Album Review: Exodus - Force Of Habit

Exodus - Force Of Habit

Capitol Records - 1992

9/10

Seeing where different brands of thrash and hair metal went in the '90s is one of my favorite things about having been born in that decade; as an adult, I can retrospectively see these without the "you had to be there, man" factor. Exodus is a special example, because while I absolutely adore their masterpiece Bonded By Blood, there aren't many other albums I have that close of an attachment to. Don't read my wrong, the other '80s albums are pretty good, but at the expense of sounding like a contrarian, I truly think Force Of Habit takes second place for me. Not only do I think the time it was released hurt it, but the album art added insult to injury.

From the gate, this is easily Steve "Zetro" Souza's best vocal performance by a longshot. He wasn't an awful fill-in for Paul Baloff, but the direction this record takes fits his voice better than any album before or after it, in my humblest of opinions. Force Of Habit works around vocal melody far more than any of the other classic discs, or the revival records, channeling its aggression into attitude rather than full-force heaviness. The rasp is still present, yet contains a cleaner swiftness in delivery that oddly taps even more into the AC/DC-inspired snarl that the band hinted at with its earlier cover of "Overdose."

But musically, the guitar chugs and the toned-down groove-gone-bluesy metal almost allow this to feel heavier than the straight thrash attack that was their whole career until this point. Density and precision over speed with a cleaner vocal approach turns what could have been a disastrous overproduction with too much gruff into a more pleasant experience in line with Anthrax's Persistence Of Time. The bassy eruption of the title track comes to mind, as well as the more evenly-layered "Count Your Blessings," that nice acoustic lick at the end being a solid touch. Both are packed with attitude that doesn't feel too "tough-guy" but also utilizes catchy verses and bouncy rhythms.

Catchiness is another thing worth discussing as well. Exodus have had a few of those banger-standouts on each of the other Zetro albums to this point, but none seem to focus in on this angle to the same degree, further cementing my belief that this is the style he was meant to sing. Opener "Thorn In My Side" brings in one of my favorite riffs the band ever wrote, caking on poetic builds and a memorable chorus that I can never get out of my head. Adding a kick to the first blow, "Me, Myself & I" follows this up with the exact same presence, understanding the need to hook the listener early on with a release of this length. (Because no band could simply not use up as much space as possible when the CD hit it big, amirite?) "Climb Before The Fall" is another one that sneaks in between the two longest tracks, feeling like a hardcore-inspired dance number that has chop after chop, and some of the meanest drum kicks.

Let's not forget the outliers, ones that manage to stand apart significantly but somehow don't come off as awkward (well, mostly). "Architect of Pain" is a full-on doom metal tune, an eleven-minute epic that admittedly could have trimmed itself a bit but still reinforces its statement with strong repetition and a menacing delivery. Gradual phasing, acoustic layering, and fierce undertones work as the backbone. I probably sound like a broken record by now, but again, Zetro's singing is absolutely impeccable overtop of this slow-burning fury. "Good Day To Die" also comes to mind, as it's about as close to straight up rock 'n roll that Gary Holt and co. have ever gotten. The stripped-down instrumentation along with its tongue-in-cheek lyrics really seal things off nicely. 

My only real complaint about this record is the inclusion of two extremely unnecessary covers, The Rolling Stones' "Bitch" and Elvis Costello's "Pump It Up." The band clearly didn't learn its lesson from the train wreck that was War's "Low Rider," and while these aren't quite as offensively bad, they create awkward spots in a long experiment that would otherwise be entirely void of it. Perhaps it would also be fair to say that a few other spots on Force Of Habit are a bit more ambitious than they needed to be. Closer "Feeding Time At The Zoo" felt a little unnecessary, and a few of these longer numbers could have lost a minute or so.

Ultimately, what I love about this outweighs my tiny complaints ten-fold, and save for the covers, there's no single track on here that I don't enjoy to some degree or another. For years, I kinda stuck to the first three records and would occasionally dip my toes in the 2000s-onward pool, simply because of this record's heinous sleeve. That was a grave mistake, and I urge anybody who made it this far to give it a try as well. It's one of those albums where the more I listen to it, the more I like it. 

Album Review: Opeth - Ghost Reveries

Opeth - Ghost Reveries

Roadrunner Records - 2005

9.5/10

I've long been rather intimidated by the idea of reviewing Opeth albums, considering the number of close-together spins I like to give something before hurling up my thoughts. But, I guess I got over it; after all, why not? The Swedish prog-metal group have a pretty impressive discography, with enough distinction to break into eras. A region we'll find Ghost Reveries within happens to be my golden age for Opeth, where the death metal hasn't fled but takes maybe one-third of the forefront, leaving all sorts of room for beautiful, clean passages or intricate heavier noodling not uncommon with Death's later output.

And like all Opeth discs, Ghost Reveries is best received in its entirety with little distraction. Few bands have pulled this off in a way that I actually find appealing. Even Dream Theater venturing into death metal territory likely wouldn't sit well with me, but I'll be damned if Mikael Akerfeldt and co. didn't nail exactly that. Here the quintet utilizes acoustic guitars with a haunting mellotron and organs to paint the bleak setting one may imagine, often times allowing the heavier moments to sink into that mold. Even at the record's heaviest, grueling distortions hardly play any roll, in exchange for cleaner but menacing weight that the rhythms manage to kick forward.

The most obvious example is the album's ten minute opener "Ghost Of Perdition," however that's hardly anything daunting by this point in the band's career (or even on the entire record). Mikael's vocals swim fluently into the faster digs with higher tempos that aren't afraid to lay clean harmonies atop a crushing metal core. Whether it's the soft hum or the guttural growls, it always fits. However, the greatest melodies take charge when the entire playing field settles, much like the simmering coolness felt in "Hours Of Wealth," an acoustic ditty carrying a feeling of butterflies in the darkness. "Atonement" captures this same feeling but with warmer colors, as its leading licks backed by a bongo and deep repetition shine a little brighter, contrasting its droning buzz. And anything with a grand piano lead is gonna hold at least some value.

Fear not though, because some of the best moments also lie in the songs that let no feet off the gas pedal. "The Grand Conjuration" will forever remain a favorite of mine, kicking in the start/stop chugs right away and melting those jarring shifts into a puddle of somehow still catchy passages. (Fun fact: if you watch Nathan For You, Bill, from the final episode "Finding Frances" is in this song's music video). For the most part though, Ghost Reveries works with strength in starting and finishing hard while filling in the center with sugary flavors. The aforementioned "Ghost Of Perdition" tying advanced rhythmic poetry following a crushing, unrelenting first strike of explosive riffs and punishing vocals is once again the easiest example. I may even argue that "The Baying Of The Hounds" pulls this off even better, with its conglomerate start that's less abrupt yet somehow feels easier to digest thanks to the layers of organ easing us in (ha). Maybe I'm just biased.

All in all though, Opeth truly hit their peak in this era, and this is likely my second favorite record behind only Watershed, before the band would lose almost all of their death metal ties. As overwhelming as it may sound, I often find this to be a good starter record for new fans of the Swedes, since it perfectly encapsulates the largest spread of their career in one spot. Would it be safe to say just a few songs meander a little longer than they needed to? Probably, but the way it's broken up allows this to be easily overlooked.

Album Review: Slayer - Divine Intervention

 

Slayer - Divine Intervention

American Recordings - 1994

7.5/10

Everybody talks of how bad the veterans of '80s heavy metal tanked in the '90s, but if there's something I can say to contrast that, it's that I love the different directions many of the bands took, for better or for worse. Slayer is one where I have mixed feelings. Four years following their smash classic Seasons In The Abyss, they would swing in with Divine Intervention, a record that I have a love/hate relationship with. It's a game of appreciating the new ideas brought to the table while overlooking the awkwardness (and some... cringe lyrics at times).

For starters, rather than taking influence from the rising grunge and '90s rock movements like Slayer's "Big Four" counterparts , they moved towards a punkier edge. Yet, there isn't a full divorce from the cleaner thrash that Tom Araya and co. would use to lift their previous South Of Heaven and Seasons In The Abyss albums to the big leagues either. For the most part, the songs that utilize this punk momentum into a way that feels natural tend to do well, while the ones that feel unsure lack confidence or depth. Few songs here are outright bad, though.

Focusing on where the band nails it, the swift punch "Sex. Murder. Art." feels like the band literally hinted that they were about to release an album of punk covers soon. In less than two minutes, Slayer all but creates the classic Minor Threat-esque two-part kicker that doesn't feel forced with a thrash metal punch. Moreover, you have the relentless anarchy that is "Dittohead," backed by pummeling and concise drum kicks and slick breaks in the tempo. However, you'll need to look past the awful lyrics; like, really guys? The country with the highest prison population in the world needs to... imprison more people?

Others fall somewhere in the middle and can be hit or miss. Opener "Killing Fields" starts us off promising under a ballsy drum opener with Paul Bostaph being new to the group, and a solid gradual momentum buildup to a fun chorus. To the opposite end, the title track hits a bit of a doom outlet that feels fierce due to the production and Tom's horror-drenched, panicky outcries. Unfortunately, the back half of the album wanes down little by little, as "Serenity In Murder" absolutely butchers this similar idea, and the likes of "Circle of Beliefs" feels really clunky in execution despite an admittedly cool chorus. I guess I can also dig the thick energy of "213," but by this point things feel somewhat played-out and I'm ready for things to wrap up. This would have honestly made an incredible opener.

At the end of the day, Divine Intervention is a pinnacle example of a transition album, one that I often appreciate for its neat ideas despite some obvious flaws. I find myself returning to it from time to time, for nothing else than a small level of charm it contains. It's certainly not up to par with the classic run, but unfortunately they also wouldn't make anything any better ever again save for World Painted Blood almost two decades later.