Final Strike

Backwater´s anarchic debut had not catapulted the band at the top of the German scene. Nonetheless, it had possessed the charm of imperfection. Its successor "Final Strike" was compiled by the same musicians, but, of course, they were more experienced than they had been during the recording session of the debut. There was no question about the enhanced technical competence of the three-piece. In accordance with the solid abilities of the musicians, the production reached an international level. Produced by Harris Johns within ten days, the album was equipped with a transparent and aggressive sound. But unfortunately, the special flair of the debut, based on the combination of enthusiasm and naivety, did not reappear.

The band played a rather mature kind of speed / thrash metal. The omnipresent punk influences of the debut did not show up again. Backwater had become a relatively normal thrash formation so that the album lacked a bit of individuality. The group wanted to be taken seriously in the metal scene, but everybody remembered the chaotic first vinyl. It was therefore a special challenge to follow the formation on its new way. However, tunes like the diversified "Ballad of Dying" did not lack of substance. They possessed powerful thrashy riffs as well as the right amount of breaks while being more complex than the songs of the first album. The average velocity was still high and the band avoided any serious errors. Only the guitar solos seemed to improvised. The results of this way of proceeding differed widely.

All in all, the song material achieved a very solid level while delivering some surprising elements. "Touch of the Avenue", for example, was heavily influenced by Motörhead. The hoarse vocals and the guitar lines were located in close proximity to that of Lemmy and his crew. Irrespective of this, it was remarkable that the song did not fall below the usual standard of the British role models. The only downer was "Green-Eyed Women" which followed a stereotyped rock´n roll pattern. But nobody is perfect and thrashers like "Cry Out" or "Vicious" compensated for this small blunder with their energetic appearance. Especially the smooth-running riff of "Vicious" hit the bull´s eye.

The simple cover artwork was a homage to the spirit of the time. The nuclear armament during the Cold War represented a permanent threat. But Backwater offered good entertainment that made it easy to forget the political situation for a while. The fresh music of this album deserves a higher rating than that of "Revelation", no doubt about it. Nevertheless, I am unsure which album I prefer. "Final Strike" left its trace, but I still miss the first record´s aforementioned special charm of infectious mindlessness.