“Have you ever wondered what Lanfear would sound like if they played old-school thrash metal? How about if Atlantean Kodex had listened more to Exodus than Epicus Doomicus Metallicus? If you said yes to both those questions, then you are Steel Druhm and I claim my five pounds.” Re-thrash makes people wonder about many things.
“Speed metal wasn’t around long as a separate genre before it got absorbed into the more popular thrash bubble following the Bay Area explosion. Over the years the differences between the styles blurred, and while they’re slight, speed metal was always closer to classic metal in attitude with a greater emphasis on memorability and hooks. And that’s where Denmark’s Encyrcle come in.” Nobody saw this dose of old timey fury coming.
“I love the first two Artillery albums. I’ve said so often and I’ll continue to trumpet the work those great Danes did until I’m in the cold, hard ground. Since I went on an Angry Metal Tirade about this very topic in my review of Artillery’s 2011 My Blood opus, I’ll digress from further gushing here. Suffice it to say, since those treasured platters, Artillery has had its share of ups and downs, with My Blood being particularly unimpressive and legacy bruising. After some line up tweaks and a new vocalist, they’re B.A.C.K. with Legions and a slightly new approach while still trying to resurrect their former greatness.” The first family of Danish thrash is back again and this time, they don’t make Steel Druhm weep at the grave of their former greatness. That’s good, since we hate seeing the guy cry black tears of wengeance.
You know, I’ve had some quiet, introspective time to think about this whole “best songs list” thing. Maybe we’re wasting our time preaching about our metal cred. Maybe Gibson’s list is just as valid as Angry Metal Guy’s (50-41, 40-31) list or my list (50-41). I’m sure many of you out there have your own lists and they’re great too. As I mulled this over and over, I more I was forced to finally accept that my list is the one true list and superior to all others (except mine, of course – AMG). Now that we cleared that up, here’s more of THE List (that is right below Angry Metal Guy’s list on the pecking order – AMG).
OK, before I get down to brass tacks regarding the new Artillery release, I need to get some stuff out there for public consumption. Yep, it’s an Angry Metal Lecture and you will sit there and listen Goddamnit! For those unaware, Denmark’s Artillery were one of the early entries into the ’80s thrash scene. Their 1985 album Fear of Tomorrow would rank in my top five thrash albums of all time. There 1987 follow up Terror Squad would reside in the top ten. Both albums featured outstanding songwriting, musicianship and most importantly, that certain something extra that makes music truly memorable and special. Though I love both classic Artillery albums, Fear of Tomorrow holds a truly special place in my metal heart. Every song is a thrash masterpiece and if you haven’t heard “The Almighty,” “Out of the Sky,” “The Eternal War” and the epic “Deeds of Darkness” then you’re doing yourself a metal disservice. These were some special platters of metal so go get them and respect the past. Alright, lecture over. Sadly, so is the praise for Artillery. After reforming in 1999 with three/fifths of the original line-up, results have been uneven. While their 1999 release B.A.C.K. was shite, the 2009 release When Death Comes was much better. Now we get My Blood and this once proud crew of Danes has delivered some shockingly sub par material again.
It’s old folks week at the Angry Metal Guy offices. That’s because I, Steel Druhm, am officially old and I’ve been tossed assignments for Tankard, Jag Panzer and now, Assassin, the long running, though unproductive German thrash troupe. Along with the aforementioned Tankard, Assassin was part of the German wave of thrash that hit in the mid 80s. Also like Tankard, these guys were in the back of the pack, far behind luminaries like Sodom, Kreator and Destruction. Their 86′ debut The Upcoming Terror was solid, reminded me of a poor man’s version of Artillery (who were amazing on their first two albums by the way) and some even considered it a cult classic. Their 88′ follow up Interstellar Experience was actually less than stellar and passed without much fanfare. After that there was a long period of inactivity due to equipment theft and they didn’t resurface until 2005’s The Club which was uninspiring to say the least (flaming coyote poo to say the most). Now they’re back with album four, Breaking the Silence and a nifty looking cover featuring the return of those bad ass tanks from their debut. So, did these gents fare better than those booze-hounds in Tankard whose album I only just defiled via review? Has the worm turned for these stoic thrashers or was their reformation as unfortunate an idea as wasabi flavored gummy bears? All these questions and more shall be answered so read on intrepid metal fans.
