Voices from the Darkside
METAL DEADNESS – Second Hell / Skull Crusher
Diabolical Constellation Productions
37:56min
Diabolical Constellation Productions have unearthed one of the best split albums ever released. This was originally released by Killer Elite Records way back in '86 but now repressed by this newly formed label in noble digipack form. METAL DEADNESS is the testament of two very young pioneering bands that stormed our ears during mid 80'ies with their very aggressive & unrelenting brand of thrash that even reaches the death boundaries ocassionally. The Split kicks off with SECOND HELL virtually spitting fire from their instruments song after song and will surely punish your head to an unspeakable level. "Prophets Of Hell" is a blast, "Homicide" and "Face The Truth" are also capable to show us the how intense this band actually was. Next in line are SKULL CRUSHER which eventhough somewhat slower still provides the listener with a dose of maniacal metal coming directly from the pits of hell.
Netherlands has always been one of the most productive scenes of europe & METAL DEADNESS is a living proof of that. Attention people
into early ONSLAUGHT, early POSSESSED, MINOTAUR,old KREATOR & old
SODOM...This is for you...Get this gem at:
http://diabolical-constellation.com
Diabolical Conquest Zine (Score: 9.5)
It,s about goddamn TIME that somebody put this prized relic on CD. I first caught wind of this curio through The Corroseum, before the testimony of my friend Anu corroborated its awesomeness, said friend attesting that the split remains an essential artifact for all devotees of obscure death/thrash. After months of anticipation Diabolical Constellation has deemed the reissue fit for public consumption, packaging the reissue in a lavish digipak with accompanying liner notes (Stefan Gebedi,s contribution being a rather flimsy and contentious one,ah well). Much TLC has been invested into this project, and much kudos must be accorded to Roy (a death metal curator nonpareil) for resurrecting this nugget of history.
Countless spins later, I’m still having considerable difficulty in determining just which band I prefer more on this split- aesthetically the two bands are easily distinguishable and assertively individual, yet there is a stylistic commonality that unites them (the impossibly dark, obscure angle that both bands plough) and provides a seamless transition between both sides. Word has it that the immortal Thanatos and the Dutch Angel Dust (whom I have not heard) were also slated to be on this affair, and one can only imagine how their inclusion would have impacted these proceedings, but such fancies are, after all, irrelevant to this discussion. Like early Thanatos and Mysto Dysto, both Second Hell and Skullcrusher flaunt a post-Venom blackened trad metal edge to their frenzied, impetuous carnage, very much reminding me of kindred spirits like Heller, Vulcano, first album Running Wild, Kat, Sentence Of Death Destruction and the like.
Second Hell, in particular, exemplify that tumbling, charmingly rash (fire)brand of post-Welcome To Hell schizophrenia, the sort of cantankerous cacophony that could only be produced by a quintet of snot-nosed, brazen brats strung out on a dubious cocktail of “Die Hard” and youthful recklessness. Surely Side A will have its share of blue-blooded detractors, the type that laments garage-quality production values and “amateurish” execution, but seeing as how this hoity-toity faction of the heavy metal community misses the plot far more often than not, allow me to take the (much relished) opportunity to show them the door- if you don’t count yourself a fan of Obsessed By Cruelty, Sentence Of Death, Heller, Bloody Vengeance, War & Pain, The Day Of Wrath and the like, I’d suggest that you save yourself the embarrassment and sit this one out. This is not, of course, to suggest that Second Hell share that much in common with such esteemed company, all of whom are considerably more barbaric than Second Hell’s seamless synthesis of post-Venom caveman bludgeon and clumsiness with a literate, trad/speed edge that reflects a considerable debt to Iron Maiden. “Trench Devils” and “Homicide”, in particular, come off like early Poison after a Powerslave binge, TOTALLY bizarre and mindwarping stuff that walks the tightrope between hectic, riff-driven mania and totally-fucking-falling-apart-at-the-seams dementia. There is a sense of intricacy, subtlety and thoughtfulness throughout this side that the band juxtaposes with the casket-pounding, deceptively ungainly death/thrash that dominates Second Hell’s fare (witness, for example, the melodic break that composes “Face The Truth”’s hook section and intersects the breakneck sprint and somewhat haphazard riffing of the verse sections, as well as the thoroughly Maiden-ized twin guitar passage that closes the song, waltzing precariously atop pummeling, awkward double bass). The malevolent “Assignment To Kill” closes Side A, all flesh-flaying, bloodstained walls of guitar, Snake-esque howling and unapologetic, non-stop, chaotic percussion. Sheer madness, I tell you!
On to Side B, then, where Skull Crusher offers a more consistently coherent proposition that leans towards Future Tense, Gates To Purgatory Running Wild, Ripper and mid-period Death SS- top-tier horror-speed mayhem with, again, a healthy helping of Venom bulldozer brusqueness. “Hallelujah” is a veritable MASTERPIECE, ripped-to-the-tits Minotaur/Destruction/Assassin flavored high-octane Teutonic speed delivered with an EP-era Mercyful Fate brashness/attention-deficiency. “No Boundary For Hell” is psychotic singalong savagery, an unholy union of White Hell and Future Tense accented by a caterwauling, lengthy lead break, while “Massacre” is just totally WRECKED, inebriated, HELLISH and oppressive speed metal, pregnant with iniquitous Steve Sylvester-esque sermons and unabashedly gung-ho, awkward-yet-brilliant riff changes.
Yes, this is the sort of thing I LIVE for- strange, original and mysterious ‘80s metal that encapsulates and amplifies all the abandon and attitude of ‘80s underground metal. Collectors of esoteric obscurities and connoisseurs of impious, impudent and audacious sounds take note, your holy grail has now been made a hell of a lot easier to find, but you had better act quick, as this is STRICTLY limited to 500 copies and at press time, most of these have already found their way into the hands of hungry metalheads. Must-buy.
Nin Chan
