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Protector > Golem > Reviews
Protector - Golem

Golem - 85%

Spatupon, December 9th, 2020
Written based on this version: 2020, 12" vinyl, High Roller Records (Limited edition, 3 colors, Reissue, Remastered, Repress)

Protector are a relatively unknown hidden gem from Germany. Hailing from the west German city of Wolfsburg in the late 1980s, Protector have undoubtedly left an indelible mark on the entirety of the extreme metal underground. Unfortunately, when it comes to German thrash, most tend to think about the big three: Sodom, Kreator and Destruction. While having the utmost respect for the aforementioned bands, I believe that this concept of the "holy trinity" does a big disservice to the rest of the scene which would then be filled by bands operating in the shadows of the big three. This was definitely not the case with Protector. Golem was way ahead of its time in terms of sound. The thrash metal music heard on this full-length is draped in technicality, brutality and attitude. This roughly translates into cool technical guitar riffs, intense black-metal inspired riffing periods and catchy hardcore-punk bridges.

The artwork is really cool, depicting a wizard surrounded by an aura of flames looking upon mere mortal men during medieval times. The scene it depicts is very apocalyptic which mirrors the music on here perfectly. The lyrical themes written about on this release vary from your cliche black metal tropes to serious socio-political rants. This is an utter confirmation of the economic and political reality in which this release was grounded. During the economic turbulence of the late 1980s, youth unemployment spiked and so did the number of working-class teens who viewed heavy-metal music as a sort of tool which could be exploited to voice their critical opinions. The pace of the album is quite varied. There are slow songs,, mid-paced songs and songs which are ungodly fast. The guitars are definitely the centrepiece of this full-length album. Most riffs are extremely well crafted and executed masterfully. There is an abundance of solos, each one even better than the last. The bass guitar gets it moment of glory in an epic bass solo in one of the songs whose title I cannot remember of the top of my head. The drums sounds really organic and the drummer truly showcases his talent to the fullest-extent. The vocalist is a complete fucking maniac who enjoys a wide variety of stylistic capabilities in his arsenal. He can go low and high depending on what fits at that particular moments. His drive and passion carries itself gracefully throughout the entire release.

Protectors' history since the release of this album, is their constant quest of trying to master the formula they created in this release. Unfortunately, none of the albums they have since released manage to equal the intensity, originality and brutality of their debut. I would recommend this album to anyone who is looking into lesser known bands who have released some pretty influential and great releases.

The heaviest band from the Teutonic scene. - 98%

ThrashtillDeath1991, June 23rd, 2017

Protector was one of the heaviest bands from Germany during the 80's. Their early recordings were among the most extreme in the 80's thrash scene, and often leaned a bit toward death metal. After releasing the Misanthropy EP in 1987, a year later Protector released their official debut, which remains one of the most intense thrash metal albums. It also contains many elements of the future death metal scene that was to rise in the future. 1988 was the year in which thrash metal reached its most extreme tempos, with albums like Serpent Temptation from Incubus, Illusions from Sadus, Malleus Maleficarum from Pestilence, and Golem from Protector surpassing virtually everything thrash had done in the years prior in terms of speed and aggression, each one with a certain proto-death metal touch. In addition several other bands such as Vio-Lence, Razor, Bulldozer, Legion of Death, and Dorsal Atlântica released extremely fast thrash metal albums, make the brutal year of 1988 unsurpassed in terms of brutality for thrash, and my favorite year in music. All of these albums were also executed with a decent level of musicianship. Golem In particular was a very heavy album for that year and remains a masterpiece of extreme proto-death/thrash, and also one of my favorite thrash metal albums.

The music on Golem is not too dissimilar from the music on the Misanthropy, although just a bit slower and heavier. Protector at this point had a proto death/thrash sound that can remind one of early Kreator, but the vocals are much deeper and more brutal. In fact the vocalist sounds a lot more deathly than most in the teutonic scene in 1988. There is no doubt this band while unsung, must have influenced quite a few death metal bands in the 90's and now in Europe. The first track off Golem starts off with extreme speed. Delirium Tremens crushes the listener with a wall of deathly thrash nearly twice the speed of Darkness Descends era Dark Angel. In addition crushing slow sections compliment the fast ones, adding more dimension to the music. They would perfect this slower style on the title track which could be considered proto-death/doom.

It is on the faster sections which the band shines. Tracks Protector of Death, Operation Plaga Extremea, Megalomania were among the fastest and most brutal in the brutal in the entire teutonic scene, and well as some of the heaviest thrash ever made in the 80's. There is even some semi-technical riffage on the track "Only The Strong Survive". Protector had a very brutal approach to thrash metal, but it was done with style.

Later efforts by the band (with the exception of the 1993 masterpiece The Heritage ) saw them only trying to perfect the formula of this album, which is why I personally consider this the best of Protectors early material. and only on few occasions did protector match the speed of this album again. Urm the Mad, while still a good album expanded even more on the slower sections of golem, and was not quite as explosive. A Shedding of Skin was in many ways just a refined version of the music on Golem, and so you can see why this album is so important. This is classic Protector at their best. Golem is a true classic of the 80's s scene and Protector deserves a lot more credit for their contributions to thrash, and they're later influence on European death metal. Really, All of Protector's albums have good qualities about them. Its a shame one of Germany's best bands is also one of they're least known.

Everywhere spiders - 77%

Felix 1666, November 1st, 2014
Written based on this version: 1988, 12" vinyl, Atom H

Wolfsburg is among the few German cities that I would describe as ugly and repulsive. It seemed therefore only logical that one of the harshest Teutonic bands originated from this unattractive area. Protector mixed elements of thrash, death and black metal in a skillful way without taking care of genre limitations. This applied to the musical approach, but also to the lyrical mishmash. On the one hand, "Delirium Tremens" and "Germanophobe" dealt with socially critical or political issues. On the other hand, songs such as "Apocalyptic Revelations" offered typical black metal lyrics. In any case, the band released two outstanding full-lengths during the first phase of its activities. "Golem", which is named after a figure from a Jewish legend, is one of them. Although the group did not leave the musical path of the previous EP, "Golem" constituted a quantum leap. The harsh songs were very well received due to their massiveness and sophistication, while the EP had not been able to conceal the fact that it was just a first step into business.

The song material was still fast and furious. But despite these rather chaotic compositions, Protector were able to deliver coherent tracks. They kept an eye on brutality without neglecting characteristic and memorable riffs. While commuting restlessly between mid-tempo and high velocity, the songs offered slightly melodic parts as well as pure musical anarchy. The dark lead vocals were partly supported by gang shouts so that even an element of hardcore was included. With regard to the stylistic diversity, the last track was literally the icing on the cake. "Space Cake" did not only present a duet with Tom Angelripper, it also appeared as an ugly bastard of punk and grindcore. To summarize, the heterogeneous album surprised with a very unusual yet attractive mixture. By the way, this mixture was equipped with a sound that was anything but bad. The howling guitars marked its most outstanding feature.

The band had written some crashing songs that enriched the German underground. You find the highlighs at the beginning of the album. My personal favourite is the devastating "Apocalyptic Revelations", because of its dark atmosphere, the thrilling main riff and the well executed breaks that lead to dynamic tempo changes. But fortunately, Protector did not deliver any throwaway tracks and I still enjoy to listen to each and every song. One got the impression that the band identified completely with their music. Perhaps this was the main reason why the quality of the ten pieces was more or less consistently high. Therefore, if you are interested in the extreme variation of German metal of the eighties, you should give this album a chance. It is no classic in the narrower sense, but due to its unbridled aggression you will have a good time while listening to it.

A Beserker Inside - 87%

Nightmare_Reality, July 17th, 2012

It's a damn shame that Protector isn't as well-known as their fellow countrymen in Kreator and Sodom, but history has proven that being well-known doesn't make your music better, because I would take "Golem" over albums like "Extreme Aggression," "Tapping the Vein," and "Release From Agony" 10 times out of 10. There's a reason why Protector is adored by many in the metal underground (especially in thrash circles) and that's because their brand of thrash was different from the bestial sounds of their Germanic comrades. This music is deadly, precise and absolutely violent, much moreso than the Bay Area bands of the '80s and plenty of other thrash bands that popped up.

One thing that becomes immediately apparent with Protector and their music are the riffs. Instead of opting for the rape of the E-string and the insertion of some powerchords, a lot of the riffs are ridiculously fast and feature a vast amount of shifting hammer-ons and single notes that make for a lot of headbanging, but also a lot of memorable moments. The riffs on "Delirium Tremens" and "Protector of Death" are fucking maniacal and Hasse's intense drumming only adds to the blistering fury. And proving that they weren't just speed freaks, Protector did a brilliant job of structuring their music and showed some stellar songwriting skills with tracks like "Apocalyptic Revelations" and "Only the Strong Survive," as both start with some pretty epic buildups that eventually morph into an insane assault that have fallen upon many a metalhead's ears.

Everything else on "Golem" is top-notch as well. The aforementioned drumming adds a lot of heft to the music, as well as even more speed. Belichmeier's bass performance is another highlight on this album, as it's always audible and almost seems like another instrument entirely, rather than simply following the guitar patterns. "Germanophobe" is probably the best example of the excellence of the bass on this record and is a prominent reason why it's also my favorite track. Missy's vocals are disgustingly beautiful as well. They're lower in tone than Mille Petrozza's, but not as guttural, yet they're just as diabolical and suit the music perfectly. There's really not much more to say about "Golem" and Protector. This is just a band that makes violent and masterful music that should be fellated by every metalhead.

Highlights
"Delirium Tremens"
"Germanophobe"
"Only the Strong Survive"

Originally written for Nightmare Reality Webzine.
nightmarerealitywebzine.blogspot.com

Eat the Space Cake and feel better! - 91%

TexanCycoThrasher, June 20th, 2009

Golem, maybe one of my favorite thrash cds, it’s fast, it’s evil, & it’s got Martin Missy on vocal duties.

Well being the average under the radar thrash group the production is mediocre. It’s not bad enough to distract one from the performance but it’s has it’s flaws here and there. As for the musicianship it’s an enjoyable ride. The guitar work is fast, but not the over the top Slayer-esc fast. And the tempo shifts are an interesting aspect of the guitar work. But this album is riffs-a-plenty, they are jam packed with energy and have a constant chugging sound, but with a slight darkened feel to them. The solos are mostly brief because of the speed put into this but for the most part their amusing. The rhythm section is pretty good, a tad loud though, but not loud enough to be too distracting. It’s mainly the symbols & bass guitar you’ll be hearing. Speaking of the bass, it has a great tone, which I really dig. But the aspect of this record I dig the most is Martin Missy’s vocals. It’s hard to describe his style, it could be described as deep growls, proto-death metal style, mix with deep wails. His style mix with the way he uses it is unheard of, I honestly can’t think of any other vocalist that remotely sounds like Martin. The lyrics to this album are interesting, & are varied, but my favorite is Space Cake which has to be one of the funniest joke songs I heard so far, & I’d definitely recommend getting the version with Space Cake.

Overall Golem is an enjoyable experience with a few faults restraining it from glory, highly recomended-89%.

Mindless - 58%

Osmium, November 29th, 2004

Well, here you've got it: 39 minutes of solid German thrash: the riff salad characteristic of bands in this genre, low (but not quite growled) vocals, fast drumming, and a complete lack of focus or direction. This album certainly is not bad, but after listening to about 10 minutes of it (note that I denote the passage of time in minutes instead of songs), I began to realize just how monotonous and unvaried it was. Riffs here, riffs there - you know the story, and if all you seek in music is riff-wankery, then this is the album for you. If, however, you desire some sort of focus, generalized theme, or something beyond the superficial sound of the music, pick up something else. These songs could really be about anything, and I wouldn't know the difference - the growled vocals resemble Sodom somewhat, but stay at that same timbre throughout the entire album. Gang vocals are utilized occasionally, but fail to change the (lack of) mood. The drums are not too impressive, either - they seem to be serving their standard role: not bad or outstanding, but just keeping the rhythm. The entire album is played at about the same speed - fast - but not fast enough to make any lasting impression with their speed.

There certainly are quite a few catchy riffs on here, such as on "Omnipresent Aggression" and "Apocalyptic Revelations," and the intro to "Megalomania" is very well done (with the drums pounding ominously in the background as a simple solo is shredded), setting up the song well. It goes nowhere from there, though, once again reverting to the construction of any other song on the album. The other solos on this album are worthy of mention as well, and resemble death metal more than thrash, with scales being played seemingly randomly.

In conclusion, individual songs from this album (such as on a mix, or on the radio) would definitely be pleasant to hear. The problem is that when all ten are combined on an album, each loses its charm, and the whole thing becomes boring.

This is music for the sake of music at its finest - no focus, no theme, no unifying philosophy, just riffs and growls. If you are a thrash fan, buy it and drool all over it. If you want some depth or even variety in your music, don't bother with it.

Germanic Prowess. - 92%

Danthrax_Nasty, April 3rd, 2004

As the first riff comes in you understand exactly what you are listening too, and that is a Modernized German Thrash with Death elements, quite simply and nothing more (but really could you want anything else, as I really dont). In the very least, this is well played, tight as fuck, skull pounding, killer metal with a less than ultra clear production, and a sound reminiscent of better Metal times.

Also one must give praise to the cover, cause its pretty god damn cool in its originality. Not the greatest, but fucking cool.

The harmonies, solos, riffs, runs, what ever, you name it. Its all here and played to a masterfull degree. Protector, straight out surpass many other thrash bands for their songs, which are very well written, well structured, and head banging marathons of brilliance, albeit not the most melodic (but alot of great German thrash isnt). I'd also recommend whiping a few back before throwing this on, as it enhances ones experience, for you know I have. There are many different tempos, and style changes on here (guitar wise) that just stand out, and define the bad as classic thrash metal gods. Also the guitar tone is a great aspect of this band which would at the very least add to their unique sound.

Most vocals are in a deeper, not quite death metal, like german voice of hate, but fit the music nicely due to the well arranged patterns/lyrics. Fairly original, its definitely fitting for the sound, and offers me nothing to dislike even if there is a highly standard format to the style of delivery.

While not very well known out side of true fans to the genre, those that are familiar will tell you just how killer this band was at this time period, as inaddition to their carreer (seeing this shit live must have been truelly something else). Also of note, this record has had its influence on many, and even if not largely received as such it still has a rightfull place.

If you are a fan of old school Thrash, Death, and Speed Metal in its pure sound than you will inevitably enjoy this release, for it holds true to its genre more than most will ever hope to achieve (which is something that must be appreciated). Fuck off to all contenders this is the way it should be.
Hail German Fucking Metal!!!