Victims of Deception

Two of the greatest thrash albums of all time - and this one can't possibly be mistaken for speed metal (not that that is a bad thing!) This is the album Metallica should have put out after And Justice for All. Or, instead of. In fact, instead of everything after Ride the Lightning. The guitar tone sounds almost exactly like Ride the Lightning, but Doug Piercy and Lee Altus can actually fucking shred.

The best part of this album is probably "Opiate of the Masses" with that awesome chorus - "power is the fix!" David Godfrey (aka David White)'s vocals are in top form, and the riffs are constantly catchy and bludgeoning at the same time, just like thrash is supposed to be. Other highlights include the opener "Hypnotised" with that Jimmy Swaggart or whomever intro, and also "Timeless Cell of Prophecy" and the 9 minute long "Heathen's Song". Yes, they change that song about once a year, and it's different on all the demos and all the albums and most of the bootlegs, and they make it completely different from the riff-o-rama from Breaking the Silence while keeping it completely and utterly awesome.

Any weak points? Prisoners of Fate is the obligatory ballad, and thus doesn't go along at 336 beats per minute, but is overall not bad. The album actually manages to keep my attention for 64 minutes, so that's definitely a winner.