Thrash 'til Death 86-87

Slaughter Lord are one of those bands who made history without ever even releasing a full-length album, and rightfully so, as these demos are fucking AMAZING. Seriously, this is some of the best blackened death/thrash I’ve ever heard, and I’m very glad someone stepped in and re-released these deadly masterpieces.

Seeing as this is in fact a compilation of various recordings, the production does fluctuate a bit, but never is it bad enough to compromise or hinder the utter brutality this band was going for. For the most part, every instrument is audible in one form or another. There are some songs where the bass is somewhat buried, but it’s nothing a good old equalizer can’t fix. I wouldn’t go as far as to say the production works in the band’s favor, but like I said, it definitely doesn’t undermine the music at all. Those who have ears that haven’t been pussified by today’s squeaky clean standards will certainly get past the production and be able to appreciate the thrashing insanity contained herein.

The musicianship may not be stellar, but holy shit do they make up for that with their sheer brutality. Tony’s vocals are a raspy yell and really could have been applied to both thrash and death metal, as well black metal, as they don’t really adhere to a certain genre’s vocal style. The riffs are awesome black thrashing mayhem, hardly ever slowing down and never showing any mercy. They are pretty much always audible and easy to make out which also helps. The drums are your usual thrash drums but with more blasting and a more relentless, less-varied approach. Nonetheless, they’re still awesome and get the job done.

So yes, if you consider yourself a worshipper of old school, mid-late 80s black, death, or thrash metal, then by all means track this puppy down, and I promise that you will not be disappointed.

You get some excellent blackened thrash, proto-black metal or FWOBM or whatever you call it. The production is not weak but fits in just right with the music and everything can be heard clearly. The drumming consists of alot of blastbeats, and it slows down when it has to. Very well done, nothing technical or memorible but as far as drumming goes but it gets the job done. Bass basically follows the rhythm guitar, which brings me to the guitar in general.

Riffs: Great when placing emphasis on them. Definitely not the highlight of the album. Destructor has some memorable riffs, while Legion has some groovy riffs.

Solos: very very well done. They are short but sweet and memorable. Taste Of Blood has probably the longest and best solo on the album.

Yes, this is blackened thrash (except for the song "Destructor" which is a regular but well done thrash song and maybe "Legion" for the groovy sound but variety is good). It's influence cannot be denied and the vocals are nastily done in the vein of many old school black metal bands, and they were far away in fucking Australia. And, At The Gates stole their fame with their very friendly cover of Legion. Recommended if you like bands like Bathory and Tormentor from Hungary.

Taste Of Blood is probably the best track on the album for it's solo and it's orgasmic picked outro.

Conclusion: A very satisfying sound this albums gives off and while it may not be the best it deserves 100%. The variety of the songs is great too.

There are some metal listeners who just can't stand the sound of bad production. If you are one of them, stay away from this album, and if you really want to hear some Slaughter Lord, then listen to the At The Gates cover of the song Legion.
The production is really not THAT bad on this album, the guitar is always easily legible, it's just that there's this sort of static buzz in the background at most times. There are some brilliant songs on here though like Destructor, Legion, and Onslaught. Guitar work is right on and the riffs are as good as any thrash riffs I have heard. The vocals are, as in the case of most thrash bands, unique, but some people will find them annoying. I for one like them, it's like a weak-sounding raspy scream. This band was one of those that if they were in another place or another time would have made it huge, as I see in them the same things I see in Slayer, Anthrax, or Sodom: speed, aggression, and the always necessary groove-factor. As Boris says this song is a compliation of ther demos and rehearsals so if you haven't heard them before buy it instead of searching all over the place trying to find a demo (Unless you're a collector who prefers to have more rare stuff). They are an excellent and very underappreciated thrash band who really didn't have a chance to succeed because of location, troubles within the band, or something like that. If you don't mind a bit of static and love thrash then this album is for you.

Some of the time, this album is complete crap, but I am giving it a nice high score anyway, because when it is on, it is fucking dead on, and some of the best thrash I've ever heard... and that's saying a lot.

Opening track, "Destructor" - you know that band by that name? This is a whole fucking fuckload better. The production is VERY raw, kinda indistinct, but what you can make out of the riffage spells nothing short of awesome. Riffs are in the Exodus style, with some Slayer thrown in. "Slaughter Lord" - same thing. Excellent thrash with lots of riffs, lots of tempo changes.

Then it kinda dies in quality ... the production goes up and down, as this is a demo compilation, with probably some rehearsals thrown in. The riffage is, for the most part, excellent, except for when they decide to go "generic speedcore" on us and lose the riffage. Morbid Angel, take notes - the drums get really overbearing, with some grindcore passages to take the place of the riffs.

More highlights... Legion - the second-longest song on here, and there's a riff set in the middle that is complete Raining Blood ripoff. But hey, if you're going to go with something overly familiar, make it good. An obligatory tick-tick-tick section, but most of the song is good.

Steel Lords of War - nice epic number with some decent riffs under the solo (it tends to be under the solo where they really lose their minds, but here they keep them) and Slaughtered Corpse is another excellent thrasher.

If you like thrash, this should be up your alley. If you like death metal, you'll probably dig the "br000tal" sections. I for one hate them. Fortunately, there isn't too much of that shit to be found here.