Here's
one of those vinyls I feared I would NEVER find, and for good reasons,
since this is one of the rarest and most sought-after Jpn-metal EPs. There's
a good reason for that too: On this debut offering they totally DESTROY!
No doubt was this one of the hardest and fastest Japanese metal releases
of it's time, 1 or 2 years before thrash metal broke for real in the land
of the rising sun (yeah I know SABBAT and
WHITE
HELL whipped them silly, but these guys could actually
play!).
After the great, bombastic intro the fantastic "In Despair"
hacks away at your skull like a rabid ninja-woodpecker possessed by Beelzebub!
It's furious "Fast as a shark"-style double-bass drum
seminal
Power Metal Mania! incorporating all the elements of speed, catchiness
and attitude that I found their full-length follow up "
Whisper
Of The Evil" to be lacking. The brilliant chorus kinda reminds
me of Candlemass' "a sorcerer's pledge" - at Speed Metal-pace!
- and there's even a mosh-part in there. Takashi's vocals do tend to reach
heights I'm not always too comfortable with, but at least he stays in
tune (and it's nowhere near appalling
SOLAR EAGLE-standards), so that
doesn't quite count as a complaint, seeing as how popular this style of
singing is to some. "Midnight Dream" is more of a mid-paced
affair, not as instantly catchy, but with a really nice groove to it and
the chorus grows with every listening. It's a bit like the material on
the LP I guess, only slightly better.
No serious collector or (rich!) metal-fan should pass up any unlikely
opportunity to get their hands on this gem. If this review isn't proof
enough, just have a look at the band picture and ask yourself:
"Would
I really want to miss a party with these guys?" Of course not. In
the event that you should actually get to add a copy of this oddly shaped
8"-bastard to your collection, another troublesome question might emerge:
"Now where the hell do I put it?!"