Inferior to None

Here we have the second and unfortunately final work of Cyclone. Please have a look at its stylish artwork and compare it with the stereotyped cover of the debut. Now you know almost everything about the differences of these two works. Don't think of pretty lame works like "Kin" from Xentrix or ambivalent albums such as Testament's "The Ritual", but astonishing maturity has replaced juvenile hastiness. This does not mean that the second album is better or worse than its predecessor, but it sounds very different. Even more astonishing: it is still thrash metal, but with another fundamental orientation.

The boisterous touch of "Brutal Destruction" is a thing of the past. Cyclone still play mostly fast thrash metal, but they also feel free to integrate less spontaneous parts. They do not lack power, they just indicate a more controlled recording process. This is no longer the slightly awkward Belgian horde of newcomers with its radical charm, it's rather an album that wants to be included in the elitist US American cycle where "Twisted into Form" or "No Place for Disgrace" set the tone. "Inferior to None" is filled to the brim with abrasive riffs, dynamic tempo changes, more abrasive riffs, pretty oppressive atmosphere and even more abrasive riffs. It's a pity that this output did not open the doors for the dudes to get access to the relevant markets. Maybe it was just released too late. Back in 1990, the degeneration of the pure thrash scene had already commenced. The glorious monument of the first wave of thrash had begun to crumble and this was naturally not helpful for an album that consists of 100% thrash. There is not the smallest grain of any other style - and this is reason enough to like it, if I am not mistaken.

The vocals of Guido Gevels mirror the less impulsive style of the album as well. Gevels is far away from those thrash singers that convey the feeling of insanity. Even nervousness does not show up. Without sounding tired or stale, he masters the song in a pretty sober manner. His way of proceeding matches the production, because it does not show a single grain of dirt, but I also do not blame the album for suffering from a sterile sound. No doubt, "Inferior to None" presents itself clear and very adult, but it does not lack soul.

The songs are much more complex than those of the debut, but the musicians prove evidence that they have learned to design these more complicated tracks coherently. When it comes to the only instrumental, this feature becomes very obvious. Although the vocals of Gevels are missing, "Crown of Thorns" does not stand in the shadow of the other tracks. It has enough musical substance to offer entertaining six minutes. Nevertheless, the highlights populate the first half of the album. A song like "So Be It" fulfils every wish in view of its stringent verse, the pretty eerie bridge and the effective chorus. With regard to such titles, it remains a misfortune that Cyclone did not find a greater audience. But they were able to bite the bullet with dignity. They did not harass us with a third, lukewarm pseudo-thrash album in 1992 and they also saw no reason to celebrate a questionable comeback after 25 years of silence. Hence follows that we have to enjoy their old works or we give them the cold shoulder. In view of pieces like "Paralyzed" or "Throw the First Stone", I recommend the first option.

Belgium's Cyclone seems to be one of the better kept secrets in thrash circles. Both of their albums are extremely riff-centric ala Dark Angel - direct and without espousing unnecessary frills. Inferior to None sort of slipped by in 1990, which is of course a tragedy that befell many a decent thrash act during the waning period. What it does boast, however, is absolutely impeccable production for the style. Drums feature that extremely pluggy, abrupt-sounding The Years of Decay tone that was then-prevalent, cutting through the chugging, clinical assail of the six-strings, which sound like they were strung with galvanized steel cables as opposed to guitar strings. Atmosphere is depressing, tense and covers the typical cerebral themes. So in many ways, Cyclone fail to stand out from the saturated canon, perhaps to their downfall.

But Inferior to None makes a damn good showing at living up to its namesake, opening with "Convulsions," an intro that more or less delivers a master class in prototypical European thrash riffing intensity. Kreator-esque at times, laden with efficient chugging and building tension that explodes on "Neurotic," introducing the listener to Gevels' fairly distinctive, direct vocal assault. He isn't particularly melodic or brutal in his approach, but his staggered syllable delivery keeps the tension palpable. He does mix up this approach from time to time, like on "Throw the First Stone," evoking a sort of Time Does Not Heal aesthetic before that album even existed, which is a plus.

The swerving, bold chords strike a vibrant contrast against Langhendries' spastic yet precise drum performance, while the lower strings get plenty of abuse. Inferior to None is also a well paced listen, even with the CD-only track "I Am the Plague," which is actually a highlight, justifying that version's purchase. "Crown of Thorns" is the requisite instrumental, imparting a frenzied instability albeit in a more moderately paced mold.

Inferior to None is certainly a riff monster of a release, and its sleek (yet not overproduced) sound gives it a one-up on many other forgotten efforts in the genre. There is a hint of Master of Puppets in some of the riff constructions, which let's be honest was probably the standard by this point, but there is enough variety to make this album pop for me and hopefully you as well. Don't miss it!

Cyclone can be described as one of those bands that are definitely underrated and were heavily underexposed. They play traditional thrash metal like so many bands did around the 80s. Maybe the reason that they never made it big was that they were on a record company that could simply not expose them enough? Releasing a classic thrash album in 1990 as your second studio album did not help either.

“Inferior to none” is a solid thrash classic album, although it is pretty much unknown among most fans of the genre. All tracks are well written, filled with nice hard and speedy thrash riffs, and combined with some excellent solos, just listen to “Throw the first stone”, a classic fast riffed thrash epic, that has some mind blowing solos at around the 4 minute mark.

The bass and drums are a perfect match to the vocals and guitars, and make everything a prefect, tight unit, that shreds its way along your brain making it move up and down in a speedy head banging fashion. It is clear that all members are pretty well rounded in their skill, and have all put in their hours to make the band sound like one unit.

The production is not top class, but it is still a lot better than most of your 80s vinyl thrash releases, sometimes the whole production sound a little bit too muffled to me, but I am being a perfectionist, some of you prefer the raw sound when listening to thrash. Maybe I even would compare the album to other classic Thrash acts like Testament and Exodus, and that is a definite compliment! Hell yeah.

Some of my favorites are “Throw the first stone”, “The other side” and “I am the plague”. They are just well written tracks that blend excellent fast riffs together with some technically sound lead guitars, and everything is being guided by just perfectly timed drumming and bass work.

I know I am biased being Belgian as well, but if you are into thrash then you need this period.