Once upon a time, there was a little-known thrash act out of Wisconsin called Morbid Saint. They were nasty, savage, and uncompromising. They also had trouble getting attention from labels or recording a proper album. Instead of a finished studio product, they released their 1988 demo titled Spectrums of Death in 1990. It might not have been a polished recording, but it showcased their unrelenting aggression and warmongering fury. It went on to become an underground darling and its stature has grown over time. They attempted a follow-up outing in 1991-92 but once again, it never made it past the demo stage. That demo wasn’t made public until 2015, and by then it was little but a historical footnote. This record of frustrated ambitions is why it was a shock to see a promo from Morbid Saint in the crust muck of the sump. And lo and behold, Swallowed by Hell is an actual, honest-to-goodness studio album! The first in their 36 years of on-and-off existence. With three of the founding members alive and present, what can these ancient thrashers bring to the table all these years later when thrash is all but dead?
Their infamous debut walked the line between thrash and early death metal, with a strong Kreator-meets-Demolition Hammer vibe. Swallowed by Hell however is unrelenting, merciless thrash of the olden variety. The Kreator vibes are still present, but the proto-death element is replaced by a ferocity that sometimes approaches grind. Opener “Rise from the Ashes” removes the parts of your brain that control rationality, sophistication, and decorum, performing a back alley cavemanectomy and sending you running into the night in search of beer and bad behavior. The raging title track rages, throwing lava-hot riffs as the drums pound away like a washing machine full of steel-toed work boots. Pat Lind screams and roars over the chaos like a young Mille Petrozza mixed with Sam Kinison of all people (SAY IT!! SAY IIIT!!). There’s no way to listen to this and not feel your fists clenching into sweaty knots of hostility awaiting a vulgar display.
Other high-octane thrash bastards include the gobsmacking “Bloody Floors” and the codswalloping intensity of “Burn Pits.” This one in particular gets my ape dander up and makes me want to do brutal things to unsupportive AMG coworkers, HR be damned! The entire first half is a rocket ride to the danger zone with no reverse thrusters. The back half is also full of uncivilized antics but there is a slight drop-off, though no song is a fail. The middle finger ferocity of “Fuck Them All” and the adrenaline-pumping “Bleed Them Dry” are especially lively back halfers. There’s a hint of bloat on some cuts (“Fuck Them All,” “Psychosis”), though there are no signs of terminal Metallica-itis in the stool samples. The album’s 47 minutes does feel a bit too long despite the overall quality, and toward the end, I’m in the early stages of thrash fatigue.
Jay Visser and Jim Fergades go all in with the berserk riffage, serving up an impressive stream of old school leads that chop, dice, and de-vein. On “Rise from the Ashes” and the title track it almost feels like the riffs are coming after you with bad intentions. These beasts are steeped in the history of thrash and ring a lot of Hell bells with their axe attacks. I’m especially impressed with their way over-the-top soloing. Like Visser and Fergades, Pat Lind was on the debut and he’s still here screaming and roaring like a maniac. He sounds different than he did back in 88, more like a classic thrash vocalist than a borderline death metal caveman, but he still brings the pain. The entire band sounds unhinged and savage and that’s all you can ask for from a crew in the game this long.
There was something special and strange about Spectrums of Death when it first dropped. It was like an ugly mutation and it stood apart. Swallowed by Hell is a good and often very good release with feral charms of its own, but it’s a conventional thrash album in most ways. It’s unlikely that Morbid Saint will ever recapture the bizarro magic of Spectrums, but it’s great to hear them tearing shit up again nonetheless. A hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners comeback from a band that should be six feet under the daisies and broken beer bottles.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: High Roller
Websites: morbidsaint.com | facebook.com/morbidsaintofficial
Releases Worldwide: February 9th, 2024
