Early pre thrash gem
Bloodbath_and_Beyond | usa | 08/10/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Belgium metal band Acid, featuring lead singer Kate fashioned out quite a vicious sound on this 1983 offering, their self titled debut. At the time there were over 100 different European hard rock/metal bands sculpting their own sound and identity, only a few were lucky enough to make full length records, and most cut a few 7 inches or EP's then disappeared. However these classics remain the true stalwart of heavy metal and still remain in the minds of collectors and fans online. Acid were lucky enough to make 3-4 albums during their tenture, but none of them quite capture the inspired sound and sonic crunch of the debut, much like Venom's Welcome To Hell. While the album's (probably) most famous cut Hooked On Metal might seem a little steeped in the products of it's time cartoonish metal posturing (think Anvil's Metal On Metal), it's still got a truely toxic guitar sound as does the rest of the album, with highlights like the more mid tempo yet still heavy Hell On Wheels, as well as the shorter track Anvil, features plenty of double bass speed. Of course the track Satan is probably the most important song here as it's lightning fast approach was the idea for future metal to come in America with thrash. Of course you ask anyone who influenced speed metal and the usual answers come up (Motorhead, Venom, Saxon, Diamond Head, and sometimes Accept) but there were a ton of other more rare groups that were just as awesome (Savage, Angel Witch, Blitzkreig, Jaguar, Vardis, Burn, and OZ) that lent their credentials to the pantheon of what would become speed/thrash metal. This album is a must for not only mainstream metal which find it a bit difficult to get into because of it's totally unpolished and low budget sound, but for real metalheads or hard rock fans that really know metal isnt supposed to be sound clean, this record is a must. Surprisingly enough it's actually got a CD release. Also check out OZ's Fire In The Brain"
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1