Review by Felix on September 24, 2023.

Even 36 years after its release, I still do not know whether “Stricken by Might” was a parody or an album that wanted to be taken seriously. Its musical content does not give many reasons to complain, but who the hell divides a first full-length in “Side Icky” and “Side Pooey”? Who thinks it is a good idea to print “Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse ran up the clock” and so on ("Peter, Peter, pumpkineater") over the complete back cover? Why does one band member get ridiculously covered in blood while others stand around bored in more or less stinkin' normal outfits? Some mysteries of metal will never be solved.

E-X-E were definitely no typical thrash band. Songs like “Metal Hell” (stereotypes are so unbelievably cool…) send greetings to bands like Omen (before they escaped to nowhere). But Omen did not deliver boring solos, therefore “Metal Hell” stands in the shadow of their compositions. Generally speaking, the pretty expressionless and normal vocals do not create a thrashing feeling and some high-pitched screams rather point into the direction of speed metal. The lack of really sharp riffs is also remarkable. E-X-E rather focus on a smooth flow and sing-along choruses. This approach results in truly great pieces from time to time. The stomping title track reveals a lot of pressure and is catchy at the same time. The heavy part in the middle of the song is obviously inspired by Slayer’s “Die by the Sword” and its “watch as flowers decay” section, but that’s not the worst inspiration, right?

“Side Pooey” does not want to fall by the wayside and so it delivers one great, almost fantastic song as well. “Fatally Wounded” is fiery, intense and boasts with inner strength. Here we get a real thrasher which does not focus on atmosphere but impulsiveness. Speaking of atmosphere, sometimes the band wants to create a menacing, gloomy, or oppressive mood (“Autopsy”, “Warchild”), but it is not really successful in doing so. Instead of giving you goosebumps, a lot of things get stuck in the rudiments. Especially “Warchild” could also be a song from W.A.S.P. after massive drug abuse in view of its heaviness on the one hand and its commercial vocals approach at the end of the song on the other hand.

The album presents a pretty rumbling production. It underlines the strange impression the record makes. Whilst on the one hand they want to piss with the big boys and even dare to write a political text ("Martial Law"), but on the other hand the outfit of the band members, the presentation and partly the song material don't seem to have been thought through to the end. Maybe some individualists find their sonic El Dorado here, but for me its just an odd vinyl in my collection – not bad, but neither overly authentic nor musically outstanding. Yet I must also say that total failures also do not show up. So it’s up to you if you want to lend an ear. Start with “Fatally Wounded” – if you do not like this track, you should stop the test run immediately.

Rating: 6 out of 10