Description
2018 re-issue on black vinyls with gatefold cover and 8 bonus tracks
Chicago act Zoetrope was influenced by the likes of 7 Seconds, Articles Of Faith, Rights Of The Accused, Life Sentence, Out Of Order and Die Kreuzen and created their own form of hardcore thrash which they dubbed “street metal.” Their debut album Amnesty was released in 1985 and its an album were the tag Street metal really fits, the songs evoke a low to middle class feeling of bars, rumbles, and crime, all in a crispy speed metal shell which balances both a 70s hard rock/NWOBHM influence and the same punk/hardcore source that helped birth the thrash metal genre. Zoetrope were already in existence for some time before this album, forming in 77 and dropping their first demo a few years after that. This is a band probably best known for the vocals of Barry Stern (also the drummer), who had a dirty barroom style full of urban anger and expression, and the solid riffs of Kevin Michael, which are huge enough to sate an arena full of headbangers, but hail from the concrete and gutters of the Windy City and its surroundings. Amnesty is one of those timeless recordings which sounds as fresh today as it did nearly 25 years past, and there is a charm to it difficult to place, even if I wasn’t enamoured with every single track. The sound is excellent, savage and raw without losing the melodic edge. Perhaps the lyrics aren’t all that great, or the riffs themselves entirely memorable. It’s basic fare, but delivered with an honesty and passion that transfers well into the follow-up, A Life of Crime. This is still a good time if you’re cruising around your local urban decay and want to spark up a riot.
Track list:
1. Indecent Obsessions
2. Kill The Enemy
3. Mercenary
4. Amnesty
5. Member In A Gang
6. Break Your Back
7. Another Chance
8. Creatures
9. Trip Wires
10. Kill The Enemy-demo 1983
11. Speed Zone-demo 1983
12. The Company Man-demo 1983
13. Member In A Gang-demo 1983
14. Death Of A Highschool Nark–demo 1985
15. She’s Brain Dead-demo 1985
16. Speed Zone-demo 1985
17. Cops-demo 1985