Oprimiendo a las masas

It's very difficult to follow up such a record as the insane, over the top "Eternal Nightmare", everybody's second favorite thrash record ever. The band set the bar so high that not only them, no other band in history could ever hit that level since the release of that whirlwind tornado of the record. "Oppressing The Masses" is the best Vio-Lence could've done, and it exceeds my expectations. While the album is nowhere near as insane and brilliant as its predecessor, this record is still an excellent thrash record from 1990 that crushes most of the scene in its time.

"Oppressing The Masses" is born of similar visions as its predecessor, with more emphasis on speed. This album is still very far away from what most thrash records sound like, and still is unique, but let's be honest, it is a bit closer to what most of the thrash records sounded like at the time than "Eternal Nightmare". That being said, Vio-Lence still played aggressive, crushingly heavy thrash metal, and thrash metal only. So far, the band never left their original path, which is great news.

The record consists of eight very well written songs. Vio-Lence, as on their first record, kept it very balanced and colorful throughout the entirety of the disc. Your faster, trademark Vio-Lence songs are present in the forms of my favorite song off this record, "Officer Nice", "I Profit", "World In A World", and more. On the other side, "Subterfuge" and "Mentally Afflicted" provide some of the sludgier, more mid-paced punches, that are also very well composed. Great variety is present, living up to the band's name.

Musicianship-wise, the record is a bit below the latest release. The riffs are still excellent, they still bite, they still tear, the only issue is that they do all of those things on a much lower RPM than those of "Eternal Nighmare". It is audible that the band was less inspired than before, but even so, there are a bunch of extremely catchy and just ripping, scratching riffs on the album, such as the one in "Officer Nice" at about 3:22, or the intro riff of "World In A World". The leads are still very expressive and sophisticated, much like on the debut.

With regards to the vocal work, this is where the record truly shines. Out of such an excellent band that has a damn animal on each instrument, it is difficult to highlight anyone, but if I absolutely had to, it would be Sean Killian. He delivers those demented, vicious vocals we all know and love about Vio-Lence with just as much attitude and hatred as before. Perry Strickland on drums was also just KILLING IT on this album, his unique, easy to recognize fills never stop emerging from between the riffs, and his usage of the double-pedal is just vicious. The outro of "World In A World" really demonstrates what he's capable of, and it is pretty damn frightening.

I'm not disappointed that this doesn't build on the debut or lives up to it. If you understand the debut, you know damn well that there really is nowhere to go from there, it is the highest level of thrash genius, you can't possibly go any further than that. Knowing that, this record becomes pretty damn impressive. If the debut didn't exist, this record would've also put Vio-Lence on the map of thrash metal bands in the 80s, it is still excellent. It's just hard to evaluate records like this, when they are so shadowed by their predecessors.

With Eternal Nighmare, it felt like Vio-lence had all the energy and ferocity they could muster, so much so that I still ended up liking it somewhat despite the yammering of vocalist Sean Killian. This follow up is more of the same in most respects, but the insanity and kinesis that drove their debut seems standardized on Oppressing the Masses and ends up making this feel much less enjoyable. Perhaps they were trying to refine or organize their sound, so it would be easier to remember their stuff, but if that was the idea, it had somewhat of the opposite effect. This feels like a simpler and less barbaric version of Eternal Nightmare and the excessive level of speed and force that made that album into such a punishing experience ends up streamlined, and Oppressing the Masses delivers a less interesting, more standard volley of speedy thrash songs.

Vio-lence could have gotten away with doing this if Sean Killian wasn’t the singer. It’s one thing to have a decent, but average thrash metal album with a fitting vocalist, it’s another to have one of the most annoying and childish singers in thrash history and make it so it’s even harder to listen past him. The riffs are still fast, and the gang shouts are still raucous. This still has the character of a Vio-lence album, so what’s wrong with it? Simplification of the riffs is the most notable problem since they are less rhythmic, brawling, and distinct this time around. Whereas riffs to “Eternal Nightmare” and “Calling in the Coroner” got stamped into your face with the force of a jackhammer on the last album, the songs on here don’t do nearly as much to stand out or deliver any particularly memorable lines or riffs. The riffs thrash alright, but they lack the snakes, bends, and rumbles that give them the extra motion and make them jump out. Because of this, these songs end up blurring past you. “World in a World” is the closest to becoming a decently memorable number but has another problem, which leads me to my next point. Sean Killian is more prominent and harder to listen past.

This man’s vocals are the primary reason I have trouble with this band. I’ve already talked about how childish and irritating he sounds. His problem here is also that he tries stretching his vocal range a bit and it either comes off as awkward or strained. When he tries shouting out the chorus lines to “Officer Nice” and especially “Mentally Afflicted” where his shouting the phrase “CALL ME, CALL ME, CALL ME MAD!” gets especially petulant and annoying. He’s loud and thrust even further into the foreground than he was on Eternal Nightmare, making his vocalizations even bigger patience-testers than they were on that album. Yes, there are sections of rapid-fire riffing and some truly insane soloing that this jabbering madman isn’t over, and as a result they sound great. However, the more streamlined approach of the riffs also makes much of this album blur past you without so much as a second thought. It makes this album full of speedy guitars and fast drumming feel flat, and the vocalist further obstructs your enjoyment. The way this album goes is like this, decent riffs come in, Killian blabbers over the rhythm, everything gets lost in a blur, a sweet solo comes in, maybe some more of the okay riff, and then it ends. This creates a feeling of “in one ear and out the other” and that isn’t good.

Vio-lence’s Oppressing the Masses doesn’t excel at the same level that Eternal Nightmare did on terms of thrashing your neck until it breaks. Yeah, it goes at a faster pace, but the riffs themselves seem less interesting and somewhat simpler. This makes getting past Sean Killian’s jabber all the harder and when you do manage to listen past that, what you get isn’t as engaging and even more of the album flies by you. Nothing special happens, only a few riffs stick out, and Killian drives you crazy. Where Vio-lence was able to bowl you over with rampaging and creative guitar assaults on their debut, Oppressing the Masses feels so standard that I feel like I have no business ever coming back to it.

Oppressing the Masses is a record which really had its work cut out for it after such a frenzied, excellent debut, so it's a real testament to its quality that it managed to pull that off. I'm not insinuating that it is the measure of an Eternal Nightmare, but it's a well written and energetic follow-up that stays true to its 'brand', while marginally expanding the band's riffing horizons. Released through Atlantic Records, and with the black & white video support for "World in a World", which featured moshing and stage diving via some first person cameras, as well as vocalist Sean Killian looking intense alongside a swaying light bulb, one could argue that this effort was the apex of the band's visibility. Make it or break it. An album that would either increase the Californians' stock in the second tier of the US thrashing elite, or bury them among the rest of the rubble as the majority of the genre fell out of style in the 90s, obfuscated by grunge, nu metal, alt rock and the insurgence of greater extremity in metal itself. We all know now how it turned out for Vio-lence, they would never end up accruing the sort of promotion or following that could purchase them a private island in the Pacific, but if Masses isn't exactly top-shelf among sophomore albums like Ride the Lightning, Peace Sells or Hell Awaits, it's at least a worthwhile one which proved they were no fluke. Not yet, anyway.

I had long harbored the memory that this was a very front-loaded record in terms of where its most memorable tracks lie, and I think that remained the case when revisiting it, with two of my favorite tracks ("I Profit" and "Officer Nice") heading it off, while only "World in a World" was on the latter half of the track list, but in truth this is quite a consistent 40-ish minutes of psychotic, pummeling thrash which doesn't have a lot of fat to trim, even if a few tunes like "Mentally Afflicted" or "Liquid Courage" get a little harder for me to recall when I'm not actively listening. The production here, both visual and auditory, reminds me a bit of another Bay Area thrash icon signed to Atlantic; Testament, in particular their third effort Practice What You Preach. Simple but effective cover image with a bunch of similar figures, a pronounced (and welcome) bass tone that popped right out of the mix, and a slightly comparable feel to the guitars. Of course, both of these albums were produced and recorded by Alex Perialas, also involved with Overkill's Under the Influence. which I would put in the same category due to the vocals and bass. Perialas definitely had a particular approach to thrash albums of this era which could draw out clarity and musicianship without sacrificing intensity, and while I myself prefer the guitars tones and energy of Eternal Nightmare, this definitely felt like a natural pairing which served to the strengths of its successor.

Perry Strickland's drumming in particular seemed more ballistic here than on the debut, with some techniques in there that could nearly place him in the company of a Lombardo or Hoglan. Crazy, muscular fills machine gunned all over the place, but never too invasive to the guitars, and some speed and footwork that left the impression that Vio-lence was well aware of the death metal emergence with which it would have to compete. Dean Dell's bass sounds great, bobbing and weaving a framework for the rhythms and leads, but remaining subdued when necessary. The actual riffs themselves compare favorably to the debut, perhaps not as catchy on an individual basis, but molded from a similar vision, getting a fraction more melodic, clinical and technical but not to the extent that this felt like a large progression from Eternal Nightmare. No, it's a natural follow-up with just enough ideas to encompass a two-year gulf in which the band was gigging and making a name for itself in a crowd of so many others. The leads are well implemented in an era where the bridge riffs were just as important, and they are. Killian's vocals here are not too reined in from the debut, still populating that higher, unhinged range and anger, still capable of a catchy verse line or chorus.

Whether you were in the market for the faster, rabid sounding thrash or a set of mid-paced moshing riffs which would have also done Exodus or Sacred Reich proud, Oppressing the Masses was definitely one album that went into my teenage rotation and remained there for quite some time, for me the last valuable effort this band released. Not quite as concise or marvelous as its older sibling, but an album I can still spin today to generate the same level of excitement for a period in which one of my favorite genres was heavily saturated with great material on a normal basis. Coincidentally, it is also the last genuinely good album Robb Flynn has ever been a part of. Almost 30 years, dude, maybe step it up a little.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Though Vio-Lence in some respects can be seen as a sum of their influences, drawing from a range of thrash styles spanning mostly from the coasts of the riff-happy Bay Area all the way to the decaying urban, hardcore-fueled streets of New York, the band had their own unique aura. Strictly comparing this album to their debut, “Eternal Nightmare” is in a way the spastic, high-strung younger brother who forgot to take his rabies shots, whereas “Oppressing the Masses” is the older, more streetwise and rugged sibling; together, the dynamic duo dispense an impressive and formidable catalog of riffs rivaled by only few bands in the Bay Area thrash scene. The riffs on the previous album, bountiful and never ending, cut through the listener like a rampant, chainsaw-wielding maniac on PCP. The music here is a lot weightier, mostly due to the album's sturdier production and chunky, lengthier-phrased sections and riffs – riffs like that fit together like massive concrete slabs, bound with their tough, steel-girder scaffolding. This is best heard on the absolute crushing riff-monster that is the title track, whose monolithic main, bottom-heavy riff sounds like the band's answer to Testament's “The New Order.” Though the riffs on this album rely a lot less on rapid tremolos and are sometimes more syncopated/power-chord based, they still retain the complexity, intensity and unique character of the past.

I love the overall sound of this album, both from a musical character and production standpoint, even a little more than their already amazing debut album. It's very punkish in its delivery, almost urban sounding in its hardcore angst, and the production is a lot fuller and heftier, with the guitar tone more massive and somewhat crunchier. This may seem like a strange comparison, but I feel the album's production is almost on par with Demolition Hammer's “Epidemic of Violence” in terms of heaviness with its immense, machine like wall-of-sound delivery – not raw but not sterile and polished either (though somewhat dryer and not quite as insanely brutal as that album). This is one of Alex Perialas' more solidly produced albums, especially when stacked against the comparatively thin guitar tones of “Game Over” or “The Legacy.” Dean Dell's bass guitar is as bouncy yet beefy as ever, adding to the album's distinctive sound; as well, Perry Strickland's rapid drum assault is as thunderous and upfront in the mix as it was in the last record, but tighter in delivery.

The album's openers “I Profit” and “Officer Nice” are textbook, hardcore-drenched thrash perfection, both being densely clad with tight, complex and riff-laden arrangements, drawn-out introductions with steadily galloping bass-lines, extended middle-sections and solos, intelligent rhythm, riff and tempo changes, as well as intricate and ambitious performances on all parts. The middle break in “I Profit” is especially brilliant. One of the first thing you will notice is a more pissed off, controlled and dramatic performance by Sean Killian, who declines common Bay Area thrash lyrical tropes of the occult and comic book violence, and brings the topics back down to the real world. The topics also feel more serious this time around – including some themes of police brutality, greed, immolation, political deception, the judicial system, and madness. Some may find his delivery a lot less awkward this time around as well, as there is less of those guttural lisps and that shaky voice cracking heard throughout the previous album, though I had no problem with them either way. The compact riff-brutalizer “Subterfuge” is one of my favorite songs the band has created, which creatively makes the absolute most of its more blunt, minimalist grooves and cyclic rhythmic changes, forging it into something of immense catchiness and infectious momentum. On most of the songs, especially the first two, the band continues to throw out simplistic sing-along verse-chorus structures, instead having the occasional refrains being delivered with the brawny East Coast thrash and hardcore-inspired gang shouts.

The aforementioned tracks I feel are among the best the band has to offer, alone their sheer majesty and epic arrangements would make this album as great or even slightly better than “Eternal Nightmare.” A stretch, but I stand but that statement. Though tracks four through seven are more meat-and-potato thrashers comparatively, most of these songs range from almost as good to just as good as anything off “Eternal Nightmare.” This shows a greater disparity among tracks, compared to their previous release where everything was more or less equal in terms of quality. The only song I skip often is the rather listless “Mentally Afflicted,” though it makes up for its lack of pace with an interesting, bass-driven main riff. The best of the second half I feel is the empowering declaration against tyranny that is the hyper-rhythmic title track, as well as the harrowing ode against alcohol abuse – “Liquid Courage” – where the heavy, looming introductory section segues into a barrage of pulsating riffage that seems to recall “Bodies on Bodies,” and culminates into a rather thrilling chorus. “Engulfed by Flames” is forthright, straight to the jugular, bulldozer riffage, while things get a little more complicated as “World in a World” intertwines its engaging, “Calling in the Coroner”-esque pacing with layered, trilled riffage and swirling rhythms.

It is rare that an album will fully click with me at first – as there are often some traits that I do not like at first, and after a while will eventually grow on me. However, I loved pretty much everything about Vio-Lence's first two releases upon first listen. The band did not need the overtly melodic and progressive trappings heard within their more well-known Bay Area brethren, instead delivering their pummeling display through little more than the power of the almighty riff. The subtle complexity and unique character of their riffs and structures, their technically refined yet punishing instrumentals, a manic, hardcore drenched vocalist, as well as the lack of melodic restraint – leading way to pure, raw, riff-driven aggression with no need for gimmicks or fancy ballads and frilly vocals – is what I feel makes Vio-Lence one of Bay Area thrash's all time greats and one of my favorite thrash bands. I recommend checking out all of this band's material, and while their next and final LP “Nothing to Gain” is not as great as the first two, it is still worth checking out, as it is interesting to hear these two guitarists' worth before their descent into full on groove metal territory with Machine Head.

In the span of a single album, I didn't expect that Vio-lence would evolve much, they didn't have time nor did they seem like a band that really ever would. However, I was wrong, as this album is very ambitious, but doesn't quite hit the mark. It seemed like Vio-lence knew their days were numbered, and they desperately wanted to be known on the level of the big players such as Metallica and Megadeth. Who can blame them? How ever justified, the result is an album that doesn't stand up, mostly due to vocalist Sean Killian kinda sucking.

The songs here are as thrash as ever, but the songs are much longer here and attempt to become more than your typical thrash song. Musically, this works fairly well, however due to Sean Killian's voice, the results are hindered quite a bit. They aren't bad, but Vio-lence could have been much more had they had a different vocalist in their ranks. I can't hate on him too much, as he is quite good live, he is full of energy and really help the band have a real presence live, but on recording his voice takes training just to be able to put up with it. This is sad, due to the fact that it often kills off some otherwise shining moments on this record.

The instrument playing members of the band are, as stated earlier, fine, providing some really killer tunes. However, all the songs suffer from one of two problems, they either feel like inferior versions of songs from classic scene leaders Exodus, or they feel like generic and cookie cutter. There is never anything explicitly bad, just that they feel that they've been done before and perhaps done better by many bands before them. Still, even if they have been done before, the members of Vio-lence have created at least competent renditions of those songs, each of which is full of thrashy energy that will keep most fans of early "hardcore" thrash metal (I think you know what I mean by this) satisfied, nothing much more than that. If you're a fan of Exodus or other bands similar, this album will do you just fine, bar the vocals, even if you may prefer to listen to the other bands that represent the same sound. The drums, guitar, and bass are furious and are only held down by Sean Killian's voice, who feels like he just can't keep up with the band, which is odd, considering he is really a lot of the band's personality and energy live.

If you are a thrasher, this album is a worthy addition to your collection. It is a fun album, that I listen to occasionally. But, it is not an album you need to spend large amounts of money hunting down, as it just isn't that good. Vio-lence serves up a good, but cookie cutter piece of thrash. Buy it if you run across it, but it's not really worth it under any other circumstances.

Vio-Lence made a pretty good splash back in the day. Their live shows became beloved staples of friendly violent fun and many even proudly proclaimed them as their favorite thrash band. So, a follow-up album was inevitable, if not necessary. I guess the band figured they had their fun on the debut because here on "Oppressing The Masses" the band sobered up and unleashed something that, while undeniably more maturely-written and technically-proficient, was simply just less fun.

The whole vio-lent crew on "Eternal Nightmare" returns for this outing. Sean Killian's vocals are for the better part an improvement. He still can't really sing, but here he retooled his erratic ranting into more rhythmic shouting and howling, and it just sounds better. Hell, he somehow manages to sound even more pissed on here at times than on the previous effort. Perry Strickland's drumming is still kinda boring but still not bad, while Dean Dell's bass is better than ever; he gets some really good fills and solos in on here. The guitars of Flynn and Demmel sound frankly more boring on here, but I guess that's 'cause there's more of a focus on actual solos and again the technicality rather than unrelenting riffage. Still, their talent remains undeniable, as most of their soloing and riffing is still strong and overall well-done.

Again, I hate to bring up the "boring", but that's just how some of these songs come off at times. Sure they're far from bad and still goddamn thrashy, but they just come off as less memorable than the killer cuts on the debut. As is the case with opener "I Profit". Lots of technical riffage, lots of aggression, yada-yada, but right after it ends, do you really remember anything about it? I don't. Far superior in my opinion are the two follow-up songs "Officer Nice" and "Subterfuge". "Officer Nice" is something of a fan favorite, and it's hard not to see why. Chugging at a fastish pace, it comes packaged with some pissed Killian vocals and probably the best Vio-Lence chorus ever! "Their laws decide! CRIMINALS, LAWBREAKERS! Who is riiight! OFFICER! NICE!" Cool as fuck. The speedy "Subterfuge" is nearly as good. The opening is hooky as fuck and we have yet some more really pissed Killian shouting and great gang vox. "Subterfuge works on you!" The title track is cool as well; it's kinda catchy and its thrashiness harkens back the previous album's brand of aggression. Most of the other songs are far and away from bad, but they never come off as totally distinct or memorable.

Overall, "Oppressing The Masses" is both a step up and down. The band has gotten better or stayed great as far as their performances and writing are concerned, but save for a few really killer songs, most of the cuts on here fairly unmemorable. They still kick ass but fail to leave a lasting impression. I recommend it, but don't expect the greatness of "Eternal Nightmare". Expect less great but still great greatness. Thrash...

When Vio-Lence is mentioned, it’s the everlasting Eternal Nightmare worship all over. It even was so back in the late eighties. I remember ‘Oppressing the Masses’ receiving mediocre reviews. It wasn’t Eternal Nightmare part 2 etcetera and there’s never been much consensus surrounding Sean Killian’s vocals. Flynn’s musical endeavours during the nineties haven’t had much positive influence on retrospective views either.

I’ll cut to the chase here. Had Eternal Nightmare never existed nor Flynn thrown away his credibility I think a lot of old thrashers and retroheads might’ve spent more time listening to ‘Oppressing the Masses’. Not that it’s a classic. For that there are simply too many other, more genius albums from that period. There is however more than one reason ‘Oppressing the Masses’ should be in every thrasher’s collection.

The main reason ‘Oppressing the Masses’ is a mandatory Bay Area release is this: ‘World In A World’. The best song Vio-lence have ever written. No matter how brilliant or brutal Eternal Nightmare was, this song is Vio-Lence at their peak. Everything to like is here. Mid paced crushing, melody, raging thrash, catchy vocals lines, and a shitload of thrashbreak and catchy hooks.

Is that song all that matters? Well, yes in a way. One just needs to listen to the meandering verses of ‘Mentally Afflicted’ for instance to realise this is just nice but extremely generic stuff in 1990 already and had it not had Killian’s typical voice it could’ve come from any other US band, even the second and third rate bunch.

The rest of the material varies from decent to good with ‘Officer Nice’ and opener ‘I, Profit’ clearly being the best-of-the-rest. ‘Liquid Courage’ and the title track have their moments as well but as a whole don’t stick as much as the earlier mentioned threesome.

So all in all just a decent Bay Area release with one marvellous highlight and a few others worth mentioning.

It could be said that the ideal lover and thrash metal are mirror opposites; one ought to be served up sweet and pleasing to the eyes, the other is best when ugly and rotten to the core. Perhaps the only thing that they really share in common is a successful tight rope walk between raw, unfettered passion, and an ultimate organization and control over things. The best thrash albums have always been the ones that will tear you apart, yet leave you with a lasting impression in which to put yourself back together for another go around, lest you’d otherwise end up tossing the album out like a “fun only for 40 minutes” one night stand.

Vio-lence’s albums have all consistently walked this tight rope remarkably well, especially considering the pressure that was building from more morosely aggressive thrash acts to simply pile on the brutality and neglect the songwriting. But while “Eternal Nightmare” leaned more towards pure speed and force, and the later “Nothing to Gain” slowed things down a bit too much, “Oppressing the Masses” has the right balance of flash and mid-paced riff goodness to make for a great listen from start to finish. You could basically say that this album is thrash metal’s dark twin version of the perfect lover.

The lyrical and vocal approaches have both evolved perfectly to fit this moderated tone. Most of these songs lean towards social issues and other subjects in line with the Anthrax/Megadeth brand of punk rock sensibilities, instead of the Slayer-like stories of horror and violence alone. “Liquid Courage” could almost be interpreted as a rather clever way to discourage alcohol abuse, as the imagery depicted in it glares like the decrepit mirror image of every lowlife, wife-beating alcoholic in America. Sean Killian’s vocals have also been cleaned up slightly, resulting in something that sounds like a ballsier, yet less in tune version of Joey Belladonna with a hint of “Blitz” Ellsworth.

Things start off with a strong sense of ambition, as lead off song “I Profit” sports an epic intro on par with that of Hell Awaits. But unlike the Slayer classic, the fast section riffs avoid becoming too blurred by exaggerated speed and are tempered with a tighter arrangement and some well placed tempo shifts. Likewise, the lead breaks tend towards a more organized, less agitated approach to what is heard out of King and Hanneman. The closest thing that comes to mind when hearing the solos is a cross of Dan Spitz’s melodic brevity and Bobby Gustafson’s scale shredding handiwork.

Things proceed to go back and forth between fast and mid-paced, often within the confines of individual songs. If nothing else, these songs take care not to repeat the same ideas too many times and things up quite nicely. Good examples of this varied tempo approach include the Anthrax-like anthem of punkish angst “Officer Nice”, the chunky riff buster “Subterfuge”, and the slower groove thrasher “Mentally Afflicted”, which sports a nice Dave Ellefson bass intro and was likely where the drum intro to Megadeth’s “Trust” came from. Bear in mind also that unlike the late 90s Megadeth version, this one gets a lot faster before its conclusion.

Naturally even with a well thought out formula, there are bound to be a couple of Persian flaws that sneak their way into an otherwise brilliant masterwork. From the opening thud up until just before the first chorus of the title track, the band can do absolutely no wrong, but unfortunately Sean Killian wasn’t graced with a voice that can hold the center of a pitch for more than half a second. For this particular style of metal this isn’t a huge issue, but when a vocal line is fully exposed and attempting to sound quasi-tuneful, it’s extremely difficult not to notice. Nonetheless, if every singer in metal sounded like Bruce Dickinson, things would get boring pretty fast.

It’s probably unheard of for a fan of thrash metal to prefer this album to “Eternal Nightmare”, but I always end up leaning towards this when all is said and done. It all depends on whether you want constant aggression from start to finish, or the occasional break to get the vertebrae in your neck back in alignment. If you like your metal thrashy and socially conscious, this is more than worthy of blowing $15 or so of you hard earned cash. Like the love of a lifetime, if you’re in bed with it or out on the town, it’ll never let you down.

Later submitted to (www.metal-observer.com) on August 10, 2008.

Here comes another fanboy yelling and raving about how Vio-Lence were the top thrash act. Yes, at first it looks like a daring assertion, but come on, give it some thought: have Exodus, Overkill, even Heathen made an album as good as this? I've heard discussions and read about how Vio-Lence were just a second-tier band, coming on the tracks of the real Bay Area greats. Well, fuck that!

If Vio-Lence were untalented, sloppy players, I'm telling you that there would be more than enough bands (including Lich King, hah) willing to sell their mothers in order to become this untalented. The variety of taste and opinions is a law in metal reviewers' world, but this doesn't distract my attention from one subtlety: there are albums that are so true, so unaltered in their destructive intent, so gifted that those who defy them either are deaf, too deaf, either they are trying to prove people that black is red and G.W. Bush is Gene Hoglan's dad. Oppressing The Masses and Eternal Nightmare are two albums that subscribe to the "too true for you" category, and the only thrash albums on par are Slayer's Hell Awaits and Dark Angel's Darkness Descends, and arguably Heathen's Victims Of Deception.

Defending the throne of Vio-Lence is not an exquisitely harsh task, since their albums speak for themselves. But even thus, some people think this is "unimaginative", "dull", "unidimensional", and oh so untrue. I wonder what arguments you have for this!

Sean Killian is one of the most undeservedly criticized vocalists in the whole history. He wasn't a singer, he was an attitude, just like Tom Araya. But his lack of vocal acrobatics and off-the-wall performances don't bother me so much, on the opposite, they make everything sound so unique and fascinating. What would've Vio-Lence been with a standard thrash vocalist squashing his nuts for higher notes instead of the pissed off Killian? This man was one in a million, and his contribution to Vio-Lence's sound is as hefty as Shannon Selberg's to Cows. There's no technical prowess involved, just plain sincerity.

What about the others' technical prowess? It's top-notch, 'nuff said. The guy who gave around a 20% didn't say shit about the drumming, 'cause the ownage is so grandiose. This is relentless thrashing at its most rhythmically evolved, with double-bass insanity galore. Those feet and those fills are no reason for the drummer to hide at all. And when it comes to slow and heavy build-ups, man... you sure don't want to fuck around with these elitists. It's nowhere as unsatisfying as on Nothing To Gain (and even that album is quite good). I Profit, Officer Nice... two towering achievements of thrash wait for you to discover them.

The rest of this album is mostly full speed hammering, except some mid-paced moments. The bass and the guitars are unseparable, with a thick, clear tone and an overdose of frantic riffs, at both slow and fast pacing and audible bass lines (and he sure is better in his business than Chuck in his). And is anybody sane out there to claim that these riffs are unoriginal or boring? Just like Eternal Nightmare, every riff here is a gem of hostility and neurosis, bringing the storm in a genre that had started falling in that time. A few riffs are not genius, but for most of the time, you can't find a single stain on the glasses filled with FIRST QUALITY THRASH CHAMPAGNE, BITCHASS! And each solo (each of that pile) is a stab in the throats of those who think that Vio-Lence were "second-tier". There are similarities in the solos, indeed, but hey, no one's perfect. And this came unbelievably close to perfect. It's as every bit as good as Eternal Nightmare was, with a little more control.

Enough talking, now it's time for you to act! Such a classic cannot be missed by a metalhead. I fell in love with this band's music and though I will get old and I'll have no more time to remember and play all these goodies that metal has filled my life with, the quality remains. Find it, grab it and don't let go.