Side one starts off with the title track, which I feel is the weakest one, though still better than most of the crap that tries to pass as songs. Anyway, it opens up with bubble sounds, which I think may have been done on the bass. If so, then it’s very impressive. The tune goes on to tell the story of the remains of a sunken ship. The story is cool. The second tune, “Edge of Death,” accentuates its crusher speed with grindingly slow verses. Song three is a little more constant with its speed, about “Altar of Sacrifice”’s (Slayer) pace. Musically, Hexx is very tight and clean. The drums are interesting at times, and the guitars work well together. The lyrics are cool and fit with the vox almost perfectly. Side two is supposed to have an interview, my copy has side one again. Worse things have happened. Pick this one up, it’s worth it.

{Hexx later had an album on Century Media (Morbid Reality, released in 1991) that featured a cover of the Spider-man theme. I recall that being the best track on it.}

[Notes in {curly brackets} are from the Metal Curse 1 - 4 Collected Edition (1999)]

This demo is graced by excellent production and recording as well as the ultra heavy vocals of Jan-Chris. There are only a few people in the world who could claim to have a more brutal voice. The music is very bassy and reminds me of a slower Napalm Death (as of ND’s Harmony Corruption LP). Slow Death Metal at its best. Heavy, brutal and occasionally even fast, but no blast parts. There is a strange absence of double bass, I wonder if… Favorite track: “Foetal Carnage.” Awesome.

The vocals here are a little smoother than on their first demo [1989’s Seeds of Destruction], but still this is hardly a problem. In fact, I really can’t find any problems at all with this 5-song Thrash masterpiece. Clear, distinct production. Good guitar and bass sound. Good, meaty, screamed vox. Lots of double bass. And, of course, Chris Cauble’s Steve Harris-like bass ability. The fact that the songs are well written and memorable makes this clearly stand out. However, the last song, “I Won’t Change,” simply doesn’t measure up to the extremely high standard of the rest. This is the final demo from Ghost Story, but bassist Chris and his brother Andy (ex-Catacomb) have formed a new band…

This is freaky. The first song, “The Institution,” hit me in the face like a pissed off wolverine. However, the other three tunes didn’t evoke exactly the same response. The Fury play an interesting Punk/Crossover style and their drummer, The Hammer, is pretty kick-ass. The recording quality and production are both above average, and this 7-inch is packaged in a “special foldout poster.” This is a really decent effort, plus one awesome song. It shows what The Fury can do and their range. And, lest I forget, one of the members is wearing a Motorhead shirt in the band shot/poster. Like free stickers, that’s always cool.

This band from Chicago has put out an excellent demo. It is fast and pounding. The band’s sound is more controlled than most raw Death Metal. The vocals are fierce, yet the lyrics are understandable, even without a lyric sheet (always a plus). For once, none of the lyrics are about abortions, drug use, crooked televangelists or acid rain. All of which have been done to the point where I want to give Tammy Faye an injection of chlorofluorocarbons to kill her unborn child. It’s like a breath of fresh air. If anyone comes out of the underground in the nineties, it should be Funeral Nation. Watch them.

{More demos, a 7-inch and two albums (really more like two versions of the same album, with a few variant tracks, and different layouts), After the Battle and Come Kingdom Thy, then they vanished.}

[Notes in {curly brackets} are from the Metal Curse 1 - 4 Collected Edition (1999)]

Winter seems to be a sludge-Death Metal band. I think that makes them, if nothing else, one of a kind. They play very slowly, for the most part, but occasionally speed up to slow. Sometimes they even sound a bit Industrial. The vocals are always slow and are best described as Death. The seven songs on this album are at best scary: as in “Eternal Frost,” which is okay; and at worst boring, as with the first track “Oppression, Freedom, Oppression (Reprise).” Into Darkness is a weird album and I imagine it would take quite some getting used to, which is bad. I suppose this is what Winter wanted to sound like. I can’t really bring myself to recommend this, but it is different. I just don’t happen to like it.

{Relapse later re-released this album, and the band then put out an EP before calling it a day.}

[Notes in {curly brackets} are from the Metal Curse 1 - 4 Collected Edition (1999)]

I think Combat wants Forbidden to be big, Metallica kind of big. This might be the album to it, too. But, let’s introduce the band first: Craig Locicero (lead and 6-string acoustic guitars), Russ Anderson (vocals), Paul Bostaph (drums), Tim Calvert (lead, 6 and 12-string acoustic guitars) Matt Camacho (bass).
Now about the LP: This is not a typical Thrash album, or band for that matter. They experiment (I use that word with extreme caution) with different things, most often it is the vocals. Usually a band with music this heavy has a Kreator style singer, Russ can sing in this “from the balls” style, but he can also actually sing, which is rare and often detracts from the power of the music. In this case, the only time Russ’s singing bothered me was on the track “One Foot in Hell,” but even that wasn’t too bad.
Highlights include: “Infinite,” “Step by Step,” the instrumental “Spiral Depression,” and the title track.
This is an extremely strong second attempt, especially considering that almost all bands’ 2nd LP is their worst one.

{Forbidden would never again come close to the greatness of this album, and have since faded from view here in the US. I understand that they still have a little following in Europe, and perhaps Japan, but I’ve also been told that their newer material has taken on a NWOHSCPM (New Wave of Homosexual So-Called Power Metal [which would eventually become known as Nu-Metal. -Editor]) “attitude,” so who cares about these poseurs? Yet this was, and is still, nearly a masterpiece.}

[Notes in {curly brackets} are from the Metal Curse 1 - 4 Collected Edition (1999)]

[Please note that the reviews in Metal Curse #1 and #2 did not have numerical ratings.]

Flotsam and Jetsam’s newest work, to be frank, left something to be desired. The music seems to have slowed down. Eric A.K. tries to sing more on this LP than on the other two. Granted, every single song has a cool part or two, but one or two cool parts per song does not make a good album. I’m not sure I can pinpoint a reason for the new style, but as they, themselves said in the song “Deviation,” they can “give no explanation for deviation.” My best guess would be that they tasted a little fame with No Place for Disgrace, and like many other bands thought it was a license to become funky. “E.M.T.E.K.” and “K.A.B.” are both cool songs which I hope come out on a single (which would be worth buying). I believe they can do better. If they could be fierce for a whole album, not just a few bars, they would a force. Maybe they should do more Elton John covers. I give this LP two thumbs down. Come on guys, I expect better than this.

{Believe it or not, but F&J is still releasing albums, each improving a bit on the previous one. Their 1997 album, High, saw them make a return to Metal Blade after about a decade on other labels. In these bleak days of bands bowing down to the mindless likes of Korn and Pantera, it was good to hear High and know that at least some of the old timers have the sense and desire to still be themselves. F&J have also just released a new LP, Unnatural Selection, but I have not yet had the opportunity to give it a spin. So, while not the best band I’ve ever heard, Flotsam has my respect. Unfortunately they’ve never gotten the recognition they really deserve, so they may have to try to live on my respect alone.}

[Notes in {curly brackets} are from the Metal Curse 1 - 4 Collected Edition (1999)]

[Please note that the reviews in Metal Curse #1 and #2 did not have numerical ratings.]

Excellent music: Very impressive, well recorded and executed Thrash. But like an alarming number of bands, these guys have one of those screechy, high pitched, singers, and that’s almost always bad. Their singer, Michael, almost makes his style work, and sometimes it does. In fact, the more I listen to this, the more I grow to tolerate his voice, but it takes awhile.