Vengeance
Untitled release
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
This band sends shivers down my spine. Aaah! They're killer. Man, they are radical. Blow me away! Sound like I'm excited? This is one of the few thrash metal bands I really enjoy listening to. This is one tape that should blow away any of your friends...or enemies. It's full-on speed metal. The instruments fly! The bass whirrs like a propellor. The rhythm guitars sound like a chainsaw...and the leads! Whoa, those leads! They're over before you know what hit you. The tape starts off with "White Throne," which has some of the meanest vocals around. Roger Martinez howls like a wolfman and then beckons, "Are you listen-ing?...To what I say?" "He Is God" is a quick burner, which drives home the message of the deity of Christ. Each verse is pure scripture, and the chorus is "He is God, He is God." It races along at punk/thrash speed limits accompanied by recklessly abandoned vocals. "Salvation" is here one second and gone the next. The verse, chorus, bridge, and all lyrical content whatsoever is one word: salvation. "Human Sacrifice" is another classic Vengeance song. The lyrics are sung so fast, that you have to really make an effort to memorize the lyrics. The lyric sheet enclosed, along with the Bible study for each song, certainly help. The vocals are ultra raspy. Imagine a caveman who's chain-smoked for thirty years saying to you, "Jesus said, 'This is the blood of the new covenant/ Shed for the remission of sins.'" That's what Roger sounds like when he does that. "Beheaded" closes the tape with an emotional song about being a tribulational saint. Most of the songs on here are very emotional, both because of the passionate lyrical content and the impact of the music. "Beheaded" starts off with a spoken part about the beast being given authority over the saints. Then a marching crescendo takes the song into speedsville. The lyrics are as heavy as the music here: "In the time that it all comes down/ You'll find out just what witnessing is really all about/ So when they ask you to take the mark of the beast/ Just scream in their faces, 'I want to be beheaded, beheaded.'" Nice, syrupy stuff, huh? This demo is just a taste of things to come. Caesar Kalinowski, the producer of their album, said the guys in the band were pleased with the sound, and that they're hard to please, so it should sound incredibly hot.