RESURRECTIONS
Unearthing the latest metal reissues
FAR BEYOND SEMINAL and still indecently thrilling more than 30 years on, TROUBLE’S early albums are more worthy of reassessment than most. Noble folk have reissued four of their first five – Psalm 9, The Skull, Trouble and Manic Frustration (Hammerheart)
[all 9] – and they just happen to be four of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. Although they were soon joined by Saint Vitus, Candlemass and many others, 1984’s Psalm 9 and 1985’s The Skull were unprecedented acts of metal heroism and flawless blueprints for the truest of doom. The band’s evolution from Sabbathian purists to psychedelic explorers was seamless and mesmerising, too; 1990’s self-titled effort is a riot of electrified, swaggering songcraft, while 1992s’s Manic Frustration repeated the trick, but with a gob full of magic mushrooms. All four are utterly essential and back on vinyl, where they belong.
US legends MANILLA ROAD are another band with several classic albums in the bank. While 2002’s Spiral Castle (High Roller) [8] is certainly no Crystal Logic – the band’s undisputed masterpiece – it’s an excellent example of the late, great Mark Shelton’s militant old-school approach. Ten-minute epic Merchants Of Death is particularly fantastic. 1990’s The Courts Of Chaos
[7] is very nearly as good, and kicks off with certified live favourite Dig Me No Grave: four minutes of nails-hard, metal-as-fuck bluster that demonstrate precisely why Shelton was such a revered figure.
Routinely overshadowed by its Swedish neighbours, the Danish death metal scene has produced some laudably ripping bands over the years. Emanzipation have unearthed some worthy gems for resurrection. Originally released in 2000, THORIUM’S Ocean Of Blasphemy [7] is a gnarly, old-school knees-up with startling bursts of melody; INIQUITY’S Five Across The Eyes [7] is a raw but intricate onslaught of skewed tech death; and virtuoso extremists EXMORTEM’S Berzerker Legions [8] lives up to its title, smashing everything in sight at full pelt for 33 terrifying minutes.
DOM LAWSON