From
the highly dubious but still great (and oh so collectable) Iron Works-label
came Power/Speed-freaks MERSINARY and released this excellent disc in
'87, to an unsuspected and, sadly, totally indifferent audience. I can't
really see why "Choose Death" doesn't pop up more frequently
on fave- and want lists, with all of those neckbreaking riffs filling
it up to the brim with what can only be described as
bona-fide
US Power Metal. This is dead-on the kind of stuff some people pay $300+
to hear TYRANT'S REIGN play on their only slightly less interesting debut
effort, or on a more commonly recognizable note, executed by masters like
DAMIEN THORNE, ABATTOIR,
SAVAGE GRACE, [
fill in forgotten fave band
of the genre here], ATTACKER, HADES etc etc etc... I had the misfortune
to end up with a rather skewed copy (looks like a manufacturing error,
so maybe I should sell it on e-bay as an
"ultra-rare mispressing!"
he he...) so I could only experience a totally hacked-to-pieces version
of "Hunt You Down", but it sounds like a generic but very effective
enough Speed/Thrasher. Frankly the whole album develops rather predictably,
but with such killer leads as in the galloping "Torn Apart",
the need for absolute originality isn't that acute. "Medals"
manages to be both powerful and catchy despite the very traditional, chugga-chugging
mid-paced thrash tempo. Side B continues in the same style and might be
even stronger in the riffing-dept. 3 more excellent, speedy trax that
in all honesty doesn't need that much dissection. The thin production
work is probably the only excuse for anyone to frown upon this record.
Still it's not worse than the average Azra-release and it may just as
well be due to a bad pressing, it being a low-budget picture disc and
all.
Even if it doesn't match
RIPPER,
STORMTROOPER or
JAG PANZER in excellence,
it's possibly the best I.W.-release I've heard next to these. I haven't
seen it offered for ages, but it still doesn't seem to be as pricey as
most of the label's more famous releases. It's quite a diamond-in-the-rough,
but do consider this review a sincere recommendation.
Now please stop skipping grooves, stupid diamond-in-the-rough! :(