Here is an album that shows how blurred the lines were in 1988 between thrash and what would become black metal. This band was founded by now producer and fill in guitarist for Judas Priest Andy Sneap. He was just a teenager when he founded this band. There is a little more hook in the groove of the opening track though one of the signatures to their sound has to be the raspy snarl of vocalist Martin Walkyier. Sometimes his accents are not unlike those of Chuck Billy in Testament's earliest output, but higher in pitch, the sneer holds a similar contempt that can be found in the work of bands like 1349.
One key element to black metal is a focused disdain for Abrahamic religion, which can be felt on "Behind the Crooked Cross". Rather than rehash the same kinds of shock value horror movie Satanic images bands like Venom and Slayer were parading around they dipped into the history of the crusades and their English heritage connected to such. "Horned is the Hunter" is a little more deliberate in its more mid-tempo pace chug. Martin's lyrics are a lot for him to spit out into the verse and can seem unwieldly at times. At over eight minutes it's an epic for 1988. It's when the drums lock into more of a stomp that you hear how things could be, though they default to the speedier blasts. The more moshy grooves are better than the blasty feeling parts.
There is a little more of a classic metal feel going into "Those Who Died". The manic nature of vocals is more crazed than what thrash bands were doing at the time. They had more purpose in the song than the vocals of metal bands today that tend to be more obligatory. The instrumental " A Dead Man's Robe" is not far from what other bands of this time were doing. The attack is more like Flotsam & Jetsam. " The Church Bizarre" is trongest when the chugs are at a more deliberate pace. I will round this one up to a 9. Was ahead of it's time for sure in terms of intensity.
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