Artist: Cranium
Label: Necropolis Records
Release Date: 1998
Rating: 5 Skulls
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Title: Speed Metal Slaughter Artist: Cranium Label: Necropolis Records Release Date: 1998 Rating: 5 Skulls |
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Dguy's Review:
Oh man. I don't even know where to start with this review. Well, I guess I can start by saying that Cranium is a criminally underrated and underexposed band, and that Speed Metal Slaughter is one of the greatest thrash albums of the 90s, if not all time. I suppose a bit of history on the band is in order, due to their low recognition (I've only met three people who know of the band that weren't introduced to them through me). Cranium were formed in 1986, at the cusp of the 80s thrash metal movement, by Chainsaw Demon a.k.a. Frederik Soderberg, and Grave Raper a.k.a. Philip von Segebaden (yes, both of which later went on to form legendary avant-garde black metal band Dawn). They recorded a single demo, then broke up. They reunited in 1996, released an EP of old demo material entitled Speed Metal Satan, then in 1998, they released the album we're discussing now, Speed Metal Slaughter.Now enough boring bio crap, on with the good stuff!
This album is an absolute riot. Totally ripping, musically uncompromising thrash metal that conjures thoughts of albums such as Pleasure to Kill and Infernal Overkill. Aside from the very rocking instrumentation on the album, two big draws for Cranium are the vocals and the lyrics. All three members (the one I haven't mentioned yet being Necro-Nudist a.k.a. Johan Hallberg) do vocals, although Chainsaw Demon does most, and all of them sound like Schmier from Destruction with some sort of nasal disorder, and after sucking a bunch of helium. I love it. So much. And like I said, Cranium's lyrical content is A+ as well:
"Slaughter on the dance floor/you fucking disco whore" - "Slaughter on the Dance Floor"
"Satanic Rescue Team/instead of water we use gasoline" - "S.R.T. (Satanic Rescue Team)"
"I am the Grave Raper/I am the creepy guy/I'm gonna fuck you 'til/Until you fucking die" - "Graveyard Romance"
Those are merely a few examples of Cranium's brand of hilarious thrash poetry. And even though Cranium are/were all about taking the piss out of metal, you can tell by listening to this album that they eat, sleep, live, and die by the law of thrash. Like I said before, this is a criminally underrated and unknown album by a criminally underrated and unknown band. I'd like to think that if Cranium formed just 2 or 3 years prior to when they did, and stuck together, they would be up there with the big names. Hopefully with Dawn about to record a new album, Soderberg and company will get some motivation to crank out another Cranium album; expecially with retro-thrash being huge in the new millennium. I implore all Metal Judgment readers to listen to this album, especially if you're a fan of nancy-ass wuss thrash such as The Haunted. This album will set you straight. Thrash 'til fucking death!
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