The Day After

I have to admit. My main reason for buying this album was the title and cover art. With a name like Warhead, with an album called 'The Day After', and with an album cover featuring a skeleton cyclist flying out of a giant mushroom cloud, I figured I was in for post-apocalyptic thrash mayhem. Instead, the second album by these Belgium speed mongers is more akin to Gravedigger or Helloween than Voivod or Sodom. Not a bad thing though, and Warhead manages to deliver most of the goods you expect for early Germanic speed metal. Amazing leads, check, soaring OTT vocals, check, questionably bizzarre spandex, double check.

Production wise, this album stands up pretty well. The vocals are a bit loud though, and that, combined with the extreme wailing vibratto of "Patrick", it can get a tad obnoxious at times. Good guitar tone, steady rhythmic drumming, and solid bass. This album has some really memorable leads, the first coming out of nowhere in 'Evil Night'. At times, it's almost like a stripped down version of Agent Steel, minus the extreme insanity of John Cyriss. The only song I dont like on the album is 'Last Night', a ballad that goes on for way too long and contains a sum total of maybe 20 words in English repeated over and over again. In fact, it's exactally like the annoying ballad 'Yesterday' from 'Heavy Metal Breakdown' that just keeps going on and on and on and on...

As an added bonus, you get to see pictures of each of the band members posing with their instruments. They all look pretty laughable, but the picture of Patrick really takes the cake. With heavy eye make up and short feathered hair, this hefty gent is clad in a shiny spandex tank top, black latex short shorts, and fishnet stockings. Really. I am 100% serious. In fact, it may or may not be worth purchasing this album, strictly for that picture alone. It still sends me and anyone I've ever showed it to into fits of laughter anytime I've pulled it out.
All jokes aside though. Though a bit rough around the edges at times, it's a decent speed metal affair.