SUICIDAL ANGELS
Profane Prayer
Nuclear Blact Records
There's not too many good things about getting old. In fact, when you get past half of a hundred years old, you can bet your ass that everything's downhill from there. In fact the only exceptional thing I can think of is that I grew up in the greatest decades for music EVER! Period. From the super 70's and beyond to the amazing 80's, I was witness to all that Hard Rock & Heavy Metal had to offer. Including the beginnings of a genre that took the power of Metal and infused it with the speed of Punk and created one of my favorite genres ever, that being Thrash Metal.
My earliest rumblings of what would become Thrash Metal started with MOTORHEAD and the double bass pounding of the late great drummer Philty. Germany's ACCEPT, Belgium's ACID, PICTURE from The Netherlands, Canada's ANVIL & EXCITER, and NWoBHM Legends like SAXON, DIAMOND HEAD and the notorious VENOM are names off the top of my head that began taking that slower heavy beat and kicking it up a notch as Chef Emeril Lagasse would say. But two bands from California in my mind truly forged the sound that changed how a little fucker like myself looked at Metal. That of course is METALLICA and SLAYER. Both bands owe their vinyl debuts to Brian Slagel's Metal Massacre compilation series, although neither song (METALLICA's "Hit The Lights" off M.M. Volume #1 (1982) or SLAYER's "Aggressive Perfector" off M.M. Volume #3 (1983) would really show their cards as to what awaited. But METALLICA's debut masterpiece Kill 'Em All which came out in July 1983, followed by SLAYER's legendary Show No Mercy which came out 5 months later in December 1983 was the absolute game changing points of dark light that borne what is Thrash Metal today.
Like any great form or genre of music, that brought forth literally thousands of bands from every corner of the earth bashing out that brutal music to an unsuspecting world. And like anything else, there's now a glut of bands, way too many to even attempt to mention. But there are some elite bands that I try to follow and buy their new music when it drops. One of those being Athens, Greece's powerhouse bangers SUICIDAL ANGELS. These guys to me have everything that the above mentioned forefathers had: great songs, excellent production, morbidly cool covers and top shelf musicianship to boot. The new opus from these cats is Profane Prayer, and it's a hard hitting collection of bonafide Thrash goodness that should knock your Aunt Connie's socks off!
Nine songs clocking in at 49 minutes, it's not all smash and grab though, as the songs are well thought out, but absolutely punishing. Album opener "When The Lions Die" has a subtle intro before busting thru the doors like a starving zombie looking for a human to gorge. To my ears, there's a few things that make a great Thrash record. Naturally you have to have a band who have serious chops to play with the speed & dexterity to bring this music to life. And to that end S.A. have that in spades with Guitarist/vocalist and songwriter Nick, lead guitarist Gus, bassist Angel, and the man behind the kit that is the engine for the SUICIDAL ANGELS, drummer Orfeas. The shittin' and gettin' continues with "Crypts Of Madness" that has a early flurry of notes that could be straight off SLAYER's Hell Awaits before letting loose with Thrash precision. Mid-song they slow it down and brings a bit of late 80's KREATOR (when they were actually good) into the mix. "Purified By Fire" has a raging Speed Metal riff ala EXUMER "Possessed By Fire" era and they pull no punches as this song fkn RIPS! A fave to be sure!! "Deathstalker" is over 8 minutes long and proves my earlier point that these lads aren't just speed for the sake of speed, but they can show you the subtle shades that helped make METALLICA the biggest Metal band in the world. The title track brings back the mosh pit with a vengeance and is a neckbreaker if there ever was one. The guitar tone is so savage on this album that I have it cranked as loud as it will go for this review. Heavy Metal Bliss! "The Return Of The Reaper" has that slow crushing riff that just kills glam rock posers dead. As it should be.☠️ "Guard Of The Insane" has a killer chorus and some double kick pounding to help you make that Metal face. If you know, you know. "Virtues Of Destruction" has some blistering Speed Metal riffing and skank drumming that I absolutely worship!!! Son of a bitch these boys can hang with ANYONE! Bet! Album closer "The Fire Paths Of Fate" is the album's longest cut at almost 10 minutes, and is epic in nature. a slow dirge with haunting female vocals, multiple tempo changes and riffs a plenty. A monumental way to close the album to be sure.
As I mentioned above, I dig everything about these guys. And if you're a thrashing lunatic like me, I hope you'll give them the chance they deserve. If they ever get over to these shores, I'll do my damndest to go rage! But I already know my old ass (and old neck) can't hang with those young sprouts, so I'll be just outside the moshpit making THAT Metalface.
And yes indeed there is Vinyl for you to smoke your turntable with. 2 color variants. Buy now or cry later!
4.9 Out Of 5.0 Skulls
