Realm - Suiciety [1990]

What's up thrashers? I bring you another obscure review, today I'll be reviewing Realm's second effort "Suiciety" from 1990. [Don't worry the next few reviews will be of more known / recent releases. I've just been on an old school kick as of late.]

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

Abracadathrash - F.T.W. [Demo] [Swiss]

One of the things that makes metal intriguing besides the music, is the sheer number of bands that are involved in a given scene/genre. The sheer number of albums/demos/EPs/splits/whatever  is staggering to say the least. The other by product of this proliferation is the fact that fans hang on to EVERYTHING. Whether it be demo tapes from a buddies thrash band that recorded it in their basement, to bigger regional acts; to major label touring bands. Fan's horde this stuff, and share it with the world. This has been going for ages, back in the 80s/90s tape trading was the way back then, now a days we have the internet to share music. It is absolutely amazing to be able to obtain a demo from a completely unknown act all the way back from 1989 from a completely different continent, every time I find/listen to one of these obscure demo's it blows my mind every time. Anyways enough blathering, this time i bring you ...



's only release F.T.W.

Despite the ridiculous name, this isn't joke thrash.

Anyway, the overall production on this is actually pretty nice. Everything is clear and mixed well, although you can tell at times that this was produced on a low budget; it still really doesn't hurt the overall sound.

In 1989, thrash was winding down; and was beginning to take on a more groovier sound. You can see this fact with this demo clearly. The riffs are nice and fast, and sound like something you'd expect from '86. But you can see that this was a release on the heels of a new page for thrash metal, and the groove is clearly seen throughout the songs. Mind you; this isn't a bad thing. The riffs are pretty damn nice and creative. There are many times where you get a case of involuntary headbanging. I'm actually kind of shocked given the caliber of the riffs found throughout FTW; that it never created a stir. The riffs really are top notch.

I'm not sure if it's due to the quality of the mp3's or the production overall but the bass is mixed kind of low, and the guitars have a bit more crunch to them. This is kind of disappointing; I think the bass should of been much higher, to give the songs an over all bigger sound. The overall tone of the guitar does make up for the lack of bass in the mix. So no major complaints, more of like "this could be improved upon ..." kind of situation.

Ah thrash drums. Thrash drumming is always very simplistic in nature, and draws major influence from punk. I'm quite fond of them. Throughout FTW you will find ... very basic thrash drumming. *shrug* There isn't too much to say about it. The drumming works, it compliments the riffs like all drumming should, but it's not something that catches your ear whatsoever.

The vocals are actually one of the high points of this demo, they remind me of Hefield in both style and sound; when he was in his heyday. They sound absolutely great. Nice and high in the mix, clear, and extremely well executed. These are really top notch.

Overall I found myself listening to this a few times over, and threw one of the songs on my mp3 player. I really liked it. It's not the most groundbreaking stuff you've ever heard, but it's defiantly worth being in the regular rotation.

I give



a solid 8/10

Stay Brutal!

-Fritz

Contact me at: osiriswebzine2011@gmail.com

Aggressor - Rape The Willing

Whats up thrashers? I'm back again for another review, this time from Canada's AGGRESSOR with their debut album Rape The Willing.



AGGRESSOR came into fruition in 2006 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. This album featured a different lineup than the current Aggressor band; but none-the-less ... this album featured many songs from their demo "Pure Canadian Aggression". In 2010 the band released a new EP entitled "Staring Down At You" only 250 copies were pressed and was released at a Toronto gig, with thrash legends RAZOR! [I WISH I was at that show :( ], also on this EP a new Aggressor lineup was featured. Currently their second full length effort is slated for release on February 3rd, 2012. They will be having a CD release gig on the Feburary 3rd at Sneaky Dee's in toronto with Fatality, Diemonds, and Shotgun Cure; so if your in the Toronto area, don't miss this!! [I'll be there]

So now that you know Aggressor; on with the review!

As we all know there is a overwhelming number of new thrash bands that have come to life in the past few years, it's now gotten to the point that on any given day you will see multiple thrash CD's being released. This opens the floodgates for a listener to be bombarded by mediocre and terrible sounding thrash metal. But through all this over saturation there are bands that bring something new to the table, and that's what Aggressor does with Rape The Willing.

The album starts off with a smoker of a riff; that lets you know your in for some modern thrashy goodness. The way an album starts is really key for any style of music, it has to pull the listener in and make them want to sit through the rest of it; as they say first impressions can never be changed.

As you progress through the album, you can see that the band is heavily influenced by all the usual suspects of classic thrash, but not to the point that you could pick out a song or songs and, say that sounds like [insert classic big time thrash band here]. This is nice. Originality is key in standing out in this new wave, and Aggressor has done a good job of worshiping but still staying unique and having their own sound.

Getting down to the meat and potatoes of this album, the production is fantastic, every instrument is nice and clear. The mixing is also fantastic, the bass is nice and high in the mix, this is always nice to see.

The guitar work is really nice. There are many, many riffs that will have you headbanging in no time. The riffs are really catchy, aggressive, and speedy; all the proper ingredients for good thrash. The songs are arranged nicely, and you can really tell the band is really cohesive on this record. The speed also doesn't really let up at all during the whole album, except for one track. Which funny enough I didn't like at all. As well as the songs are written; there are times where I felt the songs should of been trimmed down in time, and they should of played a few riffs less times than they did. Also at times, you feel as if the songs are droning a bit, but even with those shortcomings the songs are still memorable, and still a blast to listen too.

The drumming on this album is also nice. It's more than just your stock thrash metal drumming that we've all heard over and over again. There is some really nice double kick work, and some nice fills peppered through out the songs. It's not the most groundbreaking of percussion work, but it's interesting enough, and defiantly compliments and adds to the songs.

As mentioned earlier the bass is nicely placed in the mix, and is audible; but suffers from the most common problem in thrash metal ... it just follows the guitar. This isn't really a huge deal, but i feel as if bass fills compliment songs immensely, and defiantly would of worked in some of the songs on this album. It's audible, and nicely in the mix; it's just mundane, as most bass work is in thrash.

Vocals are a mixed situation. There are times where the vocals sound great, and then there are times where they just aren't working. The vocalist has mix between pantera-esque vocals meet tom araya style aggression, with some higher melodies thrown in for good measure. The times they aren't working are not as frequent as when they ARE working. The vocalist has some nice range, and it can be heard on this album. When the vocals are working, they sound real good. I defiantly enjoyed them more, than didn't. The vocals are memorable; for sure.

Overall this album is a fun listen, and one that you will defiantly come back too, and throw on your mp3 player. It does have it's downfalls, but overall it has more going right than wrong. This is above average modern thrash, in a over saturated scene full of mediocrity.

I give this a solid 7/10.

-Fritz

Contact me at: osiriswebzine2011@gmail.com

Rezistor - Beware The Silent

Whats up all? I'm back again.

This time I'm reviewing REZISTOR's debut Album "Beware The Silent"



The band got in touch with me, and kindly sent me their album for a review. Thanks guys! To ALL other bands who read this, I will review your album/demo/ep whatever. Send it my way, and I'll give it a fair shake; just like what I am about to do with REZISTOR's album!

Anyways...

Rezistor hails from Romania, and according to their website they started in 2008; after the members quit various other bands, and decided to get back to basics with Rezistor.

First off it has to be said, that a lot of indie thrash bands have very poor production on their debut whatever, this is not the case for this album. The production is nice and clear, this is a huge plus for any band trying to get off the ground. It sounds professional. Also the cover art is fanasatic. I really like it. So without further adieu ...

The essence of thrash metal, is based on the riffing. If you don't have the riffs, you don't have anything. This album is full of great riffs peppered throughout the songs. There are times where you will be bobbing your head, but there are other times where the songs aren't working, or you will find that these great riffs aren't connected properly. That's not to say, the songs aren't enjoyable. You will find yourself at times replaying the song you just heard to hear that one riff again. But as mentioned before, the songs suffer from bad arrangement. I think that's the best way to describe it. You have a mess of great thrashy riffs, and the songs just seem cluttered / all over the place.

The drumming is not bad, but it's not great either. It's your quintessential thrash drumming, and fits really well at times throughout the album. I would of liked a bit more diversity in what was going on. This is the same thing for the bass, it's nice and audible in the mix; but nothing special going on. The bass just follows the guitar, nothing wrong with that; I just think a few bass fills here and there would of helped the songs.

The vocals are the low point of this album. The band is from Romania so naturally the singer has a thick accent when singing. Also due to the fact that; the vocals are nice and clear in the mix, you can really notice the accent and it kind of is off putting, not all the time mind you. There are times where the vocalist sounds great, but he should of stuck to signing in his native tongue. There is a song in Romanian on this album, and the vocalist sounds much better. This album would of defiantly benefited by being sung completely in Romanian. It would of also helped the lyrical content as well.

Overall this isn't a bad debut from a new band. There were moments of glory throughout the album, but it did have it's faults. I think once this band matures a bit, and switches to Romanian vocals, their sound overall will be much better.

I give this 5/10.

Stay brutal!

-Fritz

contact me at: osiriswebzine2011@gmail.com

Evile - Five Serpents Teeth - Video Review

Whats up guys and gals?

Today I bring you the first video review for Osiris, Evile's latest slab of thrash; Five Serpents Teeth!

Enjoy!



Stay Brutal!

-Fritz

contact me at: osiriswebzine2011@gmail.com

Toxik - Think This

Well I'm back; figured no rest for the wicked! Anyway, on this dreary night I figured I'd do a review of the obscure band TOXIK; and their second album from '89 "Think This".



Pretty interesting album cover I must say. Anyway, I think it's perdant to give a bit of background on the band. Toxik hails from Peekskill, New York. They formed in 1985, and then disbanded in 1992; to then re-unite in 2007. Their first album "World Circus" was released in '87, and was released on roadrunner; [at the time roadRACER] as was "Think This in '89". A short tour was supposed to happen in 2007, but was cancelled due to poor management. They are now currently writing new material and looking for a new bassist.

Know Toxik now? Yea. Cool.

I walked into this album with no hope at all. I heard that it was a progressive-speed-thrash metal album from the late 80s, and from an obscure band like this; it kind of spelled disaster; but i gave it a try anyway.

*Note I NEVER mention any songs at ALL during a review I don't want to skew your experience*

Right off the bat I was pleasantly surprised, the quality of the production on this album was great. Roadrunner releases from this time period always had awesome production, so right off the bat there was hope. As you progress through this album you will find that all the songs are incredibly unique, and full of mind bending riffing. To me this is what is most important about thrash metal in general; is the quality of the riffing; and this album is chalk full of them. There are definitely songs on here that will make your head bob involuntarily.

The riffs are not your run of the mill 80's thrash riffing either, they are definitely interesting and fresh sounding; even after all these years. [this was shocking] The guitar is definitely heavily influenced by progressive overtones, but not to the point that it becomes overly technical and they lose their charm. The solo's are also very memorable, and will have you playing air guitar in no time. Toxik definitely had some very competent guitar players. The solos are not just those shredding for the sake of shredding solos either, they really truly fit the songs, and compliment them. They wont bore you, to the point where you want the main riff to come back; no they are top notch.

The bass is nice and high in the mix, which is also a treat. The bass just doesn't follow the guitar like in most thrash, on this album its very audible and memorable, and definitely compliments the songs. Again; it's just not thrown in there for the sake of it, instead it's competently written and therefore works extremely well for the songs overall.

The vocals are simply awesome. I don't have a single bad thing to say about them. The vocalist can hit the high notes, and do the lower ones with ease. Although there isn't too much on the more aggressive side of vocals on this album, and that's a good thing. It just wouldn't fit. Whoever mixed this album, did a fantastic job, because the vocals fit nicely in the mix, and are always completely audible and clear. Nice.

My overall impression with this album, is that it is extremely competently written, and the songs are extremely diverse. The album has the power to draw you in to the point that you won't turn it off or skip songs; you'll sit on your ass and listen to the thing straight through. Every time. As I mentioned earlier, the riffing is really the highlight of this album, its incredible, really was ahead of its time I think. Oh and there is a great cover on this album too, it's probably the best cover I've ever heard. It's good.

Overall, this album was very memorable, and wont be one that your mp3 player WON'T see.

I give this 9/10.

-Fritz

P.S. I think I know what the dudes in Vektor listen to a lot :P

Contact me at: osiriswebzine2011@gmail.com

Prepare For OSiRiS WEBZiNE

Whats up all?

This is a new webzine that is starting up to focus on all things THRASH METAL!

In this webzine, you will find interviews / reviews / news / and anything else that may tickle your fancy!

The goal of this online webzine is cut through the bullshit in the thrash scene, and give unbiased commentary / reviews on everything thrash metal.

I for one am fed up with labels pushing bands down the throats of fans, while other smaller bands get the push to the side, this webzine will bring unbridled honestly and precision to steer you in the right direction to find that next amazing thrash album to buy!

I am Fritz, and I am a Thrash Metal addict.