Genius. Pure genius. Way before Rage Against the Machine, before Run-D.M.C.'s collaboration with Aerosmith, and before their infamous collaboration with Public Enemy, Anthrax take the credit -- or blame -- for being the pioneers of merging rap and metal. Released in 1987, their now-classic I'm the Man is a funny tribute/parody/attempt at hip-hop that is not only pulled off successfully, but it's also the first release that showcases Anthrax's sense of humor -- the latter of which was also a first for the genre of speed metal. There are also three live tracks -- one of which is the title track -- as well as a "moshable" version of Black Sabbath's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" -- all of which are great but will probably be overlooked. Has it been mentioned that this EP is genius?
~ ~ by Mike DaRonco, allmusic.com
Tracks
..I'm The Man (Censored Radio Version)
..I'm The Man (Def Uncensored Version)
..Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
..I'm The Man (Live)
..Caught in A Mosh (Live)
..I Am the Law (Live)
..year - 1987
..label - Megaforce/Island
..buy - Amazon.com (www.amazon.com)
..home page - www.anthrax.com/
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Hailing from Dortmund, Germany, heavy metal quintet Angel Dust originally began life in the '80s as a thrash outfit. They recorded two albums, 1988's Into the Dark Past and 1989's To Dust You Will Decay, before disbanding due to personality conflicts. However, the band's rhythm section -- drummer Dirk Assmuth and bassist Frank Banx -- spearheaded an improbable comeback in 1998, recruiting new vocalist Dirk Thurisch, guitarist Bernd Aufermann, and keyboardist Steven Banx. Sporting a similar but slightly retooled sound that drew from British power metal, the reconstituted Angel Dust toured and signed to Century Media, which released the Europe-only Border of Reality (also in 1998). Bleed, the group's first album to be released and distributed in the U.S., appeared the following year, and the group returned again in the summer of 2000 with Enlighten the Darkness. Border of Reality appeared the following spring.
~ by Steve Huey, allmusic.com
Tracks
..Into the Dark Past
..I'll Come Back
..Legions of Destruction
..Gambler
..Fighter's Return
..Atomic Roar
..Victims of Madness
..Marching For Revenge
..year - 1986
..label - Century Media
..buy - Amazon.com
..home page - http://www.angel-dust.de/
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Bleed, the U.S. debut from Germany's Angel Dust, is an interesting blend of metal subgenres that unfortunately doesn't add up to the sum of its parts. Elements of Bay Area thrash, NWOBHM, and power metal can be heard in the faster and the more melodic sections, respectively, while a sprinkling of old-school Teutonic hard rock (Accept, Scorpions) is detectable in the grainy guitar riffs. As often happens when so many colors are mixed together, the resulting shade of grey is hopelessly indistinguishable. This is the problem with Bleed's metallic sound; there's simply no pitch, no hue bold enough to define a polished recording. Vocalist Dirk Thurisch has a powerful and unique voice but, like his bandmates, the singer fails to come up with interesting melodies. When practicing a form so dependant on melodic structures to propel the music, this lack of invention is a killer. After a strong title track opens Bleed, Angel Dust fails to deliver another memorable song until the grinding gallop of the record's ninth and most original track, "Liquid Angel," which offers too little too late. From the near-thrash of its Europe-only releases to the more developed power metal of later discs, Angel Dust has outdone Bleed on many occasions.
~ ~ by Vincent Jeffries, allmusic.com
Tracks
..Bleed
..Black Rain
..Never
..Follow Me (Part.1)
..Follow Me (Part.2)
..Addicted to Serenity
..Surrender
..Sanity
..Liquid Angel
..year - 1999
..label - Century Media
..buy - Amazon.com
..home page - http://www.angel-dust.de/
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Originally released in Europe in 1998, this comeback effort from Germany's Angel Dust was put together almost a decade after the group disbanded in the '80s. While the band's previous work had a distinctly thrash sensibility, Border of Reality set the group on a more modern power metal course that paradoxically harkened back to the classic days of early-'80s European metal. Guitar riffs and verse sections reminiscent of Accept often give way on Border of Reality to expansive chorus melodies that fans of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden will find familiar, but not completely derivative. Song highlights include the speedy "Centuries" and "Spotlight Kid" along with more melodic offerings like "Nightmare" and the record's opening title track. The progressive "Behind the Mirror" is another standout that provides an impressive musical break. A powerful effort, Border of Reality is one of the more surprising metal offerings of the '90s.
~ ~ by Vincent Jeffries,allmusic.com
Tracks
..Border of Reality
..No More Faith
..Nightmare
..Centuries
..When I Die
..Where The Wind Blows
..Spotlight Kid
..Behind The Mirror
..Coming Home
..year - 2001
..label - Century Media
..buy - Amazon.com
..home page - http://www.angel-dust.de/
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Annihilator's brand of technical, thinking man's thrash metal garnered many fans with this fine debut, arguably the best release of the band's career. A brief acoustic guitar piece called "Crystal Ann" introduces the excellent title track: a psychological murder thriller supposedly based on a disturbed young girl's true story. Leader Jeff Waters takes himself a little too seriously at times (see the Edgar Allan Poe-influenced "Ligeia" and his ridiculously erudite commentary on each song's lyrics), but he is equally prone to refreshing flashes of humor on "Word Salad" and "Schizos Are Never Alone." The spectacularly named Randy Rampage proves himself to be a versatile vocalist on "Wicked Mystic" and "Burns Like a Buzzsaw Blade" (seriously). The careening closer "Human Insecticide" is magnificent for its sheer speed.
-- by Ed Rivadavia, allmusic.com
Tracks
..Crystal Ann
..Alison Hell
..W.T.Y.D.
..Wicked Mystic
..Burns Like A Buzzsaw Blade
..Word Salad
..Schizos (Are Never Alone) Parts I & II
..Ligeia
..Human Insecticide
..year - 1989
..label - Roadrunner
..buy - Amazon.com
..home page - http://www.annihilatormetal.com/
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In the 1980s and early '90s, there was often a very fine line between "hard rock" and "heavy metal." But with Annihilator, there was never a question -- this was most definitely a metal band to the core. Comparable to Metallica and Judas Priest at their heaviest, Never Neverland is a blistering gem that takes no prisoners either musically or lyrically. In fact, Annihilator's lyrics could be quite substantial, and the headbangers offer hard-hitting commentary on subjects on subjects ranging from drunken driving ("Road to Ruin") to religious fanaticism ("I Am in Command") to environmental destruction ("Stonewall"). More accessible than death/grindcore bands like Deicide, Cannibal Corpse and Hellwitch but certainly much heavier than the many pop/metal units flooding the market in the late '80s and early '90s, Never Neverland was one of 1990's strongest metal releases.
-- by Alex Henderson, allmusic.com
Tracks
..The Fun Palace
..Road to Ruin
..Sixes and Sevens
..Stonewall
..Never, Neverland
..Imperiled Eyes
..Kraf Dinner
..Phantasmagoria
..Reduced to Ash
..I Am In Command
..year - 1990
..label - Roadrunner
..buy - Amazon.com
..home page - http://www.annihilatormetal.com/
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L.A.-based Evildead was the thrash metal band founded by former Agent Steel guitarist Juan Garcia, following that group's apparent breakup in 1987. Alongside vocalist Phil Flores, guitarist Albert Gonzalez, bassist Mel Sanchez (previously his bandmate with Abattoir), and drummer Rob Alaniz, he signed with Germany's Steamhammer label, and by the close of 1989 they had released both an EP (entitled Rise Above) and a full album (optimistically named Annihilation of Civilization) of particularly brutal thrash metal.
Not too many consumers took notice, however, so after taking stock of their prospects, Flores and Garcia retooled Evildead's lineup with new members Dan Flores (guitar), Karlos Medina (bass, and another Agent Steel alum), and drummer Doug Clawson prior to recording 1991's The Underworld. Unfortunately, it too failed to impress the marketplace -- despite flirting with the day's more current death metal style -- and, after delivering a final live album with the following year's From the Depths of the Underworld, Evildead quietly shut down shop.
-- by Eduardo Rivadavia, allmusic.com
Tracks
..Intro (Comshell 5)
..Global Warning
..Branded
..Welcome to Kwait
..Critic Cynic
..The Hood
..The Underworld
..He's a Woman She's a Man
..Process Elimination
..Labyrinth of the Mind
..Reap What You Sow
..year - 1991
..label - Steamhammer (UK) SPV
..buy - Amazon.com
..home page - www.myspace.com/evildead6
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Genius. Pure genius. Way before Rage Against the Machine, before Run-D.M.C.'s collaboration with Aerosmith, and before their infamous collaboration with Public Enemy, Anthrax take the credit -- or blame -- for being the pioneers of merging rap and metal. Released in 1987, their now-classic I'm the Man is a funny tribute/parody/attempt at hip-hop that is not only pulled off successfully, but it's also the first release that showcases Anthrax's sense of humor -- the latter of which was also a first for the genre of speed metal. There are also three live tracks -- one of which is the title track -- as well as a "moshable" version of Black Sabbath's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" -- all of which are great but will probably be overlooked. Has it been mentioned that this EP is genius?
