But just as the album here is a product of its time, so too is the music. This is the kind of thrash metal that Exodus and Anthrax among others began to popularize toward the late 1980's. With less of a focus on biting riffs and shredding leads and more of a focus on rhythm and staccato barking. It is a style that by and large has not aged well. It is telling that very few neo-thrash metal bands recently have gone back to this style.
Despite the out-dated style, this is a perfectly fine album in a vacuum and it was probably awesome when it came out. There are some decent tracks here, such as "Speed Freak" and "Rot Gut". The best song is "Pain Killer" (not at all affiliated with the Judas Priest classic), which has a damn fine thrash break in the middle and a killer guitar solo. In general, the songs here are mostly short, sharp and fast without a lot of room for melodic detours. Hallows Eve gets right to the point and once done, moves on.
The band does make a bit of a mistake with "Sheer Heart Attack", which is a cover of a Queen classic. Not many bands can pull off a Queen cover competently, and unfortunately Hallows Eve is no exception. The song sounds very much out of a place here and breaks up the early flow of the album. The biggest issue with it being that the vocals are delivered in sort of a British punk sneer and it just comes off kind of laughable.
I am a huge thrash metal fan, as longtime readers know well and I love exploring the genre's history and obscure bands. Hallows Eve is by no means essential thrash metal, but that does not mean that it is not a fun listen. It has not aged well, but it is not at all bad. I need to remember to break out the denim vest, high-tops and a can of PBR next time I put it on.
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