format: LP
year: 1981
country:
USA
label:
Long St. Records / Metalworks Records
#:
- / MWR 8001
info:
Second pressing in 1983 on Metalworks Records (Rarity-grading 2)
style: Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Now
there. I finally found the 2nd pressing of this album, after coming across
several copies of the supposed much rarer 1st, so a review of this gem
should now be in order. I would rate this as one of my
absolute
favourites of early 80's American HR/HM. I could call this the greatest
NWOBHM record from the USA, but why use that old monicker when bands all
around the world did rather similar things at this period. With so many
plain, boring "Heavy Rock" records coming out at this time, you wonder
if it was CRYSYS who, in an act of Metallic vampirism, sucked all the
energy out of about 50 of them and fuled their own amazing record with
their life blood. At first it sounds so simple and you really can't understad
why you like it so much. After the 3rd or 4th listening the album starts
to unravel its mysteries. It's all about the riffs, you see. They're like
distilled Metal - they've passed through the process of refinement so
many times only the whitening bones of Hard Rock remains. They're damn
near perfect. No godawful "blues rock"-inspired parts, no tacky sleaze,
no radio-friendly "hit-song", even the semi-ballad "Touch Me" is a brilliant
rock song in its own right. There is a slight 70's feel about certain
parts of the axework, but not in the disguise of so called "musical experimentation"
- just HARD rock guitars all the way through. I'd call them the RAMONES
of Metal if wouldn't scare off so many potential listeners.
Opening crusher
"Blue Steel" is exceptionally effective despite the rather simple lead
riff. The cavalry of the undead has arrived to rape, pillage and burn
down your stereo! (imagine that...) The title-song is another really catchy
HR-gem, but it's not until you reach the B-side that this album unleashes
it's heaviest artillery. Like the super-heavy hard rock monster "Super
Starz", the fast, energetic, doin'-the-sign-of-the-devil-invoking "Satans
World", and the incredible "Black Out" - a song so beautiful in it's simplicity
you don't know weather to shit or go blind. After more than 30 minutes
of full frontal Hard Rock assault the opening-riff to "Hellsville" will
stomp your lifeless corpse into the ground and you will love every second
of it. The vocals of Stefan King are another major reason why "CRYSYS
ROCKS!". They are powerful, hard hitting and honest and neither growls
nor breaks into annoying falsetto. Them and the very live, in-your-face
production is the magic that turnes killer riffing into gold. Anyone with
a taste for the so-called "NWOBHM-sound" should own at least one copy.