Written in Blood: January 1998
Archived
Bad Brains
Omega Sessions
Victory
In an effort to ensure hard core’s rise in popularity, Victory Records is releasing albums that highlight some of the genre’s history-makers and its future heavy-hitters. One of the releases spearheading the campaign is the Bad Brains’ Omega Sessions. This five song release, recorded in 1980, was the band’s first big studio effort. For those of you out there that didn’t really get into the B.B’s until later releases (like myself) such as ’89’s, Quickness or ’93’s, Rise, the Omega Sessions will give you insight into the band’s formative years. This release exemplifies the Bad Brain’s diverse style, which has defied ever really being pinned down throughout their career.
Hypocrisy
The Final Chapter
Nuclear Blast
After six years the members of Sweden’s Hypocrisy have written the final chapter in the band’s career. At least that’s what they allude to with the title of their latest album The Final Chapter. Hell: right on the front cover is the statement — “…this will be my final chapter…” Stick a fork in them. They are done. As with previous albums, guitarist/vocalist/producer Peter Tägtgren used layers of guitars and keyboards to get a very full, almost orchestrated sound. Some of the songs have chunky, riff-heavy grooves, while others flow along with that international goth flavor that seems to be so popular these days. At this point in time, saying what Tägtgren will be doing in the future would be merely speculation, though I suspect he will be spending time producing other bands before starting up another project of his own.
Testament
Signs Of Chaos: The Best Of Testament
Mayhem
It’s 1987 and I’m in the eleventh grade. I sat in the back of a bus headed from Dover, DE to DC. I was on the way to visit a buddy that was living there at the time (to get drunk, of course — ah, good times). I methodically removed the cellophane from two tapes — The Legacy from Testament and Taking Over from Overkill. I didn’t know anything about this band Testament at the time but the tape cover must have passed my stringent tape cover requirements so I bought it for the trip…. Well, that’s the first time I listened to the band Testament. That’s it. End of story. What do you want from me? I write for SLUG, not some damn Better Homes & Gardens. It’s been ten years since those simpler times. Over the past ten years I’ve somehow become responsible for my own bills and that band Testament has helped to create a scene, gone through lineup changes, put out some great albums, put out a couple of duds (Souls of Black and The Ritual — stay away from them), and the members have survived to continue doing what they love to do. Testament has always been one of those bands that have bridged the gap between the extreme and serious playing ability. This is how it stacks up — Testament’s first three albums were great, their third and fourth albums sucked, their sixth album was live and their seventh (Low) and eighth (Demonic) albums show that even after ten years, a band can have a new beginning.
Napalm Death
Breed To Breathe EP
Earache
The band Napalm Death may not be the fastest band around anymore, they may not be the most extreme band in the world, but they just may be the heaviest band to grace this planet we know as earth. Seriously, if there was a way to measure the different components that make a band heavy, even considering the word “heavy” as a relative term, the scales would still tip in every aspect. It’s been interesting to see how Napalm will “up the ante” in the heavy department on each new album since the band began the refinement of their music somewhere around the ’94 release of Fear, Emptiness, Despair. Eventually, Napalm Death will put out an album so heavy that only small, burrowing animals will be able to hear — that, while not making much sense, would be HEAVY. Although I’m not usually much for EP’s, the Breed To Breathe EP features four “must haves” from what I’m guessing are from the Inside the Torn Apart sessions. This release also contains “Breed To Breathe” (from Inside the Torn Apart, a cover of the song “Greed Killing” performed by Impending Doom, winners of the Napalm Death demo cover version competition, and a video on CD-ROM for the song “Breed To Breathe,” which was banned on seven continents.
Clutch
Impetus EP
Earache
The holiday season finds Earache releasing another E.P.. This one is a re-release of the Passive Restraints EP by the band Clutch. I obviously missed the boat when it came to this band back in ’92 when this was originally released. I remember hearing something by these guys back then, but never really checked them out. This release has been out of print for the last two and a half years, so if you’re a big Clutch fan and don’t have this, then by all means go out and get it. If you’re not a real big Clutch collector, I would go get something newer from the band before I would get this. This EP is plenty good for ’92, but I’ve heard stuff like this a million times since then.
Hatebreed
Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire
Victory
Another Victory release being highlighted in the “Back To Your Roots” campaign is Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire by Hatebreed. While being formed in 1994 doesn’t make the band “roots” of hardcore, Hatebreed demonstrates all of the traits and intensity of the great hardcore bands that come before them. This band is by far one of the heaviest bands on the Victory label. Detuned guitars played with ample aggression and just enough finesse, combined with hammered, well thought-out drum beats to make this band a serious contender in the heavy music arena. If Hatebreed is representative of the future of hardcore music, then the future of hardcore music is looking bright. —Forgach
Read more Written in Blood:
Written in Blood: December 1997
Written in Blood: November 1997
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