Abuse Your Illusions

Italy is not a place thrashers usually picture when thinking about classic Thrash bands. Hyades would like to change that perception with their latest release of thrashing goodness, “Abuse Your Illusions.” The said album is a tour-de force of head kicking mosh grooves that will make you and your jean-jacketed friends do ‘The Toxic Waltz.” If you are fan of classic thrash, you won’t be able to control your hand from rolling into a fist that pumps back and forth to the catchy, crunchy rhythms. Nor will you have any control of your neck as it snaps back and forth to chugging riffs and gritty gallops. Marco Colombo’s vocals sound as if they were spawned from the DNA of Exodus’ Steve Souza and Destruction’s Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer. Much of the guitar style recalls a mixture of the two Thrash legends. ‘Liars’ shows guitarist Marco Negonda moving back and forth on his fret board in classic Destruction style. The aggressively sung chorus is damn similar to Exodus’ ‘War is my Shepard.’

While Destruction and Exodus are the two bands in the foreground, many other styles and bands exert an influence in “Abuse Your Illusions.” The GNR pun-heavy title alone says the band has a sense of humor, and combined with old school crossover moments, it is evident this band is a fan of Anthrax. The band photo featuring drummer Mauro De Brasi sporting an Anthrax t-shirt, flowery jam shorts, and a skate board reaffirms their devotion to one of the four 80s Thrash Titans. He looks like Joey Belladona in a picture from “Antisocial.” If he were wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle jams, you would swear this was an Anthrax photo. Also like Anthrax, the group focuses on social topics like war, hatred, and backstabbing friends. State of the ruined world lyrics and melodic, mini-solos on ‘Picture of a World’ takes a cue from another of Germany’s Thrash giants, Kreator. Other parts of the album show a definite NWOBHM influence.

The biggest surprise of “Abuse Your Illusions” is the group’s Thrash version of The Beastie Boys’ ‘Fight for Your Right.” The guitars are louder, heavier, and infinitely more metallic than the original high school party anthem. Hyades does a terrific job making this track their own without shaming the original. Genuis!

“Abuse your Illusions” is a masterpiece of throwback metal, recalling some of the world’s greatest Thrash bands at their creative peak. Only a small portion of the world’s die-hard thrashers have been lucky enough to see this band play in Italy supporting classic metal bands like Virgin Steel, Manilla Road and Helstar. A stint on Europe’s summer festival stages, mini-Euro tour and some festivals in the U.S. would surely have metal fans all over the world chanting “HYADES!”

"Thrash now - work later!" This is the audacious, superlative statement on the CD inlay card by Mausoleum recording artist Hyades. Hyades originate from Varese, Italy and perform frank, frenetic thrash. The cover artwork evokes similarities to Sacred Reich's 'The American way' adulterated by Toxik's 'Think this'. The band logo is obviously misappropriated without any justice from the plague and betrayel of the most recent Nuclear Assault. Even their metal epithet resounds those New Jersey leaders who exist to resist success - Hades. Hyades is a quintessential argosy of abused thrash allusions. Hyades even titled their 2004 demo: "No bullshit - just metal!" The main band photo centerfold in the CD booklet is clearly a re-enactment of Exodus - 'Fabulous disaster' artwork. Each band member ignobly display their thrash mettle prerogatives by donning shirts for their favorite artists. Main songwriter and guitarist Lorenzo Testa (Txt) imprudently assumes the metal command exhibitting his Exodus - 'Bonded by blood' shirt; meanwhile, shred metal-to-metal guitarist Marco Negonga (Mark) has F.U.N. honoring the fat, ugly, stone-cold sober mercenaries - Tankard. This portends serious whiskey business since pounding metal bassist Roberto Orlando is excited to relinquish his madness and thereby kick your face, superposing his sweaty skin at the zero hour with an Attacker's - 'Second coming' T-shirt, which is clearly their best release!

Hyades's conviction is that they will play whatever style they damn-well please. In the booklet, following their thanklist is this unanimous rescript, "There were absolutely no harmonizer or pitch transporters used anywhere on the vocals of this album; no drum machines, guitar fakes, no tricks, no bullshit, just metal!" This testament corroborates their deadly legacy with pugnancious zeal. While other bands from Italy contend themselves with trendy nu-metal or attempt to merely mimic Rhapsody, Hyades is proud to play the 80s thrash which is so enduring to them. They sharpen the iron and never surrender their burning desire for all things metal! After several enthusiastic revolutions in each of my CD players, I hear all attributes of influence ranging from Bay Area castigation to European infliction. Hyades is neither skittish nor demure when it comes to wielding the furious axe and hammer. Each threshing solo dutifully remunerates tribute to great guitarist like Dave Mustaine, Kirk Hammet, Kurt Vanderhoof, & Gary Holt. Hyades kowtow to the kings of beer - Tankard with every riff and hook personified by imbibing sixty-six six packs and playing clubs which are open all night. The song, "Picture of a world" is like a stab in the B.A.C.K. with no fear of tomorrow dedicated to the terror squad guitar talent of those deadly relics - the brothers Michael & Morten Stutzer from Denmark's Artillery. "Don't believe a word" is written on their hearts like an anthem with no apologies. Hyades lyrical bent is subsumed in political satire echoed by their idols Helloween. Songs like "How many tears" empowered Hyades to proclaim, "Kill your TV - read a Book!" This is sardonically suggested by a facetious facsimile on the back of the booklet with a television thrashed "in the trash".

So why did they select Hyades for their appellation? In astonomy Hyades is a cognomen for a constellation of stars 150 light years beyond, completing the head of Taurus. This is derived from Greek mythology from the daughters of Atlas and sister of Pleiades. However, the band like, Tankard, do not view themselves as being the Rockstars #1, nor do they ever endeavour to be. They are never non-plussed with picayunish, parsimonious, and paltry benefits like money or fame. They play what they want, when they want. Some critics excoriate them for being a political band censuring George Bush and the War in Iraq. Song's like "Smart bombs, dumb war", suggest Hyades's suffused and often confused scurrilous antics. According to Lorenzo in an interview at Metal Covenant, "George Bush is a puppet in the hands of lobbies and industrialists...". Hyades transcribe their prosaic metal mosiacs with tongue-in cheek humour. All thrash bands of every generation resound their social commentary on current events. Hyades count their blessing without becoming hypnotized by the rhythm of global-ecomonic fanatics of wrath and rancour. This is also quite tacit given their choice of covering the Beastie Boys convivial sedition - "Fight for your right (to party)". They fashion and contort this rap parody into a metal thrashing mad motif. This is reverberated with a redacted rendition befitting this band... "Mom busts in and says, what is this? ... It's the Hy-ad-es!"

Each song on this CD is essential thrash played in the 80s modicum, with no ballads and no BS. Opening track "No man's land" is based on the movie by Danis Tanovic. The song Hyades is about the band's history and constant line-up changes. They formed in '96, shopped demos for nearly a decade, and opted for an autobiographical account of their struggle against the system. This wrangle and jangle is replete with vulgarity and silliness, again, akin to Tankard. Early on, they played covers from Helloween's - 'Walls of Jericho'. Their previous bass player suggested the name Hyades. They liked the way it sounded, not aware of its definition, and became attached to it. As they devolved in atrophy, they began to incorporate more 80s metal influences especially from Helstar, Death Angel, Overkill, Assassin, Kreator, etc. The guitar galloping on tracks like "Blameless in the deathrow" remind me of Assassin's "The Last Man" or Metallica's "Fade to black". The appropriately titled, "Shut the fuck up" emulates both the music and message of Exodus' "Verbal razors". The title track, "Abuse your illusions" once again demonstrates their political espionage a' trauth and animosity for the media minded with injury bound riffs intimated from "Toxic waltz".

The only downside to Hyades is their vocalist Marco Colombo who really has no vocal talent whatsoever, and he knows it! He justs screams out the words, which are difficult to understand and simply misconstrued, given his strong Italian accent. On a track like "Liars" the chorus "War for oil" is a challenge to adequately comprehend. He reminds me of Stephan Whitton's buzz fly vociferations from Soothsayer's rare release - 'Have a good time', or Jason McLoughlin inside-out intonation from D.A.M.'s - 'Human wreckage', subtracting his high aspect vocal register. Simultaneously, I hear black helical whispers from the gutteral brainfade, this overkill must be under the influence of the "Blitz". When all is said and done, this is not mirror canon fodder, rather it's mandatory regicide for poseurs and their ilk. I highly recommend this band to all who yearn to thrashback to the merciless onslaught of the 80s degeneration. Hyades won't compromise their sound or style, they won't sell-out, and they are apathetic to anyone else's opinions of them. I concur - "Thrash Now - work later! Abuse your illusions, fight for your rights, and tell the liars to shut the @#$% up!”

As originally posted at www.metalcdratins.com