F.O.A.D.-
Filthiest of Apocalyptic Detroit compilation LP review
As a package, this is a great
example of how to do a compilation on vinyl- four bands, two songs each, lyrics
and band shots included, and layout ever so crisp, complete with a painting by Tim
“Shagrat” Jenkins, who also appears in two bands on this compilation. So, by appearance, I see a great level of
potential. Would the music live up to it
(and the level of local popularity all the featured bands have)?
First song on the record is Reaper’s
“Satanic Leather”, a tale of being metal dogs in Detroit, and detailing a
series of unfortunate events that happened with the band, yet it never deterred
them from continuing to make music. The
riffs are good, and the leads rip, but the vocals have a bit too much reverb,
and they’re hard to hear. A good song in
its own right, though. I’ll be the
audiophile who likes the song, but not the mixing job. “Satan Approves” is a title that, for some
reason, reminds me of the Jesus figure in Dogma, but of a dark red, winged
figure giving a cheery thumbs up instead.
Music-wise, I like the vocals better on this song, and the music is
blitzing thrash metal in its lo-fi glory.
Very gnarly. Next is Perversion,
a more blackened thrash metal band who has been around for a few years, only
recently playing bigger gigs and getting out of town more. “Morbid Aggressor” has some tight playing and
some leads that shred, but I couldn’t get into it- maybe it wasn’t fast enough,
or the vocals were a bit rough for me, but I wasn’t banging my head much. “Storm of Evil” picks up the pace and carries
in some better riffs and vocals, ringing heavily of “Hell Awaits” and “Chemical
Warfare”-era Slayer. The song carries on
for a bit too long, but otherwise is a solid metal jam.
Shitfucker kicks off the other side
of the wax with “Bestial Ice”. The
lyrics leave me with more questions than answers- I’ll leave it at that. The music is decent- the drums are tight,
maybe mixed a bit too high, the bass and guitar are bit hard to hear and
possibly mixed too low, but they can be heard distinctly if one listens closely
enough. The vocals are truly unique-
extremely weird, but unique.
“Araknophobia” is an evenly mixed metal-punk song that seems to have an
organ in the background- very cool, actually.
Same style of vocals here; the guitars and bass are both a little more
audible, and it really helps them sound better.
I could circle pit to this song.
Lastly is Anguish, who have gone from a more straightforward crust punk
sound to a rock and roll-leaning Motorhead style of music. The vocals are nowhere near Lemmy’s trademark
growl-y shout, and instead are clear and not too far off from Ian Gillan’s Deep
Purple-era voice, and (dare I say it) is also comparable to Axe Ripper’s
melodic-styled vocals, though it is distinctly different. “The Onslaught Continues” is alright, but as
a song, I’m not a big fan. I was never
that into mid-paced 70s-era heavy metal beyond the classics, and even those
only somewhat so- in other words, not my style of music, to a large extent. The bass sound is fucking sweet, though. “A Blade in the Dark” has better riffs and
better song formation- despite being a bit too long, it still rocks. It may be the mix of the funky, cool bass
sound with the speed metal guitar sound, but I dig this a bit. Deserves a jam every so often.
Weirdly enough, the bands’ second
song is better with all four bands, in my opinion. Not a must have, but absolutely worth
borrowing from a friend.
-Aunty Social
