Review by Carl on December 15, 2023.

Back to the early 90's underground with this one. Featuring a band from Japan and another one from Singapore, both dealing in extreme metal mayhem, so you just know that this is not going to be for the faint of heart in any way.

Abhorer signal the start of the charge on the A side with a windswept spoken word intro that gives way into a barrage of black/death/thrash metal, infuenced by acts like Beherit, Sarcofago and Blasphemy, as well as the early works of Bathory, Sepultura and Kreator. The guitars and bass keep it simple and straight forward, just chainsawing through the abrasive compositions that rely for most part on battering, no frills velocity and barbaric execution. These parts are interspersed with slower midtempo parts, that give way to another bout of chaotic jackhammer rage soon enough, keeping proceedings volatile and aggressive throughout. Guitar leads are performed in the best dive bomb tradition of Slayer, and come roaring through the music with all the subtlety of a tank driving over a poodle, tearing through the compositions like psycho. The production is pretty rough, with the roaring vocals and pneumatic hammering percussion getting precedence over the guitars humming in the background. It must be said that even if this production is unbalanced and certainly unrefined and gruff, the psychotic energy it still exudes can't be beat. I have a hug, HUGE soft spot for old school underground stuff like this, so I am totally on board with what Abhorer do here, but if your tastes lean more toward the cleaner and polished side of extreme metal, you'll probably like this a lot less.

And the rough production continues on the B side, where the delightfully monikered Necrophile pulls open their collective briefcases. Dealing in a more traditional sort of death metal that has me thinking of the debut albums of acts such as Deicide, Pungent Stench, Morgoth, Grave and Disharmonic Orchestra, with a touch of Napalm Death added, Necrophile unleashes their assault. These songs also rely on high velocity and a gruff growling vocal approach, but sound more controlled than what Abhorer put on display previously. A big factor in this is not only the more refined execution of the music, that is focused more on riffs than on blunt power, but also the more fist-pumping slower midtempo parts that are built into the compositions, adding heaps of variation into the deal. However, do not be mistaken, when they pull open all registers, Necrophile still plow forth with seething rage and menace, with as only intent to batter and bruise. Apart from the first track, that sounds rough but still has somewhat of a semblance to a production, I suspect that those following it come from a rehearsal tape. These tracks have that 'a bunch of guys in a really hot stinky room' vibe and sound to it, and it is raw and unpolished, even more than what Abhorer had in store. With the guitars pushing the vocals and drums into the background, this is one of the crudest recordings I have ever heard on a vinyl record. But even sounding as if it were recorded on sandpaper, these tracks still deliver the goods, giving a more than adequate idea of the abrasive death metal style that Necrophile had on offer. Except that instrumental track "Gruesome Cruelty". That one's just as boring as it is redundant.

So, two doses of high octane death metal mayhem, sounding raw and unpolished in true underground fashion. If you are willing to listen through the unrefined production (if any, in Necrophile's case), there is a heady dose of bulging aggression, brought with psychotic energy, waiting to be uncovered. It's one of those releases that is strictly for underground consumption only, but if you're into this sort of stuff, you have a total banger on your hands, despite its flaws.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on September 8, 2022.

Every scene has its leaders and followers. Probably you already know what’s coming next… I’m sorry, Lesson In Violence belong to the latter. They play generic old school thrash metal and that’s always a good idea. Unfortunately, good ideas do not always lead to good results. So what is the shortcoming of The Thrashfall Of Mankind (actually a casual title)? From my point of view, the vocals are a big disadvantage. Lead singer Florian lacks charisma and expressiveness. He performs like a drunken punk, monotonous and pretty annoying. Nevertheless, he was surely the best choice within the given line-up, because the background vocals are even worse. They sound absolutely amateurish and uninspired.

When you try to blend out the singing, an album with a solid degree of energy remains. Generally speaking, the instrumental section avoids serious mistakes. The riffing delivers absolutely nothing new, but that’s okay. Old school, new sounds? This would not work. Sometimes the guitars create a pretty thrilling atmosphere (the instrumental beginning of 'Liar' is really good due to its flickering tones), sometimes the riffs are very or even too close to those of Exodus, the rodel models, the über-fathers. 'Dissembling Wings' is one of these songs where I miss at least a small quantum of personality. But okay, I speak about a first full-length and debutants have the right to show their inspiration. What I rather criticize is the tendency of some songs or at least choruses to be hardcore-compatible ('Social Madness'). Instead of delivering a catchy, not commercial, chorus, the band confronts us with slogans shouted in many voices. I really regret it, but they are as useless as the stereotyped artwork.

Finally, I want to put the focus on some enjoyable aspects. This debut is produced by someone who knows how thrash metal must sound. The guitars set the tone and some of the longer instrumental parts are truly well done, for example in 'Scum Of Society'. Doubtlessly, the guitar work does not lack edges and corners. I guess there is a robust potential, but the Teutonic newcomers were yet not able to transform it into a really convincing album. Or they just decided to put their “Force Of Habit” at the beginning of their discography - not in terms of style, but with respect to the quality. If that’s the case, they can be proud of this work: it’s better than the nadir of Exodus.

Rating: 6 out of 10