelopment from which there is no escape from the ensuing paranoia. A labyrinthine lobotomy, each node of the human brain then being jolted with electrodes of pleasure and pain. It's a little less airy than the first two albums, the band having cycled towards its third producer/engineer in three albums. Pete Hinton's mix is a more confrontational and direct than Harris Johns or Gary Bidmead, with the riffing more central and swaggering and loud.

Most importantly, this is a burst of fresh, carnal creativity. Punishment was a heightening and polishing of the R.I.P. aesthetic benchmark, but No More Color takes Vetterli's incessant riffing genius into new corridors of clarity. "Die By My Hand" is one of the best metal songs I've ever heard, opening with Edelmann's escalating kit warfare into a harrowing, complex groove and a triumphant chorus break over which Tommy's punctual squealing marries Royce's predictable, dark poetry to give the impression that some insane choir of killers is howling it at both the witness and the empty sky. "No Need to Be Human" conjures a razor-like, numbing guitar rhythm with dense, compact fills and a Brave New World dystopian lyrical slant. 'Why do you do this...stop it now/'cos in fact you're innocent, like a newborn child' might not seem like such a clever chorus, but when placed in the beautiful rhythmic pattern here it's emotionally wrenching, and both of the bridges are effortlessly executed: the first a fast, cyclic thrashing and the latter evoking some bluesy slides before the well balanced cavorting of the lead.

"Read My Scars" starts and stops with warlike pallor, then emits another excellent verse riff with incredible fills, especially the mix of bass and guitar melody around :40, and the speed metal outbreak over which Vetterli scales off in the bridge. "D.O.A." is fucking surgery incarnate, with one of the most creepy, unnerving thrusts of guitar in the verse that make you feel as if you were literally on the table, under the damned knives, praying to escape malpractice as the local chirurgeon's eyes glare at you, curious and bloodshot. I don't know if I could pick a favorite on No More Color, but "Mistress of Deception" (along with "Die By My Hand") threatens such status with a frenetic fill at 1:00 that threatens to make the listener's eyes melt out of his/her already impacted cranium. Other points to note are the rhythm guitar below the middle of the lead at around 1:40, and the popping flux of the bridge beginning around 2:30. Yeah. Go change your shorts, I've already done the same.

Yet, Coroner has even more strategies at work. "Tunnel of Pain" hammers out a kinetic, rapid bass intro before it spirals out into the rafters like a love child of Escher and Beethoven. Totally love the bridge here, a moment of shining near-tranquility below which Royce's bass throbs before the incredible, minimal breakdown at around 2:20, soon joined by arching leads. "Why It Hurts" maintains the steady thrust of the previous song, a stolid and acrobatic thrashing with a break that screams out at you (1:15) before Tommy T Baron once again begins an exercise in making the listener jealous of his craftsmanship. "Last Entertainment", the suitable end to this bout of maddened audio mirth, is the most experimental. Steve Rispin's guest synthesizers ramble off behind a choppy mid-paced escalation, joined by a spoken word narrative, made strangely poignant by the strong accent of Royce. However, there are some beautiful leads here and its truly atmospheric, sucking the observer straight into a new reality of light and shadow.

You'll have to forgive my excess gushing over this one. No More Color is an album that changed me, changed my perception of what was possible within the metal genre. Like several others that had come before it: Reign in Blood, Master of Puppets, Powerslave, Killing Technology or Abigail to name only a few, it helped test the boundaries of what was possible in this medium, a staunch and serious evolution that dispensed with the trends and stereotypes. This isn't exactly Twisted Sister or Quiet Riot. It's artistry is far more daring. There is not a second on this album I would change if I was even given a time machine and complete license to do so. It is perfection from fore to aft, and though it's not the first such summit reached by this Swiss legend, it's the first to which I'd direct any intrepid explorer who wishes to shoulder its brilliant burden. Own it. Or continue to suck as a human being.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

This record is so fucking AWESOME! It's the perfect blend of insanely gonzo guitar work combined with the catchy riff work from Punishment but done so much better. Although Watchtower's first may be more technical, I find THIS to be head and shoulders above the rest with it's sick guitar tone and Ron Royce's demented accent. It's not as complex as the next album, but it's more accessible and I find the songwriting to be much stronger.

Insane shit to be found here. The album lurches into existence with some insane Iron Maiden worship. Tommy T. Baron is doing the work of at least nineteen guitarists here teaching everyone within five miles how to fucking play guitar. Unlike most bands where the lead guitar kind of sits around doing nothing in the verses, there are little solos thrown in everywhere here. The guitar tone is twisted sounding scratchy and trebley and like their amps had a bit too much to drink. It's really unique - the only other band I can think of with a tone like it is Shah (who almost no one has heard of).

Bring a three piece tech band, the bass is very prominent. At times it's played almost as a main instrument, like in the opener. Other times, it comes out of nowhere to be the focus. Case in point: under the solo of "Why it Hurts", which just happens to be one of the highlights. Here, Ron Royce does some tasteful work immediately before Tommy launches into a bay area styled thrash break except technical times a million - every single riff is different. "WHAT is the next riff???"

Read My Scars is my absolute favorite from the album. It starts with some well timed pauses (none of that full stop half-thrash bullshit), and chugs along before blasting into an uber-technical solo - more technical that every third-rate thrash band combined. Then around 2:15 Tommy plays a section of haunting arpeggios sounding a bit like the intro to "The Exorcist" (Possessed).

Other highlights include D.O.A., No Need to be Human ("IDENTITY LOST!"), and Tunnel of Pain with it's catchy chorus and again, the guitar work.

There are no down spots to this album, no moments of "what the fuck are you thinking". This one's all winners all the time. Coroner never had a finer moment.

(this may have been sent twice due to connection probelms)

Rarely do I hear one demo from a band and fall in love. But with Coroner, that has happened, upon hearing the "Death Cult" demo; I searched as far as I could for any releases and stumbled upon this gem of an album. No More Color is a raunchy buffet of technical everything, threatening vocals, and the haunting, yet soothing harmonies of 3 very talented musicians.

The whole journey begins with "Die By my Hand" possibly the most heard of all Coroner songs. The bass and drums rush into the foreground, then taken over but a fast and shedding mini solo. The timing of the whole song, if not the whole album are sickening (in a good way). And when the deep and crunchy vocals of Ron Boyce emerge you cannot help but be sodomized my awesomeness.

Throughout the album there is a wide array of different styles, but all end up with a thrash feel all around. The 2nd song "No Need to Be Human" has bluesy and groovy beat and tune reminiscent of something your parents would listen to. We jump to "Mistress of Deception" and slightly slower, yet more moderate song, with some more interesting timing, with an Egyptian interlude that slows things down, and then into a riff that would make one recount some sort of Led Zeppelin tune.

The lyrics are pretty intense, sung with what may seem a cross between Tom Araya and 1990's Dave Mustaine. But it’s not, it’s Coroner. When you find a band with such musical prowess, the lyrics are usually an after thought, but they are just as well thought up as the riffs.

All in all, if any of you see this album, buy it, it ranks up with some of the greatest thrash releases in the last 20 years. Bold statement, but once you give it a listen, your may find yourself wanting to listen to it again and again,

I bought this album from a local retailer after the guy who worked there strongly recommended it. It was an impulse buy that I would not regret. From the first time I played it, I was blown away by the sick sound that the band had. The drums are solid yet elaborate, the production is low key and most importantly, the riffs rip your head off and rape your decapitated throat.

Coroner is not a radio-friendly band by any means. Most of their tracks take three or four listens to get into completely and the production leaves a lot to be desired. That’s what makes the album a lot more rewarding when you appreciate each song individually. The time changes in the middle of songs can sometimes take the “oomph” out of a song but usually they are expertly pulled off by Coroner. “No Need to be Human” for example, is quite slow but still heavy as fuck. D.O.A builds from a slow part to a neck snapping riff fest, and is probably the best song on the album.

There is not one weak song on the album, and that’s what makes it so good. You can listen to the full album without having to skip a track or two. Each song brings a new quality to the table and makes for an interesting listen. “Last Entertainment” sounds completely different from the typical generic thrash scene and stands out as an excellent track. A quick word about the solos too. Tommy “T” Baron does an excellent job here. They range from emotional and heartfelt solos (Mistress of Deception) to simple whammy-wankery ala Kerry King (Why It Hurts) but everything is done tastefully and suits the passage of the song.

My only gripe with this album would be the vocal performance of Ron Royce. I can’t make out a word he is saying. This isn’t meant to be death metal guys, the album would have been much better with an intelligible vocalist. These types of vocals have a time and a place but for progressive, technical thrash, they do not work.

In summary, this album is very much underrated in the metal world and should be in much more people’s collections. With better production and a heavier sound, it would have turned a few more people’s heads. The bass guitar can barely be heard at most points on the album. A bit of help with promotion from the record company wouldn’t have hurt either. This is a pity since the material on the album is stellar and among the genre’s finest.

Don't you love it when you have a thrash album on LP for three years, on mp3 for at least two more years... and have never bothered to listen to it...

and then you find out that it's COMPLETELY FUCKING AWESOME!!!!

I hadn't really ever checked out this album, because I found Mental Vortex somewhat of a downer, but I really should have, given that Punishment for Decadence is just completely fucking awesome... and, it turns out, so is this!

This is pretty much the convex-hull of the two (Punishment and Vortex), as extrapolated into "good idea" space. Namely, the added technicality of the latter, combined with the sheer catchiness of the former. There are no moronic midpaced Meshuggah moments to be found here... not that the whole LP is blazing fast, but when it slows down, it doesn't get all self-absorbed and meandering. Even the last song, Last Entertainment, with its strange spoken vocals and twisting solos, is excellent. This is pretty much the second coming of the first Watchtower LP, except with Tommy T's crazy accented vocals, and a somewhat fatter guitar tone. The first demo, this is not - they've standardised the production pretty heavily by now.

Bass is pretty accented on the album, both as overt bass runs (first notes of Die By My Hand to fade in, intro of Tunnel of Pain, and also one break in D.O.A.) or as just the underlying work that perks up here and there (some parts of No Need to be Human, under the solo in Why it Hurts), but it's the guitars that really put on a clinic. From the insanely complex, but hella fucking catchy, first guitar lick of Die by My Hand, which resembles Iron Maiden on steroids, to the riff that immediately follows it... holy christ, this is GOOD!!!

There should be a warning label on this album. The only way it can be properly enjoyed is if you undergo rigourous training for a few months, snapping your spine and letting it heal and grow back at greater strength, because when you put in this album, your entire vertebratic system will be given an exercising that the untrained human is just not prepared for. Also, don't be pregnant, under 48 inches tall, or a fagwad. Opeth fans, just go back to the fecal buttsex, stay away from this one. This is prog METAL, unlike the feeble shit whose cock you suck. I think the middle section of Read my Scars, after the chorus, all minute or so of it, is more technical, and more awesome, than all of Opeth's career combined.

Oh yeah, check out the insane soloing too. This is a complete fucking guitar clinic to be found here. Spine snapping, earth fucking, monkeys coming from over the hills, the apocalypse comes and it ain't cute in any way shape or form. Christianity, Kurt Cobain, Victorian literature, dadaism, and other banals, pack up your loved ones and stick your asses into your cunts, because THRASH is still the ultimate expression of the human condition.

Highlights? All of them. Holy christ, this is a back-breaker. This is probably their most consistent album, and quite possibly their best. Blazing riffage, combined with the occasional bay area staple counterpoint (Why it Hurts), executed with technical perfection, and of course, there's blood upon the stage.

I AM THE CHRIST OF THE MONKEY PEOPLE!!!!

("what is up with your obsession with monkeys?")