Overkill: Scorched (Review)

 

New stuff evokes what is known 

and improves it whit what has been learned 

Scorched. 2023. Nuclear Blast

After 4 years since their last album and more than 4 decades of career, these Jersey devils are back and in the best way. It can be said that time does not pass by its members, but that would also throw away everything they have learned and know how to perform on their 20th album, Scorched.

Listening to the album is a journey, full of references and glimpses to previous moments of the band and tributes to legends like Black Sabbath (Fever) or Ronnie James Dio (Won't Be Coming Back). It is an album easy to enjoy thanks to the variety it offers. We can't say it has little bits for everyone… It has a lot!

The title track opens us with a melodic riff, almost a solo, very Heavy Metal and something that we hadn't heard before in any other work by the band which later leads to this formula of groovy thrash that we've been delivered to since The Grinding Wheel and that is refined in many aspects. It's an excellent opener that manages to give a glimpse that, within all the new stuff awaiting for us, that core still burns with green and red flames.

The Surgeon is another sample of a curious mix between thrash and Rock & Roll vibes that won't take away your impulse to shake your skulls. Wicked Place is a march, just like that. A mid-paced swing takes you rocking back to a decadent chorus and a bridge that becomes a bone crusher. Insane malice and perhaps even a little solemness with its ending. These were the three songs chosen to promote their work, and although they are remarkable, fortunately they are far from being the best this record has to offer.

The Surgeon Official Video

Twist of the Wick is without a doubt the first gem that shines above everything we've ever heard and it's the first track you're dying to hear again. It's got everything thrash demands as a tribute to be crowned an instant classic: an ominous intro, speed at its core, and that unique touch in the middle that makes you know who you're dealing with, it couldn't be anyone but. Overkill.

And, well, if the first gem was a display of speed and pure pounding, Fever is anything but the opposite. The speed is further decreased to drag you into a swamp full of sorcery and mystery, in which you can suffer from the mud on your feet that prevents you from moving freely. A door to hell has opened and it is located in the bayou where this song transports you in the purest Black Sabbath style. And as it couldn't be otherwise, Harder they Fall brings back to the equation this devilish speed as if you were in an almost derrailed roller coaster's car which tracks only go downhill underground. The most memorable chorus on the entire album and another track that goes straight to the pedestal of "must hear it live!". 

Know Her Name deserves its own niche within the crowded altar that is the band's discography. Without exaggeration, it is a song in which all the elements of the group merge but manage to be protagonists on their own.

Bag O' Bones leans much more towards that Hard Rock side that will delight those who enjoyed I Hear Black or Immortalis. Directly, it invites you to shake that skeleton, even if you are “far from home, you will never be alone”. As a closing, it is a surprise, but you cannot blame them for deciding put it last.

Special mention to the intro of Won't Be Coming Back, which is clearly a tribute to Ronnie James Dio's Holy Driver and which will delight NWOBHM lovers. That verse riff will bring back that nostalgia for a time that many of us haven't lived though, but one you can hear especially on Feel the Fire. And since we only have to talk about Goin ’Home, we can just say that it's the student who makes his homework and arrives to class on time; his main riff is full of evil and Brittner's drums shine here in a unique way. It's curious to classify these songs as the low moments of the trip, mainly because they will be liked by many and that only speaks excepcionaly high of the album as a whole.

The production is glorious, Colin Richardson (who returns to collaborate with the band since  Killbox 13, one of their best sound on a record) and Chris Clancy are responsibles for the mix, teaching how to bring that electrifying guitar tone from Wings of War in comunion with a massive (but not invasive) bass and a warmer drums that finally allow us to appreciate all what Jason Brittner is capable of in his second studio work with the band. Dave Linsk already has a repertoire of excellent solos and on this album he not only keeps his stamp of creativity and expressiveness, but even manages to surpass himself on several occasions.

Interestingly, there's an odd moment within The Surgeon during their first pre-chorus, where the mix goes a bit crazy (Might be some compression and EQ misstweaks to avoid double-kick overwhelming, perhaps?); something very unusual to hear in a production that manages to be as well cared for as this one and that, incredibly, is presented again at the beginning of the second section of Fever. It does not diminish anything and it is still an anecdotal fact, but it is clearly perceptible.

In conclusion, Scorched is a solid album, firmly based in roots that go further back than the band itself and that extend to the last second of the 51-minute recording, which feel "few" in comparison to what you experience. It is not a perfect album and although it is difficult to rank it in a specific position or to say that it exceeds everything done in more than 40 years of experience, it does manage to consolidate everything learned throughout a long and prolific career and that, without a doubt, surpasses Ironbound and The Electric Age as the most outstanding the band has achieved since The Years Of Decay or Horrorscope.

But, please, don't let this be a recommendation... it is an invitation!

Overkill: Scorched (reseña)

Lo nuevo evoca lo ya conocido y lo mejora con lo ahora aprendido

Scorched. 2023. Nuclear Blast

Después de 4 años desde su último álbum y con más de 4 décadas de carrera, estos diablos de Jersey están de vuelta y de la mejor manera. Puede decirse que el tiempo no pasa por sus integrantes, pero eso también echaría en saco roto toda lo que han aprendido y saber ejecutar en su vigésimo álbum, Scorched.

Escuchar el álbum es un viaje, lleno de referencias y guiños a momentos anteriores de la agrupación y de homenajes a leyendas como Black Sabbath (Fever) o Ronnie James Dio (Won’t Be Coming Back). Es un disco que es fácil de disfrutar gracias a la variedad que ofrece. No podemos decir que tiene un poco para todos… ¡Tiene mucho!

El titular nos abre con riff melódico, es casi un solo, muy Heavy Metal y algo que no habíamos escuchado anteriormente en ningún otro trabajo de la banda y que luego nos da lugar a esta fórmula de thrash con tintes groovy a la que nos han tenido acostumbrados desde The Grinding Wheel y que se muestra refinada en muchos aspectos. Es un excelente abridor, que logra dar un vistazo de que, dentro de lo nuevo, ese núcleo sigue ardiendo con llamas verdes y rojas.

The Surgeon es otra muestra de esa curiosa mezcla entre el thrash y unas vibras de Rock & Roll que no te quitarán el impulso por sacudir el cráneos. Wicked Place es una marcha, así, sin más. Un swing cadencioso te lleva nuevamente a mecerte a un decadente coro y a un puente que se convierte en una trituradora de huesos. Malicia demencial y, quizás, hasta un poco solemne con su final. Estos fueron los tres temas elegidos por la banda para promocionar su trabajo, y si bien, son temas decentes, afortunadamente están lejos de ser lo mejor que este disco tiene que ofrecer.

Video oficial de The Surgeon

Twist of the Wick es, sin duda, la primera gema que resplandece por encima todo lo que hemos escuchado y es el primer tema que mueres de ganas por volver a escuchar. Tiene todo lo que el thrash exige como tributo para coronarse como un clásico instantáneo: un intro ominoso, velocidad en su núcleo y ese toque único a la mitad que te hace quitarte de dudas de con quién estás tratando, no podría tratarse de nadie más que Overkill.

Si bien la primera joya era una muestra de velocidad y vapuleo, Fever es todo lo contrario. La velocidad se disminuye aún más para arrastrarte a un pantano lleno de hechicería y misterio, en el que puedes sufrir el fango en tus pies que te impide avanzar con libertad. Una puerta al infierno se abrió y se encuentra en el bayou al que te transporta esta canción al más puro estilo de Black Sabbath. Y como no podría ser de otra manera, Harder they Fall trae de vuelta a la ecuación la velocidad endiablada como si estuvieras en un carrito de montaña rusa cuyos rieles sólo van cuesta abajo. El coro más memorable de todo el álbum y otro tema que va directo al pedestal del “debes oírla en vivo”.

Know Her Name merece su propio nicho dentro del altar tan apretujado que es la discografía de la banda, sin exagerar, es un tema en el que todos los elementos del grupo logran ser protagonistas.

Bag O’ Bones se inclina mucho más hacia ese lado Hard Rock que hará las delicias de quienes disfrutaron de I Hear Black o Immortalis. Directamente, te invita a sacudir ese esqueleto, incluso si estás “lejos del hogar, nunca estarás solo”. Como cierre, es una sorpresa, pero tampoco se les puede reprochar decidir colocarla al final.  

Mención especial al intro de Won’t Be Coming Back, que es a todas luces un homenaje a Holy Driver de Ronnie James Dio y que hará las delicias de los amantes de NWOBHM. Ese riff del verso traerá de vuelta esa nostalgia por una época que muchos no hemos vivido, pero que puedes escuchar sobre todo en Feel the Fire. Y como sólo nos queda hablar de Goin’ Home, sólo podemos decir que es el alumno que cumple con la tarea y llega puntual a clases; su riff principal está lleno de maldad y la batería de Brittner brilla de una forma especial. Es curioso puntuar estos temas como los momentos bajos del viaje, porque serán del agrado de muchos y eso no hace más que hablar muy bien del álbum como un todo.

La producción es gloriosa, Colin Richardson (quien vuelve a colaborar con la banda después de Killbox 13, uno de sus mejores productos en cuanto a sonido) y Chris Clancy son los responsables de la mezcla y ésta enseña cómo llevar ese tono electrizante de guitarra que se escuchó en Wings of War a una comunión con un bajo masivo, pero no invasor) y una batería más cálida y que por fin nos deja apreciar mejor todo de lo que es capaz Jason Brittner en su segundo trabajo de estudio con el grupo. Dave Linsk ya cuenta de por sí con un repertorio de solos excelentes en la banda y en este disco no sólo mantiene su sello de creatividad y expresividad, sino que logra hasta superarse en varias ocasiones.

Curiosamente, existe un momento extraño dentro de The Surgeon durante su primer pre-coro, en el que la mezcla se vuelve un poco loca, quizás algún truco de compresión y ecualización para evitar la saturación del doble bombo; algo muy inusual de escuchar en una producción que logra ser tan bien cuidada como esta y que, increíblemente, vuelve a presentarse al inicio de la segunda sección de Fever. No echa a perder nada y no deja de ser un dato anecdótico, pero sí es perceptible.

En conclusión, Scorched es un disco sólido, cimentado fuertemente en raíces que van más atrás de la propia banda y que se extienden hasta el último segundo de los 51 minutos de grabación, los cuales son “pocos” en comparación a lo que experimentas al escucharlo. No es un álbum perfecto y aunque es difícil asignarle un puesto específico dentro del ranking o decir que supera todo lo hecho en más de 40 años de trayectoria, sí logra consolidar todo lo aprendido a lo largo de una larga y prolífica carrera y que, sin lugar a dudas, supera a Ironbound y The Electric Age como lo más sobresaliente que la banda ha logrado desde The Years Of Decay o Horrorscope.

Pero que esto no sirva como una recomendación... ¡es una invitación!

Axis - Unholy Resurrection (Review)

 

2022 Unholy Resurrection.

This is the first LP of the Mexican band Axis, who are not newbies, since they have been around for a few years and they show it with this cornerstone called Unholy Resurrection. A thrash with overtones of various other corners of metal such as black and groove (only at specific moments) but that does not detach itself from their main vein and offers us the perfect excuse to destroy yourself in the moshpit.

The mix is highly processed but, fortunately, enough to not (barely) feel like a compressed block of concrete, mostly like a solid cliff, a stone wall with cracks that give it that authentic overall tone. The drumming is captivatingly accurate, tight and has massive sound. The guitars and the bass tones is malevolent, menacing and fierce, but at the same time, it shows that it was a very cared feature of the whole result. The voice is an explosion of anger and evil that resonates throughout the songs as if it came from those cursed and prophane stone walls of the cliff. The riffs always hit the mark on their own, they're arranged as each song needs them, managing to create a perfect picture of atrocity, malice and despair. If there was one way to describe it, it would be with a journey through devilish and insane settings.

The experience when listening to the complete album is like entering a remote place in the mountains, a place where you already know that the bloodiest and most ruthless rituals take place, that sharp rocks, treacherous trails and desolate landscapes await you; but still you keep going because the promise of what you will find in the end. The album never disappoints, it really has no weak points and as you discover each passage, each more sinister than the previous one, you arrive at a macabre but captivating place before it closes with a flourish in which the ground cracks to open the doors of the same hell to which you are heading in free fall.

While the title track is certainly the core that encompasses the whole concept of what the band offers in this production, which together with "Cruciatibus Aeternam" and "Axis" form a truly unholy trinity on which the rest of the material is built, which expands like roots of a rotten tree in different twisted directions.

An instant favorite is “Domination Routine”, whose sections are seared into your flesh, with one of the most mesmerizing guitar solos of the album, followed by a surprise bass solo that delights the moshpit, just like “Altered Beast”, which is an evil and wild blast that becomes an epic piece on its own, is that theme that you are dying to experience live.

"Hate Game/The Punishment" grabs you by the skull and shakes it at its will, demonstrating that it really doesn't take too much to hypnotize a crowd eager to tear itself apart once the track really kicks in and turns into a merciless collection of riffs that lets you a glimpse of those sharpened edges of a sinister pentagram hidden in the darkness.

Back to the title track, is another example of that core of pure and hard battering that transforms into a maelstrom that plunges you into tides of chaos that paints a picture of sharp stones unwelcoming shores and a dark and hopeless sky. You feel like you're falling down in the same way that "Contradiction" pulls you into the depths, but even deeper than those tides, to an abyss below the ground, full of fire and endless desolation.

The album as a whole is pure evil written in stone and fire, brilliant from start to finish. As said before, it is difficult to find something to criticize, there are no filler, there is no rest but it does not become a repetitive or tiresome experience at all. Axis manages to carve out an identity with a very violent yet polished old school thrash style. A formula that doesn't need to be innovative to quench that bloodlust of yours, but who really needs complexity or intricate twists when you have a performance that sounds this perfect? Certainly not these guys.

The album is available directly through the band social media sites. Go and support them on:

Facebook

Instagram

Listen to Unholy Resurrection on 

Youtube

Spotify

Review: Six Beer - Lengua de Serpiente (1989)

 

Origianal cover for 1989 EP, EMI Capitol de México. 
Reedited as limited edition CD by American Line Productions.

 When the music turned "metálica"

We bring another debut from one of the pioneering bands of the genre in Mexico: Six Beer from Querétaro City. In this case, a quintet of brothers, Gerardo (vocals), Ricardo (guitar and backing vocals), Rogelio (bass) and Fernando (drums) Mendoza Rangel, along with guitarist Antonio Martínez Guerrero; they managed to stand out with a powerful proposal and with a quite defined style of what we could hear from other bands of the time. The version we reviewed here is the one Discos y Cintas Denver published, which includes 3 bonus songs: El Wine, Celda Negra and Muerte y Destrucción.|

We find a material which production, by the standards we are used to hear from the first albums in Avanzada Metálica, sounds quite clean and powerful, as expected considering that this EP was produced by Luzbel's Greñas. The tone of the guitars is less distorted than you might expect, although it suits the restrained and careful style that the album has in general. But something different happens with the guitar solos, which are mostly short, but charged with energy and which help to create a threatening and epic atmosphere at times with those arrangements with dive-bombs from time to time. Of the riffs themselves, they are simple but creative, powerful and if they are not malicious (just listen to the title track), they manage to make you headbang in camaraderie with them. And they are accompanied by a drums that make them sound like a locomotive which they don't stop adding coal to from the beginning to the end thanks to Fernando's work. It is necessary to mention that it is in the first song in which the mix manages to do justice to the drum work, since it is buried a bit in the rest of the album. It's also a shame that the bass lines can't be fully appreciated in the recording beyond the punch in the mix.

The style of the album as a whole fits more into the label of Heavy Metal with overtones of thrash than a purely thrash material. It begins by punching violent and full of brute force, however, this feeling is not kept throughout the recording. Let's take a look at the song 'Metálica' as well as the bonus 'El Wine', both with less serious lyrics and made to enjoy with the audience, with a strong orientation towards a Glam that makes you think of Pantera's first albums (before Phil Anselmo) than in the decadent and furious style heard at the beginning of the album. And they are not bad songs at all, instead, their chorus invite you to join in and the solos, although brief, are catchy. They're a decent addition to the record for those who like to vary their listening a bit, but for the diehard fan and purist, these are two tracks that could be skipped without a hitch. But outside of these two funny episodes, we return to a train of aggressiveness and apocalyptic fantasy that undoubtedly capture our attention more.

The themes that stand out are ‘Terror Nocturno’, ‘Maldita Profecía’, ‘Lengua de Serpiente’ and ‘Muerte y Destrucción’; all of them worthy examples of thrash and capable of turning on the fires of an audience at a concert and raising your fist to the sound of the band. As said, sometimes a touch of heavy metal or hard rock appears here and there, especially in choruses or interludes. A case of this can be seen in the ambitious and epic ‘El Fin está cerca’, which features several rhythm changes, with a collection of great and devastating riffs that change as it goes on, sets up and down the speed. It would be a perfect song if it wasn't for the abrupt way when those clean guitars appear, which do not match the level of the rest of the production and are the least refined at an instrumental level throughout the album.

Also, let's be honest, something in which the album does not stand out are in its lyrics, which orbit around terror and a catastrophic end of the world, but are not consistent in terms of ryhtm. You can let the rhymes pass in a song, but when you hear that Gerardo has to speed up his pronunciation so that the line of the verse fits with the rhythm of the song, you can realize that they could have worked a little more to make it work better. The tone of his voice fits most of the time with the music, with a harshness that makes you take it seriously, as well as cleaner tones when the situation needs it; however, there are times when it feels like he doesn't know where to take the melody. Unfortunately, this happens a lot with the finishes of choruses so as in ‘Maldita Profecía’, which loses a bit of that bellows that you hope to sing with enthusiasm. However, the lowest point on the entire album is undoubtedly one of the bonus tracks: ‘Celda Negra’. It is a power (-less) ballad where the music and the content of the lyrics are not bad per se, but carries the burden of a vocal interpretation that feels made halfways, let's leave it at that, it is truly the most regrettable track of this version.

But we're not going to end with such a negative vision, the infernal madness that is achieved throughout the rest of the album outweighs its defects. It is undeniable that it is a good starting material to get to know the band and, as we have seen before, you cannot always expect a masterpiece from a debut. Just lie to us and tell us you didn't shake that brain to the beat of the band on any of the songs, you liar. This snake's split sharpened tounge is imbued with metal venom and is an album which we are glad to revisit anytime.

This versión is included in the compilation Lengua de Serpiente/Vida Futura and you can purchase it from Discos y Cintas Denver

Lengua de Serpiente/Vida Futura. Discos y Cintas Denver

Personnel

Gerardo Mendoza Rangel    - vocals
Ricardo Mendoza Rangel     - guitars and chorus
Antonio Martínez Guerrero   - guitars
Rogelio Mendoza Rangel     - bass
Fernando Mendoza Rangel  - drums

Review: Inquisidor - Inquisidor... Ser Sin Piedad (1988)

 

Inquisidor.... Ser sin Piedad. 1988. Avanzada Metálica

The massacre has been unleashed

The first album of the Mexican band Inquisidor sounds like a very long demo of an aggressive, insane band with a lot of potential. Demo? Yes, that's how it sounds like. The quality of the mix is so poor that it's difficult to correctly identify Felipe Chacón's drums, the microphones capture the reverberation of the room more than the instrument itself. Likewise, Baudelio Ayala's guitar has so much distortion that many times you have to imagine the notes he is playing in the low notes, something that will delight a fan of the raw sound of hardcore punk and that will drive away those who don't like them anything but well-made productions. We can't talk about the bass either because he is more buried than the drums most of the time.

If this doesn't bury the album as a waste, it's precisely thanks to what it lays underneath all that noise. A first or second listen won't be enough to decipher all what happens between that tides of fuzz, reverb and distortion, but eventually the magic appears. Again, it's not a task for everyone and it is perfectly understandable if you decide not to continue listening after the first 60 seconds; however, for those who are used to listening to productions this precarious, they know that sometimes you find gold among demos that sound much worse.

Precisely, as wer're talking about content that takes time (and effort) to discover (and describe), you can highlight the difficulty of finding its structure. And it's because the verse + chorus + verse structure is almost never used in the tracks, it gives the feeling that you are listening to an infernal and evil rhapsody inside a torture chamber, which sometimes turns into an almost-theatrical proposal. Also, the name of the band fits like a glove, at times it seems that you are listening to a dungeon in times of the Inquisition.

What really stands out is Martín Huerta's vocal performance, which is one of the most authentic, uncompromising and totally dedicated to make the band sound like an act that you can't take lightly nor mess with. You just have to listen to it all in 'Descansa en Paz' or 'Führer' to realize that you are not listening to a group that plays just as a hobby. These songs, along with the rest of the second half of the album, show everything these guys were capable of since then.

Aside, there are the lyrics, full of rhetoric and a criticism not only towards religious institutions, but also towards society, that takes as a framework the references of religious imaginary; something much more mature than what at first glance you would think when hearing such howls and growls. They are a jewel that you will have to get to using the pamphlet as if you were using a map, because without it, you will understand little or nothing.

Certainly this is material that is not far from sounding like another demo for the band (really). But many think that the reason for records to exist is to sell tickets to concerts, without a doubt, it is something that this album achieved. It gives you some kind of expectation of what a live Inquisidor performance will be like and precisely, without recreating ourselves in the terrible production, you can guarantee that the band sounds much better in front of the crowd. It's hard to believe that an act like this has not only managed to record this material, that it has been commercialized and that the band was still active for many years afterwards; but also they continued to release more productions, luckily, better than this eventful debut.

Is this for you? We have already broken down the main reason why it might not be, but if you like the fierceness with which Paul Baloff delivered himself with each performance in Bonded by Blood, or if you like to revisit the obscurities of Morbid Visions de Sepultura or In The Sign of Evil from Sodom; we would recommend that you take a look at the Inquisitor, because underneath all that noise, there are jewels that have lasted to this day. Now, if you wish, you can also listen to some of the songs re-recorded with a better production although with the voice of Baudelio Ayala (who would take the reins of the voice since 1991) in their Antología 1.3 of 2014.

 

Personnel

Martín Huerta                  - voz

Baudelio Ayala                - guitarra

Felipe J. Chacón             - batería

Ever Cázares                  - bajo

    

    Listen to it on YouTube

Review: Transmetal - Muerto en la Cruz (1988)

 

Muerto en la Cruz. 1988. Avanzada Metálica

Rise up the volume... Now!

A brutal album, straight to the brain and full of that aggressiveness that makes you want to wreackeverything, which begins with an opener that immediately dictates the sound that not only the rest of the recording will have, but the band itself. What is this sound called? Transmetal!

At times, the aggressiveness rises and falls in intensity, showing short and fast guitar solos by Juan Partida that, although not memorable, are full of fury and fit perfectly with the impassive riffs. A devastating drumming in songs like 'Castigo del Creador', which could well sound like a lost song by the Germans Kreator dubbed into Spanish, as well as 'La Horca' and the title track, which undoubtedly show the energy and endurance of a young Javier, who does not hesitate to deliver all what he got.

There are times when the influences of sounds like Black Sabbath's can be noticed in the instrumental 'Milicia Infernal', which makes you think you're listening to Tony Iommi with a broken amp, navigating through a tide of riffs; Another example is Lorenzo's bass base, which is barely seen in the rest of the album, for the song 'Killers', very much alike to Iron Maiden and which would be precisely the two most contained works for this album. 

In the same way, since this is a work by a new band, there are areas to be polished, such as in the songs 'Enviado del Infierno' and 'El Enterrador', which despite having the "adequate" musical elements, fail to take off and shine. It should be noted that the lyrics are quite decent in terms of what you would expect; however, at times Pimentel's performance fails to do them justice.

Songs like 'Rostro Maligno', 'La Horca' and 'Muerto en La Cruz' stand out from the recording for their speed, aggressiveness and agony that are translated into a live experience that seeks to shake heads and raise fists with imaginary axes (torches, maces or any other weapon of your choice). No surprise to anyone that they would become classics for performances, as they represent the quintessence of the band's work both on this album and those to come.

For speed lovers, in case the rest of the album had not yet fill your quota of savagery and overwhelming brutality, without a doubt 'Desciende a la Oscurida', 'Los Criminales Morirán' and 'Tiburón de Metal' are those that do not show no mercy from beginning to end, so much so that you can sometimes even notice Pimentel's lack of air to keep up with the song.

Finally, we have to close with 'The Gift of Satan', although in the list of songs it appears with the initials 'R.D.S.' (Regalo de Satán), perhaps to avoid censorship. Another collection of insane and malicious riffs that incite you to smash everything and join aloud the "R.D.S." in choruses. An abrupt end, for an equally abrupt album, whose silence makes you try to assimilate your experience when listening to it, which would be akin to a group of thugs breaking into a house, destroying everything inside and leaving with the same speed with which they entered. That, if we think about it, is a great feeling for a debut album.

Overall, it's a great job, despite the rudimentary production and somewhat exaggerated reverb, but its core would overcome time, with various versions, both on reissues of this album and on other recordings and re-recordings. Without a doubt, it would become a vanguard for the thrash scene, coming out months before the first NEXT album (already reviewed here), not to mention that over time, the fusion with the death metal sound would become more and more present in the other works of the band and a great influence for upcoming bands inside and outside of Mexico and Latin America.

Personal:

Alberto Pimentel             - vocals and rythm guitar

Lorenzo Partida Bravo     - bass

Juan Partida Bravo             - lead guitar 

Javier Partida Bravo     - drums

    Listen to it on YouTube

Listen to it on Spotify

Review: NEXT - Invasión Nuclear (1988) - English Review

Invasión Nuclear. 1988. Avanzada Metálica

 An amateur blow in the table. 

Even without being the best example of what a thrash record is capable of be, what a brother trio showed capable of doing back then, in 80's Mexico, is quite impresive. A collection of undeniably simple yet powerful riffs, a moderately well ballanced (of course, semi-profesional) production were a testimony of the energy and devotion of the guys towards his goal: stand out and be heard. 

Crispy guitars, an amazing and hypnotizing tone that keeps your atention all record long, they're speedy as anger as sharp as a chainsaw. Is that a compliment? Yes. Are there faster and razor-sharpened things out there? Sure. But these guitars, all played by Sergio but recorded as a twin guitarrist asault, sound battering enough to give your ears a pleasant surprise and your head, a reason to swing. Well recorded drums by Erick and bass by Carlos that are capable of being heard that have their own sparkles here and there. 

Vocals (also by Carlos) and lyrics are the less polished elements of all the album, so as some uninspired solos, but, hey! You can't expect everything from every debut you listen to. Guess one can appreciate this album when considering the context of what musical scene was back then in Mexico and the lack of bands that sounded like that until then. It became a sign of what was about to come both not only from them but the other (not) next bands were going to deliver.

If we were all back then in 1989, I would say any thrash fan should check this out! Is this real mexican spanish-sung thrash? First thing mexican metalheads would answer in those days could had been: "thrash? This is 'rock pesado'". Even nowadays, there are a lot of grown men who still thinking that way. Anyway, this was unparallaled back in the day. 

Sure, there were Transmetal and their darker death-oriented thrash 'Muerto en la Curz", but this something different. (Starting with its production that doens't sound like a live recording at a pub), this Invasion was less brutal, yeah, but as remarkable as you might had expected from a early newcoming band.

Highlighting some themes, we could talk about the energy of "Debes Morir", the atmosphere of the title track and the arrangements in the 2 closing songs, "Pecado Mortal" and "Grita Rock"; all of them with choruses clearly made with the aim of being sung loudly by a crowd, and you may have the urge to join that crowd when you hear them.

In therms of sound, this record should be between the almost cheerful Kill 'em All and the dangerous Show No Mercy, so, if you like to travel to those years from time to time, I recommend you not to ignore this LP. 

Again, simple songs but well executed. Not a masterpiece, but a sparkling surprise from Mexico to the thrash metal worldwide. 

Personnel 

Carlos Alanis    -    vocals and bass

Sergio Alanis      -    guitars 

Erick Alanis        -    drums and backing vocals