Above the Ashes

Too bad this band is split now. Why? Because these guys could change the world if they kept releasing albums like this. “Above The Ashes” is a compilation of demos recorded at 1985 (Note: Before RiB, Darkness Descends, Ride the Lightning and Spreading the Disease) and 1987 (when Testament, Vio-Lence and Heathen were the reigning kings of the second wave of thrash) and is up there (or is even better) than the efforts of the bands mentioned above.

This is so accurate. It seems that the band had an obsession for perfection, as nothing here sounds out of place. You can’t find one foul up here. It’s all calculated and really does blow these boring technical albums out of the water. There’s a whole lot of catchiness that shows the perfect ability for meshing these two facets that make a thrash album memorable.

The production helps this album a lot. The guitars tone is so sharp, distinct and clean. The drums have the perfect mix, unlike some bands that overemphasize the cymbals and the snare has also a good sound, never interfering in the riffage. The double bass is my only complaint, because it does not have that “click” sound, present in albums like “Tara”. You can distinguish every instrument easily, and that includes the bass. Really amazing work.

There’s a lot of technical playing here, and that’s shown by the riff work. Each song has lots of them and of all styles. The speed is mostly high, although there are lots of midpaced moments, where the more complex riffs lie. The faster ones are responsible for the most exciting passages. For example, the first song, “Terrorist Attack” has great, catchy fast riffage in its first moments. They are far from being straightforward: The aforementioned song has so many different sections and all of them are memorable in some way, be in the nice palm muted riffs or in the melody hints. These abound here, although this album is not as melodic as something like Heathen.

It’s a pretty short album and every song is a highlight. “Terrorist Attack” is at the top20 thrash songs ever created. “The Reich” is notable by the extremely tight performance. It has so many ideas that won’t degenerate into self-indulgence. “Lake of Fire” and “Leviathan/Above the Ashes” are simply amazing. “Leviathan” is an instrumental introduction with a really nice melodic riff that is also featured in “Above the Ashes”, which other than the usual riff mayhem has a really good solo. The other two tracks have lots of catchy riffs and end the album in a great way.

You need to listen to it to believe. Extremely enjoyable and competent, it’s one of the best thrash albums ever released. Try your hardest to find this forgotten gem.