Description

Connelly was a former roadie of the thrash metal band Anthrax. He was a close friend of Anthrax bassist Danny Lilker. He jammed with the band a few times but never actually joined. In 1983 he formed Nuclear Assault togheter with Danny Lilker as a side project. While Nuclear Assault never received the recognition of the big four (Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica), they were one of the first to successfully fuse speed metal with hardcore, long before it was popular to do so. What made the band stand out was that they were among thrash metal's most socially aware groups, making room for serious subject matter (and occasional goofs) in their careening speed metal riffing. They also remained closer to the world of hardcore than most of their peers, and at their late-'80s peak released some of the most uncompromising thrash metal offerings of the time. In the late 1980s John received his most media attention as Nuclear Assault became one of the most popular Thrash Metal bands of the 80s. The album ‘Handle with Care’ released by Nuclear Assault in 1989 is a highly regarded Thrash Metal release. The latter proved that the group could refine their political speed metal and songwriting without ditching their punk roots, and was supported by successful Euro tours with thrash titans Exodus, and later U.S. jaunts with Testament and Savatage. So when the band came off the road they had won a healthy dose of new believers. Around 1991, John Connelly saw fit to take a break from Nuclear Assault and release a low profile solo record under the name John Connelly Theory. Although Connelly surrounded himself with three different musicians, the tendency to sound a bit like his main band was unavoidable, particularly since he has one of those singing voices that are quite unmistakable. ‘Back to Basics’ belies its title by being downright artsy in its blend of declaimed vocals, whiplash speed and tempo changes, and unorthodox song structures. The daffy spoken word and sound effects ‘Intro’ kicks things off on a light note, and there's a sense of fun to the entire album. More importantly, however, it absolutely shreds. There's nothing here for the hair metal namby-pamby; commercial hooks and conventional melodies are largely abandoned in favor of non-stop riffage. The brief, compact tunes are basically just setups for Connelly's powerful solos and vocals, though his bandmates match his playing and energy levels. There is a straight faced cover of the hard rock radio classic, ‘Hold Your Head Up’, complete with vintage organ. Being a Nuclear Assault fan its enjoyable to look back on this release but the fact is that It didn’t do well and it was never hailed by fans or media as one of the most exciting release of 1991. Since long out of print Track listing: 1. Intro 2. Bizarre Noise 3. Aggressive 4. In Memory 5. Hardwire 6. Hold Your Head Up-Argent cover 7. Charlie Brownstone 8. Harlans Nightmare 9. Back From The Past 10. 7/8 Solution 11. Joes Tune 12. L.H.A. (Long Haired Asshole)