I Hate Therefore I Am

Cyclone Temple obviously ranks as one of the most underrated thrash bands of the early '90s, despite their discography of only two albums. Their first album, "I Hate Therefore I Am", is the biggest example to their awesome thrashing. The album begins with the track "Why", featuring a relaxing and melodic clean guitar introduction, similar to Metallica's "One". Gradually, the song evolves into a wreck of thrashy and chaotic brilliance. Throughout the album, listeners are treated to a temple (pun intended) of epic riffs that leave a lasting impression. As, "Sister (Until We Meet Again)" and "Words Are Just Words" stand out, with 'Words Are Just Words'' Asian-inspired acoustic guitar intro leading into a battle of aggressive riffs that are addictive... While it may repeat its chorus a bit too much, it doesn't really ruin anything from the song. "Public Enemy" keeps the momentum going, having a spectacular intro with razor-sharp riffs that cut through the air like knives. The guitar tone is shiny and insane, an instant hit for ANY type of metalhead. Although the bridge of "Public Enemy" might sometimes feel a bit boring, its connection to the beautiful solo justifies its presence. Other tracks, such as "Born to Lose" and "Silence So Loud", show outstanding, melodic and emotional solos are simply awesome, with great thrashing riffs that sound like knives cluttering around.

The title track, "I Hate Therefore I Am", starts calmly with acoustic guitars and soft singing, which linger slightly longer than necessary (the first 2 minutes). However, it quickly goes into an addictive and melodic chainsaw-like riff that kind of stays with you until the song ends, however, seeing how good the riff is, I like that it's not just used a few times and dumped. "March for Me Die for Me" and "In God We Trust" have the best vocal performances, seamlessly blending with the rest of the instruments. The bass complements the guitar tone superbly, while the drums go a dry, crusty, and progressive sound similar to Metallica's "And Justice for All", but with slightly increased speed, The album as a whole is an experience.

To put it simply; This album is awesome.

The '80s were awesome. Yes, after thinking so much about an apt introduction for this review, in vain, I ended up with the tritest metal-related fact this side of St. Anger's snare. Now for something more thoughtful, and hopefully sufficient to stop your eyes from fully rolling inside your skull, the '80s were also unpredictable. Unpredictable in the sense that a band could come from outside the radars, deliver an instant classic to the history books and disappear just as quickly. You may have a handful of names matching the description in your head, and among them you shouldn't forget the weirdly named Znöwhite, who after several years of minor releases somehow decided to become a whole different beast on their only full-fledged LP, much to everybody's surprise (if you will, an 'act of...' whoa, too predictable). Yet, after the album, things weren't exactly the easiest imaginable for the band. Line-up changes and the general end-of-decade chaos with labels and market claimed several victims along the way, and they were no exception, splitting up before even having the chance to match their vitriolic magnum opus.

Yet, it surely wasn't easy to dismiss such a restless act as a thing of the past, and they indeed wasted no time to reform under the new, intriguing name of Cyclone Temple. Thrash was approaching its deathbed, but now we could count on more fierce warriors fighting to keep its flame lit up! Right?

As much as I'd like to answer positively, and as badass and pissed off of a title I Hate Therefore I Am really is, history developed a little bit differently. The Znöwhite spark was irremediably lost.

With 3 members out of 4 lifted straight from their previous incarnation, most notably gallop-machine Ian Tafoya (now under his true name Greg Fulton), it would be easy to place all the blame on the shoulders of the new recruit at the mic, Brian Troch, and he's undeniably part of the problem. He's got a fairly decent gritty mid-register à la David White, or maybe Ron Rinehart, but taking from the latter also the same limited range and some unsuccessful highs (which, for some reason, always sound like they're being whispered rather than shouted). Sometimes he can't escape the curse of being an American vocalist in the '90s either, bringing an almost grunge swagger to the table. As you may have guessed from the comparisons, he would have fit on Act of God like a glove... if you were trying to put it on your knee.

Something that tends to be pretty overlooked though, and really shouldn't, is that, well, this isn't Act of God, given that the closest thing to it is maybe the 8-ball from its cover reappearing on the portrayed church façade. The average pace is definitely slowed down, and even Fulton's riffwork, while occasionally reminiscent of Znöwhite, is largely diluted over a rather chug-y landscape. Granted, he had never been the most technically gifted guitarist, but the majority of the riffs here are on a new level of simplicity, occasionally even unable to qualify as thrash metal, like the backbone of 'Sister (Until We Meet Again)''s verse, to name one. The obvious inspiration behind the album was probably ...and Justice for All, but it sometimes sounds more like a leaked promo copy of the Black Album (it would be released soon after).

On an album with so many unappealing details on paper, though, the title-track stands head and shoulders above the pack, thanks to its continuous tempo changes, even if you won't always be patient enough to sit through its 2 minutes intro. In any case, the song remains engaging, its pre-chorus is a well-needed punch in the gut, and the elaborated and emotional solo which wraps it up is pretty much the only high point regarding the leads, which to be fair were already pretty much unimpressive even on Act of God. Along with the opener 'Why?' (aside from its terrible chorus), it's perhaps something I'd take over 'Diseased Bigotry' or 'Pure Blood', but it goes without saying that they can never dream of touching the memorability of 'To the Last Breath' or 'Rest in Peace', just like the mini-thrasher 'Public Enemy' is reminiscent of 'Thunderdome' but without the same fire (cool gang shouts though). Finally, I admit that the typical '90s catchiness can sometimes work wonders in some choruses, like the aforementioned 'Sister' or 'Born to Lose'. Maybe not what you were looking for, but notable nonetheless.

Unfortunately, the album length is massive and not immune to total missteps and instances of wasted potential, and the oversentimental 'Words Are Just Words' takes the cake as the most frustrating and inexplicable number: 3 minutes of quasi-balladry, then a pretty out of place scream abruptly kicks off a fairly beautiful section which unfortunately doesn't really conduct anywhere. Even then... "If I had a dime for every time you said you loved me, I'd be a millionaire/But if I had a million for every time that you meant it, I'd be poor as hell"? Just... well, it's almost something you could quote on an Instagram post so subtly targeted at that girl that played with your feelings, which isn't a thing you can say about many thrash albums, I guess. What to make with that information, it's up to you. Oh, and did you like the chorus? Regardless of that, it's repeated 5 times, so you better do. On a similar plane are 'In God We Trust' and 'Born to Lose', with the aggravating factor of dropping some of the album's best riffs within mediocre (or downright annoying, in the case of the former) compositions. Even the production seems to lack some punch for a thrash album, despite being actually clearer than Act of God.

I just can't get how so many people here could bash (more often than not rightfully, mind you) Impact Is Imminent, The American Way and similar stuff for being 'whiffle thrash', à la UltraBoris, or something along those lines, yet give a free pass to this as if it were the last bastion of thrash metal in the '90s, all while keeping a straight face. Now that's something to ponder over. Don't get me wrong, keeping the will to play thrash metal in the '90s required some serious attitude to go against the grain (and consequently also against any kind of exposure, income and whatnot), and the guys in Cyclone Temple should always deserve, at least, some respect from everyone. But at the same time, everyone should also never forget that there were several contemporary bands thrashing harder, faster and better than them, out of intellectual honesty, if nothing else. As it stands, I Hate Therefore I Am is a decent addition to the post-1990 thrash world, but at best worthy of being the waiter serving the table where Idolatry, Epidemic of Violence, Tapping the Vein and the likes met for dinner.

...oh well, it'll remain the best thing ever put out under the Cyclone Temple moniker by a wide margin, my friend (lonely).

Trends come and go, or so the old adage goes, and if any historical value can be gleaned from their passing it would be in their refusal to go quietly. Endless debates will naturally come into play regarding the external forces that drive the ebb and flow of any fad, and insofar as the untimely and unceremonious death that befell thrash metal as a commercial force in the continental United States, there is little question that a major factor involved questionable label practices coinciding with everyone's desire to jump on the grunge bandwagon. Establishing context is thus essential when dealing with the twilight of said scene in the early 1990s, which contrary to popular sentiment at the time, was far from a state of decline after eight years of ruining necks and relationships between parents and teenagers. There was, however, a fair degree of stylistic evolution afoot that not everyone was on board with, which may explain the ironic sense of Stockholm Syndrome that has developed in subsequent years among some of the style's original fan base, giving way to notions that the decline and near disappearance of thrash metal from the scene in the mid-90s was an inevitable and organic outcome of the style becoming played out.

As with all misconceptions, history provides a needed basis for setting the record straight, and the treasure trove of highly advanced thrash metal that was hitting the shelves circa 1990-1991 tells a different tale than the one of a once mighty metal machine that had simply run out of gas. One would be remiss not to give an honorable mention to the likes of Megadeth's Rust In Peace, Testament's Souls Of Black and Anthrax's Persistence Of Time; albums underscored by a greater degree of nuance and development, with the former being among the more technically impressive albums to ever come out of a style that had been known for its guitar-based prowess for several years. Nevertheless, by the twilight of thrash's heyday the true diadems of the movement were adorning the lesser known players that came in a tad bit later, as exhibited in the heavily epic and progressive character of Heathen's Victims Of Deception, Forbidden's Twisted Into Form and a number of latecomers outside of the Bay Area and New York sphere of influence. It is into this context that a semi-newcomer from the Chicago area in Cyclone Temple comes into the picture, becoming the unlikely last hurrah of thrash metal's ascendancy as a commercial force and also one of the most prominent victims of a hostile label takeover that arguably contributed to 80s thrash's downfall.

It is important to note that while the band in question was newly born by the time the 1990s were ushered in, Cyclone Temple was not of a neophyte pedigree. Born out of the ashes of the more extreme thrashing Chicago trailblazers Znöwhite, one might have been tempted to argue that the re-branding was simply a formality due to the adoption of a male lead vocalist, but the stylistic divergence between the raw aggression of the former incarnation with the epic and more nuanced character of this one goes well beyond a simply change in helmsmen. To be clear, the signature sound that emerges in Cyclone Temple's brand of thrashing is about as fast and flashy as anything heard out of a number of late 80s offerings out of Exodus and Testament, but where Znöwhite's 1988 magnum opus Act Of God levied a direct challenge to the fire and fury of Slayer's Reign In Blood and Dark Angel's Darkness Descends, the template adorning this band's riveting debut I Hate Therefore I Am has more of a gradual sense of build up and climax that fits in with the thrash style following the release of Metallica's ...And Justice For All. However, in similar fashion to Heathen's 1991 swansong, the late 80s Metallica prototype receives both a production and songwriting upgrade here that eliminates many of the flaws that plagued said iconic outfit's first post-Cliff Burton offering.

There is a bitter irony to this album that can't help but smack even the casual listener upside the head as the lyrics of opening song "Why" are first uttered by vocalist Brian Troch. For a band that was allegedly playing a soon to be commercially obsolete style, Cyclone Temple finds themselves at the cutting edge of the socio-political zeitgeist of the impending grunge takeover, offering up what can be best described as a far more disturbing and direct lyrical account of the same events depicted in Pearl Jam's "Jeremy", a full two months before said song was heard by anyone. The differences between how the band approaches conveying the twisted world of a mass shooter are about as pronounced as can be, forgoing both the self-pity drenched fatalism of the general grunge approach and also the 3rd personal, pseudo-poetic journalistic route that Eddie Vedder lent to his more commercialized take on the Seattle style for something more along the lines of a crude 1st person manifesto, detailing the social isolation of the character while also providing a cynical yet constructive commentary on how society tends to react to such events, including a subtle knock on the censorship hounds of the PMRC that were likely still fresh in guitarist Greg Fulton's mind from his tenure as a metal songwriter in the 80s.

The lyrical character of this entire album has a number of common elements with the more confessional and introspective character of the 90s that would endure after metal ceased to be a fashionable style outside of Metallica and Pantera. It's difficult to miss the cynicism that saturates the atmospheric semi-ballad/epic "Words Are Just Words", detailing a more individualized sense of betrayal, while the melodic and progressive-tinged "I Hate Therefore I Am" covers a more general dismissal of mankind's treatment of each other as inevitably hypocritical and macabre. On the other hand, the more political character of traditional thrashers such as "Public Enemy", "March For Me, Die For Me" and "Silence So Loud" delve into territory that is all too familiar for anyone who has even a rudimentary level of experience with thrash metal's glory days (1985-1988). The biting protests against war, social alienation and injustice are accompanied by a similarly impassioned vocal display out of Brian Troch, who stands as sort of a logical bridge between the 80s thrashing gruff of Chuck Billy and James Hetfield alongside the more smokey and soulful sound that was more a staple of John Bush during his latter days in Armored Saint. His performance on this album is often knocked as being a bit too clean and bearing too close a similarity to the stereotypical grunge sound that became prominent a year later, but the truth is a bit closer to what was heard on Testament's The New Order with maybe a few hints of modernity in line with The Ritual.

Naturally with any thrash opus, while lyrical intrigue and vocal prowess are welcome bonuses, the true power of the style is best exemplified in the performance of its instrumentalists, and it is here that Cyclone Temple hits pay dirt with a vengeance. Though very much an album that deals in a more subtle character of thrashing in line with the innovations of Metallica and Testament over the 1988-1990 period, this album has a far more concentrated dose of high-impact riff work and speed relative to other early 90s outings, almost as if making revisions upon the conventions of the day and injecting a greater degree of mid-80s flash into the equation. When things hit their apex on the longer offerings found on here, and also during the lion's share of shorter offerings such as "In God We Trust" and "Silence So Loud", ax man Greg Fulton lays on the pummeling riff work like its going out of style (pun intended). His approach could be best likened to a coked up version of Eric Peterson mixed with traces of Dave Mustaine and even early Jon Schaffer, occasionally veering off into smooth atmospheric clean passages indicative of a heavy influence from The New Order and his sporadic guitar solo work bears an uncanny similarity to the melodic contours of Alex Skolnick, albeit a bit less technical in demeanor. The rhythm section also prove to be no slouches, as bassist Scott Schafer makes a few auspicious entries into the foreground in a manner heavily reminiscent of Frank Bello's work on Among The Living and drummer John Slattery makes a racket that is massive yet precise enough to make Lars Urlich sound like David Grohl.

To put it plainly, there is really only one glaring flaw defacing what is otherwise a perfect representation of innovation tempered by traditionalism in the thrash metal paradigm, and that is its release date. When judging this album by its generally epic yet impact-based demeanor, as well as its heavily reverb-drenched production (the drums sound like they are echoing within a room built entirely out of polished marble), this is an album that would have made more of a lasting historical impact had it been put out in late 1989 rather than the middle of 1991. There is naturally a question as to whether this album would have been stylistically possible that early on given that even the heavier hitters in the thrash scene didn't fully go down this road until 1990, but from start to finish, I Hate Therefore I Am sounds like what ...And Justice For All would have sounded like had the production not been so top-heavy and more fast-paced thrashers along the lines of "Blackened" and "Dyers Eve" been included. Naturally in a present context the year that this album came out is irrelevant, save for its historical importance, and it is here that this album's late release date proves to be fitting. This is a full on repudiation of the notion that thrash metal burned itself out, and the fact that this band was basically screwed out of the opportunity to give it a proper follow up due to the dissolution of Combat Records by Sony only adds more weight to that perspective. It's a masterwork from a time period where such albums were supposedly nowhere to be found, and one that should be heard by any self-respecting thrash metal fan worth their salt.

Cyclone Temple was the band that rose from the ashes following the ending of Chicago’s ZnoWhite. Although both bands are speed/thrash bands, this doesn't really feel much like a continuation of the former band’s sole full length, “Act of God.” While Znowhite approached the genre with ferocity that might bring to mind a female fronted Slayer, “I Hate Therefore I Am” is closer to sounding like the band garbage picked the songs cut from Metallica’s “…And Justice For All.” I know this sort of sounds insulting, however, being a fan of that album, I've always felt this was a somewhat overlooked album that was a victim of being a day late and a dollar short. By 1991, most people weren't looking for new thrash acts, and even the 80’s thrash bands seemed to be trying new things. The classic metal bands mostly seemed to be putting out the less loved albums, Pantera was taking over most metal towns, and grunge was gaining traction. But this is an album that those craving a “Justice 2” may not want to be without.

The album starts off with the quiet tense intro to “Why,” which takes about a minute and a half to really kick into gear, but once it does, doesn't hold back in terms of showing what the band was capable of. As I said, musically, the album brings to mind the somewhat progressive, dark nature of “...And Justice,” but without all the length and maybe slightly better production. There at least seems to be a bass track here. The songs mix mid tempo and slow pieces and chaotic thrash with quiet parts together as seamlessly as possible for a release like this. There isn't anything quite as well done as “One,” but none of the awkward “you tacked a fast part on the end on purpose” moments that plague some records. Many of the riffs seem to be taken straight from 80’s Metallica’s playbook, but without any real blatant ripping off. Vocally, Brian Troch has an interesting voice; a little on the deeper end, and it has a sort of scratchy quality to it. His range isn't incredible, and although some of the notes he hits are a little surprising, there is nothing amazing.

My biggest complaint about this album is the lyrics. I can often accept bad metal lyrics; it’s usually a genre that has no shame when it comes to goofy, over the top lyrics. Everything from Manowar, riding leather steeds into battle, to Cannibal Corpse eating aborted fetuses or whatever the hell they do, I just kind of accept metal lyrics. But there is something in these lyrics that give a sense of the band trying to sound profound and just ending up sounding whiny or goofy. I can’t say that this is the worst I've ever heard, not by a long shot. But they just aren't that good. That said, the vocal melodies and other aspects of the music are enough to make up for it.

At almost an hour, the album has little filler, and even with a few weaker tracks, doesn't really ever overstay its welcome. Silence So Loud is probably my candidate for most easily forgotten, but the album is overall a solid piece of thrash metal. It borrows heavily from 80’s Metallica, but has an original charm and style all its own. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a little melody with their thrash.

Why 'Cyclone Temple' is such an underrated band is beyond me. 'I Hate Therefore I Am' is a topnotch thrash album with a shitload of catchy riffs and aggressive tone, superb vocals and awesome cover art. I guess this album came out too late, if 'Cyclone Temple' were formed earlier and this album would have been released in let's say, 1985 or so, it would have been a major hit. This album is a bit more different than the usual high tempo fast riffs and banal snare/bass drumming type of thrash. The songs have a real development and a more emotive vibe than the usual head banging thrashing spirit (although there are enough moshing parts here).

I really liked the production of this album. Every single instrument is crisp and clear with no overlap. You can hear every instrument crystal clear including the vocals. That's kind of surprising, not many thrash bands explodes in with a debut album so well produced. Another worthy mention is Brian Troch's vocals. This dude really surprised me. He reminds me a bit of Philip Anselmo is the 'Cowboys From Hell', he can sound totally mean and aggressive yet so melodic and delicate at the same song so effortlessly, simply overwhelming.

The opening track 'Why' is the perfect example of what this band is capable of. There are a lot of heavy piercing riffs to be found here with excellent vocal melodies in a complex interesting structure that keeps a high level for the whole six minutes of this awesome opener. I must praise the guitar work of 'Greg Fulton' that composed some mandatory head banging riffs alongside some atmospheric mellow parts that balance the vibe of this album perfectly. He is sure one a hell of a composer and guitar player. 'Sister' begins with an evil harmonic melody and then it goes berserk with some neck ripping riffs and twisted melodies. The chorus is lyrically a bit cliche, but it's catchy as hell. And fuck, these vocals are just so awesome and epic, I don't remember many bands that had such a brilliant vocalist instead of some junky screaming some forgettable stuff to the mic. 'In God We Trust' is another package of thundering riffs with some lyrics blaming religion for it's stupidity. Another epic chorus, and the double bass drumming is utterly lethal.

'I Hate Therefore I Am' is thrash metal at it's peak, this album is truly a forgotten gem that shouldn't be ignored by any thrash fans out there. Can't think of even one bad song in this outstanding album, each tune is a fucking highlight. Highly recommended!

It was a major disappointment to hear that Chicago's Znöwhite had broken up after just a pair of EPs and a single full-length album, because Act of God had been perfection and the band was one of the most promising in US thrash. Apocalyptic, barbaric hammering riff juggernauts are hard to come by, especially with a frenzied female vocalist, and I was truly looking forward to more. Well, the musical world was not yet done with Greg Fulton and Scott Schafer, who took the last Znöwhite drummer John Slattery with them and went on to produce the equally inanely named band Cyclone Temple, who scored a deal early with Relativity and managed to develop a little more buzz than their earlier outfit.

The vocals were handled by Brian Troch, previously of Hammeron, who had actually also joined Znöwhite before the decision to start anew was made. He's got a far more Soul-ful voice than Nicole Lee or Debbie Gunn, bluesy and silky and emotive, but also rather dull and bland across the riffing. The intention was obviously to dial down the hostility of the members' alma mater to attain accessibility. Unfortunately, this move also cost the band just about everything I enjoyed about them. The riffs are largely the same battering, chunky force Fulton had mastered for the prior incarnation, some sounding perhaps a little too similar to Znöwhite, as if they were recycled from an Act of God follow-up that never saw the light of the post-apocalyptic day. Very often here, these are the ONLY element of the music that even hinges on entertaining, because the vocalist and the lyrics are awkward and embarrassing through the 52 minutes.

This band has often got a reputation for being 'intelligent' thrash, but let me assure you, this is anything but. The lyrics are heavily based on social issues with a more emotive slant than the nuclear warfare, disease, and hostility exhibited by the band's earlier visage. Unfortunately, they are cheesy and cliche ridden, and with the delivery of Troch in place, they seem like a bad public service announcement for inner city kids. The intention is noble, of course, and the band takes on issues like suicide ("Why") and religious fanaticism ("In God We Trust"), which many thrash bands had been doing for years before this, it's just the way the net is cast out over some of Fulton's decent, pummeling riffs that drags the album down well below the level of mediocrity to the 'don't touch me there' pile.

The slow to get anywhere "Why" opens the album, and it's almost choked to death by dull ass clean guitars and meandering, slower thrash chops, until it finally picks up just after the minute mark to a galloping Fulton rhythm which gives some hope. As soon as the vocals arrive, I was taken back, for they had a gruff emotion to them which seemed like a more emotional tangent to Chuck Billy of Testament...only they become annoying very quickly through lyrics like:

'Why Why Why can't I be me
Why Why Smothered from reality
Scream Scream Someone listen to me
Scream Scream Pay attention to me'

Now, you're probably thinking, most thrash metal has pretty bad lyrics, so what? Let me correct you: that's not true, it's not an excuse, it never has been, and it's not acceptable here either. Cyclone Temple probably doesn't have the worst lyrics for the genre at the time, but they come off so fussy and oblivious that I had a hard time swallowing the heaviness Fulton was still trying to churn out below. 'Pay attention' to the singing of the last line, where Troch switches to a shrill register that sounds hilariously out of place here, and it becomes evident that this song went to waste, like so many others on this album. "Sister (Until We Meet Again)" might tug at the heart strings more successfully, as a lament for a passed relative or lover, and the riffs are even more Znöwhite thank the previous song, and Troch attempts a more ghostly range with his vocals. It works for the verse, and seems to soar over the chorus as well, until he overdoes the Sister I'm in pain line to try and put more soul into it.

The album continues much in this fashion, with a few good lines of vocals and then some that are simply lame sounding. "Words Are Just Words" has a decent descending melody in the bridge, which sputters out into a sliding octave chord pattern, but the placement of the lyrics again ruin the track's credibility, especially the 'I would walk a thousand miles if you asked me to' cliche. Oh my god, my heart is broken. You're a fucking thrasher amigo! What is this, an after school special or a bloody thrash record? "Public Enemy" passes muster due to the riffing and gang vocals, which are totally Znöwhite, and survives the vocals, but I'm not sure "In God We Trust" makes it out alive, despite a nice riff break near the close. The title track metes out about 2 minutes of clean guitars and more 'soulful' singing, and I would have actually enjoyed the vocal melody of the chorus if it weren't spitting out such hopeful drivel as: 'Why do we turn away from the things we don't understand, why do we close our heart when someone else needs a helping hand'. Surely we could tackle an important subject like racism with a little more than a six year old girl's pleading?

"March for Me Die for Me" is a war anthem akin to "War Machine" from Act of God, and the riffs do in fact seem to partially return to that era. It's one of the least embarrassing tracks on I Hate Therefore I Am, and "Born to Lose" also shows a little promise with the intricate, mute chugging riff that accompanies the solo. The closer "Silence So Loud" is very adept musically, and this is probably the exact type of track I would have loved to hear with Nicole Lee or Debbie Gunn singing, but Troch doesn't botch it up that badly. In the end, these last three tracks in succession are probably the best stretch of the album, though none are good enough to stand out to memory or illicit a desire to return to this.

I can understand the desire for change, I just wish it hadn't come at the expense of an amazing band like Znöwhite. To be fair to Cyclone Temple, this debut is nowhere near as god-awful as the releases that follow it. There are decent ideas dwelling through the record, and a good chunk of the riffs are worthy of head-banging. The bass and drums are good, and the mix of the album was clearer and less threatening than Act of God, but then that's one of the things I so loved. The Soul-ful shift to Troch's vocals is very often cheeky and corny, especially when the guy's given so many shit lyrics to spit across the microphone, and the entire effort feels fairly moody and processed. In the end, it comes down to a collection of songs that I have no real inclination to ever listen to, and a few that go beyond this to the precipice of suck, thanks to the vocals and juvenile, 'heart felt' lyrics.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Some bands just deserve more recognition than they have received. Cyclone Temple and their awesome debut album 'I Hate Therefore I Am' in particular is another sad example of this. Probably the most important reason for this is that the album was released in 1991, a year Thrash Metal was proclaimed dead, or at least dying, by many people. This made it really hard for a relatively unknown band like Cyclone Temple to get anything done.

The quality of the music couldn't have been the problem. In fact, Cyclone Temple, much like Heathen on 'Victims Of Deception', makes high quality Thrash Metal with progressive touches and experimental passages, creating a unique and very interesting sound. On the lead vocal department, Heathen is a tad better. Brian Troch, though more versatile, can't match the enormous range and power that David White-Godfrey has. His vocals, which remind me of a more melodic Ron Rhinehardt in the heavy passages, fit the music greatly though. Compositorically, however, Cyclone Temple beats Heathen, if only by a hair. Cyclone Temple drifts further away from standard Thrash patterns, making 'I Hate Therefore I Am' surprising, interesting and impressive upon every listen.

'Why', a mostly midtempo track that wouldn't have sounded out of place on Metallica's '...And Justice For All', kicks off the album. A very strong way to open the album! Midtempo and clean passages are varied with some really nice fast guitar riffs by the band's mastermind Greg Fulton. The same goes for the following track, 'Sister'. A track which breathes despair, which is portrayed best in the outstandingly executed backing vocals.

Then there is something where 'I Hate Therefore I Am' beats 'Victims Of Deception' in every way and that's the ballads. 'Words Are Just Words' and later on the album the title track (who would have guessed that one would be a ballad?) are epic ballads which know no equal. Hardly have I ever heard such nicely structured epic ballads and even though my comment on Brian Troch might have come across a little negative, he does an outstanding job on these songs. Greg Fulton really excels in these tracks as well, not only his riffs and his work on the acoustic guitar are beautiful, but just listen to those solos! Absolutely beautiful!

What remains of this album mainly consists of fast songs! Oh yeah! On these songs, drummer John Slattery really excels. He knows when to use both his bass drums and when not, that is a quality a lot of drummers don't master yet. Greg Fulton also does an excellent job on those tracks, just listen to the beginning of closing track 'Silence So Loud'...wow! Amazing! Those speed frenzies are something I really like! 'Public Enemy' has some really nice Anthrax-like shout-along parts and ends with an amazing fill by John Slattery. 'In God We Trust' (yes, that title has a certain tinge of sarcasm to it) is probably the most thrashy track on the album and has a nice and catchy chorus (with another nice shout-along part). 'March For Me, Die For Me' is another very nice thrasher as well! But none of those songs aren't just speed-frenzies, there are always half-time feel parts or brilliant dissonant bass parts by Scott Schafer to make the songs more interesting than, let's say, an average Slayer song.

All that remains is 'Born To Lose', which I thought was just an average song at first, but turned out to be a really cool one as well. A very nice and catchy chorus/bridge which especially excels in the vocal department is the main reason I really got to like it. That just rounds off an almost perfect album!

There's only one advice...this album is nearly out of print...get it while you still can! Seriously, if you even like Thrash Metal the slightest bit, you should hear this! Try it out, you won't be sorry!

By the year 1991, thrash metal was on its deathbed. Thriving thrash bands continued to thrive (Anthrax, Slayer, Metallica), but the genre gave up on any others that attempted to break into it. Death metal was a newborn waiting to mature and dominate the new era. Throwing into oblivion all the “old school” thrash, the metal community needed something more brutal and devastating to sate their ears. This was an unfortunate time for a thrash band to have their attempt at dominance. Cyclone Temple was by far one of them. I feel they really never got the recognition they disserved for the tremendous work they performed on this release. They missed their Queue by six years (excluding the Znowhite days).

I remember when “I Hate…” first hit the metal world. I have always been one to favor thrash over death metal. I was so awestruck with this release, it didn’t leave my cassette deck for months. Brian Troch’s vocals were so impressive with his high and low end that he quickly became one of my favorite voices of that time. Let alone the lyrical theme of their songs struck a chord with me. Brian seemed to express the message of each song through every note that hit you like a catholic school teacher with a large ruler. Greg Fulton’s guitar sound and playing was so superb, both melodic and heavy, yet light and tranquil (especially the beginning of “Words Are Just Words”) to create such an amalgamation between beauty and chaos few could accomplish at the time. Scott Schafer’s bass and John Slattery’s drums complimented so well and concise, bringing the whole structure and backbone of each song to perfection to round off the album to a perfect release. The topics they touch on reflect their feelings to the core, ranging from racism to teen angst, religion to politics. The lyrics are soul driven to the point of making the listener THINK, which was risqué in the field of metal for the most part.

I advise everyone who is into thrash metal to find a copy of this album if you don’t already have it. It would be most satisfying to the ear.