Main Frame Collapse

I've always appreciated how my country brewed bands which, while few in number and undoubtedly less renowned than other scenes, somehow seemed to be ahead of their time in one way or another. I've talked multiple times about the so-called triad of Italian metal, and I genuinely believe albums like Bulldozer's original swansong Neurodeliri or Necrodeath's cult debut Into the Macabre must have had a huge impact on the young musicians of the time, through tape trading all over the world. Few are probably able to rival the respect the oft-forgotten Schizo might have had back in the day, though. It's not a secret that the band asked no less than Chuck Schuldiner to perform on their debut album, and he seemingly was willing to accept but forced to decline, nor is the fact that Sepultura's Max Cavalera was a huge fan of them (you may even speculate their Schizophrenia title took some inspiration from the band or their demo...). It's undeniable that most of this respect came from Main Frame Collapse, their hellish, apocalyptic debut and sadly only major release for a while. Speaking about presentation, I have to say right now that this wins my personal contest for the coolest title ever put on an album, ever. And what about the bleak, dry two-color artwork? But its appearance is far from being its only good aspect...

Indeed, Main Frame Collapse's main strength is in its diabolical, sulphur-filled aura, sort of a Morbid Visions with even more prominent extreme sensibilities, arguably pioneering for an '89 album whose release was supposedly also delayed for almost a full year. I'm not kidding when I say that Carlo F.'s drums spend most of their running time on constant blast beat mode, fueling the album's pace more than the admittedly not very elaborated (nor very audible, oftentimes) riff set. The crucial choice, though, was recruiting Necrodeath original vocalist Ingo, who brings one of the most venomous voices ever put to tape, plausibly one of the few I can name able to rival the legendary Pat Lind on Spectrum of Death, and coupled with the album's underground feel it also brings to mind the rudest moments from Demolition Hammer's Steve Reynolds. His Italian accent is decidedly prominent, but his tangible hatred on songs like 'Threshold of Pain' overcomes any awkward pronunciations. And what about 'Violence at the Morgue'? Diametrically opposed to any sort of atmospheric or even horror-like, suspenseful intro, this track narrowly exceeds 80 seconds, managing to be both an underdeveloped snippet of a song and possibly the best thing on here. How's that possible, you tell me.

This dichotomy is actually what carries this album forward. Main Frame Collapse is by no means a subtle album, for better or worse. Most songs are simple – there are even a lot of repeated verses and/or sections – yet filled to the brim with primal intensity. The menacing, mostly mid-tempo rarity 'Make Her Bleed Slowly' almost seems played twice in a row. Hey, at least on 'Removal' they justified this by placing that 'Part 1 & 2' in the title. But, somehow, that only accentuates the unpredictability of this record, and you'll find yourself constantly wrong-footed by the continuous tempo shifts (try also 'Epileptic Void'). When that doesn't happen, stuff like the opening couple (early highlight) or later outbursts of aggression ('Sick of It All!') gives you just mere seconds to breathe before the inevitable barrage of blasts.

Unfortunately, the most curious flaw finds a way to stain the album. Quite inexplicably, a good half of the songs don't have Ingo spitting venom on them, which by itself is already a pity, and it gets even worse considering guitarist and original vocalist S.B. Reder's sub-par hardcore-ish shouts ('Psycho Terror' being his most illustrious victim); apart from that, on these songs the already critical (but deliciously raw) production also takes a deeper dive towards demo territory. Not a huge problem assuming that you are in the right mindset (that is, completely deprived of your senses after the first half of this onslaught), but surely worth noting. Being pressed to find a skippable track, I'd probably say 'Manifold Hallucinations', but simply for being more of the same, just placed at the tail of an alike-sounding streak, so not that huge of a detriment.

In any case, Schizo might have realized it in time and, at last, didn't forget to mix things up with the instrumental 'Behind That Curtain', with a bombastic performance by Carlo and some occasional thought-out playing by Reder showing they weren't completely alien to technicality after all, and the longer intro to the title-track, before the vicious return of Ingo for the closer 'Delayed Death' closes the album on full circle, as an ulterior friendly reminder of the intensity just experienced.

This is really not recommended for the faint of heart. I'm aware this sentence is way over-(and often mis-)used, but you better not approach this album without being warned. Few albums sound like they come straight from Hell; Schizo's very own Main Frame Collapse does, and it's not shy of it. Don't let the production spoil your experience with this.

With Necrodeath and Bulldozer, Schizo were the most important extreme metal band in Italy during the 80s. Now they reformed and this little jewel of brutal thrash/death has been reissued because you couldn’t find it anymore. This is really a true violent piece of underground.

After several demos, well known in the underground scene, they finally released this album after 5 years. This is considered to be a very influential release along with “Into The Macabre” by Necrodeath and I can confirm it reading the interviews of great musicians from different countries, expressing good opinions for a big group and big inspiration back in those days.

That makes me happy because I can say that Italy is not just known for crappy power groups or fucking nu metal shit (Lacuna Coil! Yeah, I said that!). Fortunately here there’s nothing melodic, cheesy or whatever you want. This is violence. Stop. Ok, try to imagine to put together Kreator, Slayer with a good dose of early grindcore/crossover and you have a general idea.

Eleven tracks to show all the hate towards humanity. The first two ones are unbelievable for power: blast beats, up tempo parts, scratchy guitars and the great blackened vocals by the unmatchable Ingo (early Necrodeath). The most mid-paced parts are truly evil and reminded me Necrodeath in those days, for example check out the beginning of the second track or the whole “Make Her Bleed Slowly” (with some blast beats parts anyway).

Few solos in Slayer style are utilized to create a more obscure and oppressive atmosphere. The essential drums parts in “Epileptic Void” are great and in some points reminded me Possessed. “Removal Part 1 & part 2” is incredibly fast with raw solos. The refrain of “Psycho Terror” is terribly fast and screamed while “Sick of It All!” alternates grinding parts to more mid paced ones with slow solos.

“Behind That Curtain” is highly remarkable for the shocking, scary intro. Few guitar lines to create a hellish sound, followed by blast beats with lead guitar whistles and mid-paced obscure riffs. After the more obscure title track, this album ends on the blast beats of “Delayed Death”.

I can recommend this album to every death/thrash fan but also to those who like a more grindcore approach because this is really brutal. A piece of Italian obscure extreme metal. Not so great like Necrodeath's debut but always very good.