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Epidemic > Decameron > Reviews
Epidemic - Decameron

Changing with the bestial times. - 90%

hells_unicorn, April 9th, 2019
Written based on this version: 1992, CD, Metal Blade Records

There has been a persistent perception among those who dabble in metal history that thrash metal had all but fully disappeared from the equation by the time 1992 rolled in, the year that ushered in the inescapable grunge zeitgeist that would swallow up most of the world. This sentiment does hold true with regard to the commercial viability of mainline thrash metal, but there were a handful of noteworthy exceptions, and most of the ones that fell within the borders of the continental U.S. did so either by slowing down or becoming more extreme. While the examples of Sodom and Demolition Hammer from this year showcased a more intense incarnation of thrash metal that only showed traces of a death metal inclination at times, the nascent Bay Area death thrashing powerhouse that was Epidemic opted to venture further into the death metal abyss, showcasing a greater affinity for the likes of Solstice, Revenant and Obituary as they ushered in their second LP and American label debut Decameron to a changing musical landscape.

Opinions have tended to hold to the notion that the stylistic proclivities of this album and its 1989 British-supported successor, which was essentially a demo that listened good enough to pass for a full fledged studio LP, are all but identical. Closer scrutiny reveals this to be a mistaken observation, as just about every aspect of this band's sound has been given a massive injection of present day death metal practices of both the New York and Florida scenes respectively, while still holding to a fairly strong thrash metal foundation. There is an obvious logic to this progression in style given that in their earlier days they spent much of their time opening for the likes of Death Angel, Vio-Lence, Testament, Exodus, D.R.I., and obviously the band that inspired their name Slayer. It was during this time of largely sticking to the California thrash scene that their debut was crafted, but not long after entering the 1990s and embarking on a wider range of touring, names like Malevolent Creation and Suffocation started showing up, which would be followed by an even more consistent group of death metal mainstays such as Cannibal Corpse and Unleashed following Decameron's release.

Be all of this as it may, this is still the same band that was making a name for themselves handing out demos during shows in San Francisco in order to make a name for themselves, consisting of all the same distinctive parts. The same wild drumming out of Bobby Cochran, who had originally been recruited to give the band a more technical foundation, and the raunchy distorted bass thud of Mark Bodine like the long lost song of Lemmy Kilmister and Peter Steele (during his Carnivore days) provide that brutal flooring upon which Moggridge and Higbey's riffing and flashy leads shine intensely. However, the souped up production courtesy in large part to Eddy Schreyer of Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation fame's mastering work, injects a greater degree of darkness and brutality into the equation, morphing even holdover songs from the last album like "Live Your Death" and "Three Witches" into uglier and more monstrous cousins of their former selves. But the most auspicious shift in sound comes courtesy of vocalist Carl Fulli, who's metamorphosis from a slightly more intense Jeff Becerra meets Tom Araya into a full blown Chuck Schuldiner styled growler is impossible to miss.

For the most part, the songs on this album tend to be a bit more well-rounded and measured in their approach, mixing frenzied speed with a slightly slower and more organized brutal riff assaults while still showcasing a strong proclivity for the chaotic character of their 1989 debut. The longer offerings such as opener and near epic crusher "Circle Of Fools" and the rerecorded version of "Three Witches" stand as excellent examples of how occasional bursts of near-blasting thrash segments, spaced out with more crunchy groove segments make for a more engaging listen. Naturally there is still plenty of chaos thrown in for those who crave it, though the guitar soloing has taken on a slightly more mainline, Gary Holt sounding flavor compared to the crazed King vs. Hanneman madness that dominated The Truth Of What Will Be, and the slicker production does function as an anchor even when the mayhem ensues. All that being said, there are plenty of shorter, concise fits of pure speed and fury such as "Insanity Plea", "Hate", "Tornado" and the almost Cannibal Corpse tribute of a closer "Lord War" that showcase that old death metal truism that while less is not more, a lot more can certainly be crammed into less space.

Between the 1989 British debut and this album, which many hold to be the true debut, the latter has often tended to be preferred and lauded as the crowning achievement. From an objective musical standpoint, this position is highly defensible given that this has the greater amount of actual content and functions as a certified LP rather than what some might define as a middle ground between a glorified EP and a very short LP, not to mention the higher fidelity production. Nevertheless, from a perspective of historical uniqueness, and from a standpoint of good old fashioned fun, The Truth Of What Will Be holds a slight edge. It wouldn't be much of a stretch for the average death metal fan who might not be familiar with Epidemic due to their comparatively short run and limited success to mistake any of this songs for something that appeared on the famed Revenant debut or even one of the early Malevolent Creation albums. But it's by no means a slouch in any respect, it stands toe to toe with all of the more prolific death/thrash outfits that put out their seminal offerings in the early 90s, and is definitely an album that any self-respecting fan of either thrash or the older death metal scene should be familiar with to some degree.

Impetuously and Contemptuously - 95%

Apovlitos, September 26th, 2017

Once more I find myself bemused by the year of 1992. Usually thrash metal enthusiasts lament the decline of the genre and scene around this time. Is thrash dead? Is it dying? I don’t know. But I can definitely observe a serious artistic compromise by many thrash bands around the 90s. A compromise at the expense of the many characteristics that are integral to the development of the thrash genre’s extremity. By contrast, Epidemic with “Decameron” continues impetuously and contemptuously down the path of extremity as there is no discernible deviance from the style introduced on the debut album.

With this record the members of Epidemic demonstrate clearly that they understand the genre of thrash metal. The record offers unconventionally arranged and where necessary concise tracks that built on dynamic rhythmic patterns and waste no time on subpar riffage. The essence of their approach is compressed into 1m34s on “Live Your Death” which is a slightly faster rerecording of the version appearing on the debut album. Within the first seconds we are introduced to an explosive instrumental section where every instrument is played in a tight rhythmic synchronicity. Then around 25s into the track Epidemic wastes no time on any passage or other compositional idea to bridge the next insane rhythmic section before abruptly returning 11s later to the initial instrumental section.

In general, the record’s faster tracks tend to have a quite spasmodic structure akin to “Live Your Death” with frequent tempo changes and sudden interchanges between crushing rhythmic sections. The intro of “Tornado” is extremely tense up to 25s when the tempo changes introducing a different guitar passage which is promptly abandoned 10s later in order for Epidemic to shift into the third verse of the track. “Lord War” features basically a rapid succession of insane drum heavy sections with a tempo shift occurring approximately every 30s.

The utilization of these explosive sections is prevalent throughout the record and the sudden interchanges between one another constantly shift the dynamics of the tracks producing an extremely aggressive and heavy effect. This is particularly noticeable on “Hate” from that great guitar passage commencing at 32s (and repeated at 2m16s) that builds to the verse before shifting to a different tempo at 1m13s. “Circle of Fools” probably has the heaviest and most frenetic part on the record. From 1m50s - 2m21s an incessant battering takes place which is so fast paced, it feels that the instruments are always on the verge of losing the tempo - this is what I call a tight performance! The drums accompanying the dense riffage are especially prominent during this section where Bob Cochran really gives a heavy beating to the snare drum and delivers a well-timed double bass.

Even when the tracks become as cohesive as possible given the overall erratic nature of the record, a sense of uncertainty still remains as to what direction they may take. The intro to “Blown Doors” which at 42secs unfolds intriguingly at a steady pace does not even hint to the aural insanity that takes place later at around 1m10s. The rhythmic pauses on “Vision Divine” from 3m00s – 3m10s and “Territories” from 1m17s – 1m38s surprised me with how brilliantly they inject the tracks with so much menacing attitude. All in all, the record leaves the listener in a constant anticipation of the band’s next unrelenting beating of the instruments.

The production on this record is noticeably better which tones down the griminess that pervaded Epidemic’s debut album. However, it must be clarified that this is by no means your average thrash record where each instrument can be immediately and clearly distinguished. As a result of the instruments being mixed quite high the sound is very muddy which is perfect for such an ultra aggressive record. To the band’s credit the bass is audible as it lurks underneath everything contributing greatly to the muddiness of the sound and providing the record with that familiar crusty feel. Mark Bodine’s bass is especially prominent on “Three Witches” and the extend of its immensity is truly revealed on the intros of “Circle of Fools”, “Live Your Death” and “Blown Doors”. The drums also further contribute to the whole noisiness of the record. Since they are mixed high, the listener can easily notice how Bob Cochran complements the guitars with percussive embellishments such as those great double bass outbursts on “Factor Red” during the section beginning from 1m19s – 1m47s.

The guitar playing by Eric Moggridge and Guy Higby is solid. Their timing is excellent and they manage to deliver at breakneck speed some really dense and heavy riffage. Despite the relative simplicity of some of the riffs, I can forgive some perhaps sloppily executed guitar work because firstly this is thrash metal and secondly most of the riffs are meant to be disharmonious anyway. Their soloing is mostly atonal as seen on “Unknown” at 4m05s or “Tornado” at 58s, but can occasionally develop into a more structured melody as exemplified by “Three Witches” where the solo at 2m06s starts atonally before becoming noticeably more melodic at around 2m24s.

Carl Fulli’s vocals are essential to this whole insane affair of the record. His extreme vocal delivery displays a surprising combination of screaming, grunting and at times growling of differing ranges. “Insanity Plea” features deep wordless growls at 2m31s while “Factor Red” is delivered with a sustained gruff screaming. On “Hate” Fulli really sounds like an infuriated person trying not to go completely mental which is appropriately reflected in his restrained but seriously heavy grunting. Since most tracks are fast paced, Fulli remarkably delivers effortlessly the verses in a rapid fire manner but also slows down when required as on “Unknown” which features some great vocal delivery at 2m14s and 3m12s where the verses are sung at a slower pace producing a quite assertive manner of pronunciation of the lyrics.

What I enjoy mostly about reviewing records is interpreting their lyrical content and attempting to establish a unifying theme. On “Decameron” I cannot really say that there is a single theme as the tracks deal, to a certain degree, with unrelated subjects. However, the lyrical content of the record as a whole does establish a quite pessimistic tone. Lyrical themes setting this tone include (similarly to “Circle of Fools”) the manipulation of the justice system on “Insanity Plea”, indoctrination into hatred and fear on “Hate”, and mortality on “Unknown” and “Live Your Death”. At times the tone also feels apocalyptic mainly due to the lyrics of “Vision and Divine” and “Factor Red” which have an almost prophetic quality to them as a result of the certainty with which they refer to future events and generally to “what will be”.

I find that the subject of masses being guided by the misguided is a recurring one. “Circle of Fools” seems to allude to the failed lawsuits filed against Ozzy Osbourne in 1986 and Judas Priest in 1990 by parents of youths who committed suicide in two unconnected incidents. The misguided in “Circle of Fools” could be the parents whose intense grief had led them to exploit the justice system in an attempt to foolishly apply some sort of twisted morality whereby the moral blame for their children’s suicide is shifted onto the usual scapegoats of metal musicians. Furthermore, the false prophets and religious fanatics described on “Vision Divine” is another group of misguided authorities capable of guiding the masses to false moral high grounds.

As stated in the beginning, the band understands the thrash genre because it recognises and values the genre’s inherent characteristic of unpredictability. Unpredictability is extremely important for a thrash a record because it surprises and keeps the listener fully engaged, and the band achieves exactly this by its seemingly “disordered” performance. “Decameron” is in my opinion, one of the best thrash records ever released and it is definitely an essential thrash metal listen.

Extremely violent thrash metal fun! - 87%

natrix, March 30th, 2009

Epidemic is one of the most underrated bands as far as US thrash and death metal go. I checked out Exit Paradise before this album, but Decameron really destroys the latter, and even 15 after I had bought this album, it's a real wild card.

Epidemic essentially takes the most efficient thrash, a la Reign In Blood, and mixes it with vintage death/grind, most notably Terrorizer, Morbid Angel, and possibly a bit of Napalm Death. In fact, when I first listened to this album, I thought it sounded quite a bit like Altars of Madness, with a dryer production, crazier vocals, and really precise riffs.

Carl Fulli's vocals are maniacal. They're more raspy and growly, and his delivery is rapid. When Epidemic turns up the speed to blasting tempos, Carl keeps right up. Check out "Insanity Plea," "Blown Doors," or the insanely fast "Tornado," for Epidemic's real strengths. No other thrash band every attempted to throw in blast beats like this!

And that brings us to the drumming, which is given a really sharp, dry production. That adds a bit more violence and unpredictability to the feel of the album, and sometimes it feels as though the pace is going too fast, and they're going to lose the beat...whereas you get a really solid drummer like Pete Sandoval, who can blast without missing a beat, Epidemic sounds like they just started doing blast beats, and are a little uncomfortable playing at those tempos. This, however, is a good trait, as I've mentioned that it adds a really chaotic feel to the music.

That isn't to say that Epidemic only sounds good going full throttle. "Three Witches" is a more midpaced number, as is "Factor Red," with is meat grinding heavy riffing. Most songs do blast through several tempo changes, especially the minute and a half massacre, "Tornado," which slows down for just a riff at the end.

The distorted bass gives them album an almost industrial feel, which is pretty interesting. It growls along in the background, sometimes coming to the forefront, in an almost Cliff Burton fashion. The lead guitars are not really the best, mostly being whammy bar and tremolo shredfests, much like Slayer. Guy Higby is the more experienced of the two, with Erik Moggridge putting in some really atonal noise, that has been mostly derided by most reviewers on here (I actually like his work here, as it makes the album even more chaotic).

Certainly a unique album, sitting the fence between death and thrash like other underrated greats like Demolition Hammer.

One Of The Last Classic Thrash Albums - 90%

brocashelm, December 31st, 2008

For quite some time, I’ve regarded this Californian band as the last truly great thrash metal band to emerge during the scene’s heyday. Thus with a release date of ’92, the more savvy among you are perhaps wondering if this release was not a bit overdue. True, too true. Despite issuing a self-released debut some years back, it took Epidemic quite some time to reach the lower rungs of indie label metal stardom. By ’92 death metal was flailing all over the metal scene like a possessed three headed hellhound, and thrash was very, very quickly becoming extinct. But high speed crunchy thrash metal was Epidemic’s thing, and on Decameron they did an exemplary job of executing said style. While they lacked the total overkill of a band like Dark Angel, the band’s savage precision and song acumen make for serious listening. And “Insanity Plea,” with it’s very fast slam and “Vision Divine” which features a more measured use of thunderous riffing, are damn serious thrashing metal. High speed mania is here in abundance (“Hate,” “Live Your Death,” “Tornado”) but there’s also mega-crunchy mid-tempo riffage to spare as in “Factor Red.” I’ve always found “Three Witches,” a track about young girls experimenting with LSD to be fascinatingly well written, and the whole damn thing is highly, highly recommended to the thrash metal addicted out there. The far more death metal tinged Exit Paradise album would follow this and end Epidemic’s career, but Decameron is the one crucial gravestone from this band that you need.

An undiscovered gem - 80%

Sanguine_Censure, February 12th, 2008

Almost immediately on the heels of the early successes of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, a veritable glut of imitators and clones seemed to spawn overnight during the mid-'80s. Mostly forgettable and second-rate, the vast majority of these also-rans attempted to ride the wave of American thrash and cash in on the sub-genre's booming popularity. While several truly great, if lesser-known, bands emerged from this crowded field (Kreator, Sodom, et al), one band managed to slip through the cracks, seemingly going completely unnoticed. That band was Epidemic.

In retrospect, it is difficult to determine exactly why the band never received the attention their 1991 release, "Decameron," would normally command. Completely eschewing the more melodic strains and occasional balladry common to other thrash acts, Epidemic instead cast themselves as a thrash/death hybrid, savagely browbeating the listener beneath a furious, frantic, blisteringly-paced sonic assault.

Lyrical themes cover the usual territory: politics, society, human nature, and personal struggle, with a healthy dose of warhawking and violence thrown in for good measure. Fortunately for Epidemic's posterity, charges of camp or awkwardness cannot be successfully leveled against the band, as the rage of lyricist/vocalist Carl Fulli is made painfully obvious, despite the minimalism of his descriptions. He roars in a not-unpleasant growl that keeps a foot in both the thrash and death camps, as does the instrumentation.

If anything truly detracts from "Decameron," it is the presence of main songwriter and (thankfully, second) guitarist Erik Moggridge, who hideously amateurish strains evoke Slayer's Kerry King at his absolute worst--sloppy, imprecise, and ham-fisted. While one cannot fault his contributions to structure or raw aggression, the listener should nonetheless consider himself fortunate to have Moggridge's "skills" counterbalanced by the decidedly more technical (and listenable) Guy Higby, who thankfully dominates the album's numerous (and lengthy) lead breaks. Bassist Mark Bodine truly shines with an impressive showing, matching drummer Bob Cochrane beat-for-beat, creating a rhythm section that contributes, rather than simply carries, the music.

The entire package is certainly well worth the effort to track down the album, as the seething mass of hate and anger serves as a stark contrast to the direction most thrash acts had taken by the time "Decameron" was released. Slightly anachronistic, the sheer energy and ferocity of this effort carries the day.

The Faster, The Sicker - 92%

Menech_Seiha, February 24th, 2005

The basis of the Epidemic’s sound is formed by thrash metal and, among other things, warlike hardcore, which makes ‘Decameron’ a barrage of fury that matched their death-thrash metal contemporaries in the metal arena in early 90’s. Even though much of ‘Decameron’ was forged from the band’s previous demo releases, the material is intense and aggressive as if there was fuel flowing in their veins. Though opener ‘Circle of Fools’ bursts out with a challenging attitude, it’s a bit on the relaxed side of ‘Decameron’, but the band’s accelerated fury is evident into the second track ‘Insanity Plea’. From here until the less-than-two-minutes ‘Live Your Death’, Epidemic emits galloping energy and intelligent song-writing altogether stunning. The restless riffage by guitarists Higbey and Morggridge fits like a glove over the steamrolling Epidemic’s sonic blows. ‘Factor Red’ and ‘Three Witches’ are slower cuts with a capable rhythm section but the rest of the tracks, specially ‘Blown Doors’ and ‘Tornado’, are torrential. Certainly, the band did a good job since we were offered 12 detonations equalling an album that deserve to be put next to other speed-driven demons like either Carnal Forge or Defleshed.

Unsung UBER-Thrash! - 100%

corviderrant, January 6th, 2005

It was a damn shame that this band never got anywhere, because they truly kicked legions of ass. Some called them one-dimensional, I called them terrifying. Hailing from Los Angeles, of all cities, this was the only other thrash band aside from Slayer from there that I was aware that actually got noticed amidst all the glam crap that came out of there all the time. And this was their first real release in this country ("The Truth of What Will Be" was only released in the UK to the best of my knowledge), comprised mostly of material from both their '89 demo and the '91 "Extremities" demo along with a few new tunes. And some incredibly savage, assbeating thrash bordering on death metal this is!

I say bordering on death metal because this band was one of the fastest bands without playing blast beats out there that I've ever heard. And Bob Cochrane was an unsung drum monster with his ultra-tight (non-triggered!!!) approach combining lethal thrash beats with plenty of thunderous double kick and some powerful tom-tom action. The guitars shred out riffs like it's going out of style, and the soloing is in the frenetic and atonal Slayer mode, which makes up for its relative lack of technical prowess with plenty of attitude and aggression. Mark Bodine's bass was ugly distorted noise that anchored those guitars with ease, and in fact, album opener "Circle Of Fools" starts with a chilling moan of feedback from that very instrument.

That song was unusual for Epidemic in that it started off relatively slow by their standards, but the chorus rockets into hyperdrive. Followup "Insanity Plea" is more typical of them, light speed thrash mania delivered with devastating tightness and Carl Fulli's deranged, high-pitched, bloodthirsty screaming--not a single moment of melody or subtlety for him! He sounds like an escaped mental patient and it is perfect.

Slower songs like "Factor Red" and "Three Witches" rear their heads too from time to time, and Epidemic prove themselves just as good at those as they are the rippers, with pounding drums and crushing riffs. And they were only downtuned a half step too, to Eb, which was all the better because you could hear their riffs more clearly than the usual "tune to B and lose all clarity" approach. But "Lord War" tears your head off at the end of this album just as you think they're going to let up a little, and leaves you gasping and wanting more.

In short, hunt this little bastard down, because it is truly badass--it blows away most of the new school thrashers with little effort in its gloriously noisy and chaotic madness. You can also clear your house with it if you have unwanted guests--I gotta try that some time...