Review by Felix on March 27, 2020.

Onslaught and Sacrilege have one thing in common. They are the British bands that changed their style faster than their compatriots the underpants. Sacrilege took a wild ride from crust over their very own form of thrash (if we neglect pretty typical thrashers such as “Insurrection”, the jewel that was never officially released on a regular full-length) to tiring doom. Their debut, originally published in 1985 – 35 years ago, f**k! – lurks around the crusty corners of punk while being supported by metallic guitars. Tam sounds like the sister of Sodom’s Angelripper. She appears as an angry brat, while each and every riff screams a big piss off in the face of the establishment and the playtime of only 26 minutes underlines the band’s contempt for usual designs. Sacrilege’s debut is not too far away from some releases of Broken Bones or English Dogs, but don’t think of pretty stale outputs like “Where Legend Began”. The songs boast with cruel sharpness and start a rebellion against all conventional guidelines. An infectious atmosphere is created, and I wonder that I still sit here on my chair instead of collecting followers for a revolution. I beg your pardon, but I have to do this right now….

…break…break…break…

Ah, sorry for the short interruption. Nobody was interested in my act of defiance; the revolution must wait. So, let’s get back to Beyond the Realms of Madness and pick out its two thirds instrumental. 'The Closing Irony' paves the way for the kind of riffing that made Within the Prophecy to such a fantastic record. It’s this kind of constantly drilling guitars that create the high degree of subliminal pressure and an uncomfortable touch of the apocalypse. I don’t know the (guitar) sound of the original release, but the remastered re-issue from 2015 boasts with excellently sawing and rasping guitars. But don’t get me wrong, it’s not only a good guitar sound, the entire mix scores with vehement compactness. Given this fact, all six original songs reveal an unexpected force, not only in view of the mostly high velocity. Finally, the band also had a close eye on a smooth flow of the tracks. Despite their rebellious aura, they rely on clearly defined and rather conservative patterns.

The bonus material of the re-issue is neither necessary nor annoying. Those who waited for demo versions of Within the Prophecy songs, here they will find them with a comparatively powerless sound. The live tracks at the end of the album also pass by without making the album better. More interesting are probably the new studio cuts 'Feed' (a slightly bulky number that commutes between mid- and up-tempo) and 'Dig Your Own Grave' (an impulsive eruption in the vein of the old material which stops in front of the two minutes mark). Good tunes, but the real thing is the work from 1985, the snot, the aggression, the uncompromising execution; and my evaluation mainly refers to these songs. Although Sacrilege (in 1985) and me (30 minutes ago) failed, the rebellion will come.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Luka on August 16, 2002.

Yes, I am aware the opening sentence is just a different wording for the band name, all I can say is that the group is very aptly named. Now let’s see what these boys have to offer... energy? Check! Great solos? Check! Aggression... unchecked! Sound cheesy? You bet that’s the vibe of this album. No hate, blood, gore or any of that nonsense, just ass-kicking old-school metal that makes for a damn good time or an even better live show. The comical intro will put you in the right mood as you witness the birth of this relatively unknown and unsigned band that thrashes like the best of them. Definitely one you’ll hear more about in the near future.

Unchecked Aggression are a breed of the classic Slayer or Overkill thrash metal style, laced on one end with some Maiden-esque melody and on the other with angry punk. While proudly waving the flag of metal’s past glory days, they throw in enough kicks to rock the world of any young metal fan of today. I am proof of that. For older fans the album will bring back rich memories of a metal era perhaps forever gone. Eleven songs, consistent throughout and varied, that manage get your body thrashing and your soul screaming for more. The musicianship of each member can hardly improve; all that is left for these guys to work on is tighter playing. Basically this is a band that has very little to improve on, and while this is fantastic at the moment, it may later come as hindrance in future days as their sound might waver.

For a self-released album I am amazed at the high quality production. Bass lines are exceptionally good and propel rhythms that get your head bobbing like mad. It is the guitars that drive the songs with most thrash metal bands, but here the situation is often times the opposite: it is the drums and bass that form the framework for the songs while the guitars add in clever licks and hard riffs. I think this is what makes Unchecked Aggression a more interesting outfit than many old-school bands. If these guys played in the 80’s they’d get attention for doing something different. Overall, it is hard to find a fault in this album, one reason I didn’t give it a higher score is because old-school thrash is not quite my cup of tea, with more albums like this, though, that may well change soon. Good stuff!

Bottom Line: Fast, mean, ass-spanking 80’s thrash from a modern band. One of this year’s better debuts.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 6.5
Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 8
Overall: 7

Rating: 7.7 out of 10