Description
Reduced price due to small bent marks on backcover
2019 remaster on yellow vinyl with gatefold cover.
Thrash metal act Acid Reign had a Monty Python-esque humour that made them so inherently English but at the same time it sounded like the thrash that the Americans were doing at the same time. Their cleverly named Moshkenstein demo had anxious music critics labelling them as the U.K.’s answer to tongue-in-cheek mosh titans Anthrax. Their debut album The Fear features the socially conscious elements of thrash, while also playing a couple of jokes on the listener, not least the puerile (though admittedly amusing) intro track ‘You Never Know (When The Nipples Will Strike)’ – a joke that the title adequately explains. As for the bulk of the music, anyone familiar with the words “Bay Area sound” should have little difficulty comprehending the environs of the content, though there are a couple of minor additions to spark the interest of experienced thrashers, as well as listeners from across the metal spectrum. As all good albums tend to, The Fear puts a typical song at the front of the running order, then succeeds to diverge from that template over the course of several more creative numbers. The style presented on ‘Reflection Of Truths’ is heartfelt speedy riffing of the choppy variety accompanied by protracted squeals of guitar noise and whammy bar usage that reflect the movement of thrash into more heavy and technical waters, although the composition doesn’t lose its melodic edge. As such, Slayer and Exodus were probably not the flavour of the month in Yorkshire when Acid Reign were writing The Fear, generally edging closer to Heathen or Anthrax depending on whether the section is complex or straightforward, as can be witnessed respectively on back to back songs ‘Fear’ and ‘Blind Aggression’. These two also provide some of the less predictable jumping off points for the album, since the title track sprawls across a broad scope of tense, high register melodies, slower chugs, and even uneasy keyboard samples, while amidst the chugging and gang vocals of ‘Blind Aggression’ lurks the only riff (at 3:28) that really signals the future birth of Cathedral. Admittedly a slightly odd mixture in the view of 1989, The Fear could certainly have been a minor success had the band had access to wider distribution and a more versatile singer. The curse of Acid Reign seems to have been the restriction of their full-lengths in terms of availability, since the UK was certainly not the biggest market for thrash, nor Japan, while the original release totally missed North America and much of mainland Europe. Had this been a worldwide release at the time, it’s easy to imagine talking about The Fear in the same breath as Death Angel, Heathen, Testament, and Sabbat, one of the only British bands who experienced much recognition overseas. If you havent heard it yet then buy this one as its a creative and enterprising treasure.
Track list:
1. You Never Know (W.T.N.W.S.)
2. Reflection Of Truths
3. Insane Ecstasy
4. Humanoia
5. The Fear
6. Blind Aggression
7. Life In Forms
8. All I See
9. Lost In Solitude