VladPromotion Quick Reviews Pt. 1

I have a ton of Reader Submissions to slog my way through.  So in an effort to catch up, I am going to do some of these together in kind of a quick hits sort of way.

BETRAYER F.T.M.:  No Life Till Fury (2010)

I have no idea what "F.T.M." means.  Fuck the Mormons?  Full Throttle Mongooses (Mongeese?)?  Forging the Mississippi?  No idea.  But it does not really matter.  Betrayer F.T.M. are a thrash metal band with some punk influences shining in.  It is more of a retro sound.  Think early Exodus, Suicidal Tendencies, etc.  The vocals are a little too high in the mix and threaten to take too much focus away from the music.  Musically, this is pretty decent.  If you are a fan of early party-thrash-type stuff, this is definitely for you.  It is a fast and intense record that I found myself tapping my foot to quite a bit.  Tough to bang my head when I am at my workdesk.  I love the cover art too.

D.A.M.:  Human Wreckage (1989) and Inside Out (1991)

England actually had a decent thrash metal scene in the late 1980's/early 1990's.  It is mostly overlooked these days and Sabbat is probably the best-known band from that scene.  D.A.M. also produced a couple of albums in this time period.  D.A.M. was mostly forgotten, even on their own label due to the presence of standouts Coroner, Helloween, Voivod, Celtic Frost, and others.  So it is not shocking that few people remember them.  These two albums are another example of the oversaturation of re-releases into the metal market.  Not every single metal album really deserves to be dug up and resurrected.  These albums are okay in their own right, but they are certainly not exceptional.  These are not exactly lost gems.  They are fine, but there are a lot of other bands with a similar sound out there.

Demise Awaits: 2009 EP (2009)

Demise Awaits is a newer group without a lot of recorded material to their name yet.  This is their first EP and they also have a demo out.  The Pennsylvania band plays a 1980's-sounding hybrid of thrash and heavy, American power metal.  They have a very raw and primal sound, helped out significantly by the lower quality of the production.  What results is something similar to the early Metallica recordings prior to Kill 'Em All.  I am not going to come out and say this is the next Metallica or anything like that, but they have a decent sound.  It's not one we have not heard over and over though.  A good effort.