According to metal-archives this band is a technical-thrash-power-metal band. I disagree, this band is in the vein of coroner/toxik/vektor aka progressive-technical-thrash.
To the very limited information I could find on this band; they started in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA in 1985. They released two demos in 1985 and 1986, and their first full length album was released in 1988; titled "Endless War", which was released through roadrunner records. They then released "Suiciety" in 1990. After "Suiciety" was released they searched for a new label, and supposedly recorded a full length album's worth of material; which has never been released due to their demise in 1992.
So without further rambling I bring you, Realm's "Suiciety".
With this progressive-technical-thrash I am always weary, because A LOT can go wrong with this style. I've heard many bands try to pull this sound off, and it just sounds ... bad. The key to this style is having talented musicians. Not to be little classic sounding thrash, because I love that sound too; but you need much more talented and skilled musicians to pull off this sound properly. Realm is one of those bands that HAS the skill necessary to pull this off.
As you listen through this album, you are taken on a journey of great riffing. All the songs on this album for the most part are chalked full of awesome riffs, and creative interludes that tie the songs together. The progressive elements work great throughout the songs, without sounding weak. That's the key, thrash metal needs that edge; and sometimes the progressive elements can dull that. Not with Realm. They knew what they were doing, and executed it well. It was to the point that while I was working on various things, I'd stop and just bob my head to the song. This is what it is all about. Fantastic.
The trend with most progressive thrash bands is to throw some bass fills into the songs. This album unfortunately doesn't have too many of these; which is really disappointing. The bass reminds me of that of Tom Araya sounding bass, very twangy-ish. The bass just isn't memorable, which is surprising given the quality of the guitar work; but it is very audible, and that's nice.
Thrash metal has never been known for groundbreaking drum work. The bulk of thrash drumming is focused around speed to keep the tempo of the song fast to faster. As many who listen to thrash, can see it draws obvious inspiration from the punk style of drumming. Realm's drummer moves away from this, not totally but does a good job of spicing it up throughout the songs. It's not groundbreaking, but it's defiantly a nice change from stock thrash drumming. At times, it's really creative and sounds great; others ... it's what you'd expect from a thrash band. Overall; above average for sure.
The vocalist has tremendous range, and can do more aggressive style vocals while reaching those high notes multiple times with ease. I love this mix of vocal style throughout the songs, it keeps it interesting and draws you in; plus with the awesome production this album has; makes it sound just great.
Realm did a fantastic job with this album, it has a lot of creative elements throughout the songs, and keeps you enthralled throughout the album. It's not a straightforward album whatsoever. It's not fast all the way through, nor is it slow. It's all over the place with speed. The soloing is beautiful, and compliments the songs immensely. It does have it's moments where I think they could of made a better transition, or added something here and there; but this is a minor concern.
I give
A very solid 8.5/10
Thrash Till Death!
-Fritz
contact me at: osiriswebzine2011@gmail.com
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