How
many bands do you know who's debut record by far overshadowed their later
releases? ...OK, you can stop counting now. One of them was definitely
Dutch thrashers MANDATOR. Unfortunately for us all their superior first
offering came in a very limited editon of 500 copies, "...or possibly
less" according to well informed sources, and also under a different band
name, which may confuse even further. I wonder why they changed their
name? Maybe cause their music didn't quite live up to the weird & creepy
MYSTO DYSTO or their eerie cover art. I don't know, it's still one of
the best Metal band names I've ever heard. As MYSTO DYSTO the band made
some really fine Thrash/Power Metal songs that soundwise were quite untypical
for the European scene. While the German thrash cliqué tried their best
to outdo themselves in speed and brutality - a noble cause in itself -
these lads glanced across the atlantic and draw influences from yankie
metallers like early MEGADETH, ANTHRAX (1st) and METALLICA's (r.i.p.)
"Kill 'em All". At the same time they managed to stay away from the dreary
"Bay Area" sound (that TESTAMENT/EXODUS chugga-chugga thing, you know
what I mean) and kept their songs crisp and powerful. They still had a
distinct European sound in the sense that they often crossed over into
classic Heavy/Power Metal ("Confusion", "A Visit From The Vikings") and
even even Hard Rock ("One Night Stand"). Their one superior song however
was "Indenter" - 4 minutes of Speed Metal Perfection! One of those tracks
where you just don't want to change anything. Ironically enough the only
song which got re-recorded for their 2nd album was one of their weaker
ones, "Attila the Destructor". Before their namechange they also released
a demo called "No Aids In Hell" in '87. Somewhere around this time they
ran out of good ideas and then MANDATOR happened. "The Rules..." isn't
the most genious piece of vinyl in Speed Metal History, but they had some
class for sure and if you should ever come across the album for a reasonable
price I suggest you grab it.
Later review of the 2006 CD reissue:
Looksie
here, one of my oldest review-subjects have appeared reissued on a shiny
new Cyber Disquette. An excellent move by the good men of Rusty Cage record,
seeing as this is by far the rarest of all the releases this new label
has taken on so far, and definitely worthy of a proper re-release. Of
course it's difficult to review the same album a second time, but it gave
me a reason to come back it for the first time in years and, well...
It's still an above-average Power/Thrash album, is still shows a pretty
broad variation of styles and their one outstanding masterpiece is still
"Indenter". I neither feel the need nor obligation to dissect
the album any more that
this.
As a bonus we are offered the 2 trax from the 1987 "No Aids In Hell" demo
that never got re-recorded for the 2 following albums under the MANDATOR-flag.
I can see why since none of them can match the material on "The Rules
Have Been Disturbed". A tip at the hat for the effort though.
Rusty Cage have chosen to master this CD from an old vinyl and I can only
assume it's because the original master tapes were stolen by an bunch
of clogwearing, Red Light District ho's, hidden in a windmill under a
stack of tulips and cheese which accidentally got burnt down by raving
potsmokers (an everyday occurrence in the country of Holland). The upside
is I now got an excellent opportunity to compare my own ripping abilities
with professionals! Said & done - I ripped both this CD and my old
homemade CDR onto my computer and started to thoroughly compare various
critical parts of the trax in CoolEdit and who do you think came out on
top? Drumroll please....
OK, it turned out to be pretty much an even score, apart from some very
minor background noise and clix on the quieter parts of the official CD,
but I'm humble enough to call it a draw.
Buyability:
Pros - The original LP is rare as cocking hell; it's cheap; it's almost
great.
Cons - The superb cover art is shrunken to fit the RC "series"
layout; the sound isn't that much better than what you might find in CDR-trading
circles.
Originally written in German. Translate to:
Melodische Parts und harter Thrash Metal. MYSTO DYSTO waren der Vorgänger von MANDATOR und meiner Ansicht nach weit besser. Songs wie das melodische "Confused" stehen neben Thrash-Granaten der Marke "Power of the law" oder Speed-Songs ("Tarantula"). Der hohe Gesang mag für manchen abschreckend wirken, aber abwechslungsreich wird sehr großgeschrieben, weshalb es sich lohnt, die Scheibe intensiv anzuhören.
from melodic parts to harsh Thrash Metal! Very unique item with great musicians. Pre-MANDATOR!