Search - Blind Illusion :: The Sane Asylum

Forever ahead of its time

Fernando Benítez V | Mexico City, Mexico | 11/12/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Those magical thrashing days! Our paradise lost! Yes, indeed, I was lucky to stumble upon this gem back when it was released, when longhairs were still frowned at- or should I say, when there were longhairs, and real punks, and people obsessed with music, not trends. It was 1988, and I actually had read about this band in a Metal Forces (UK mag) article, and boy, was I psyched! I couldn't find the damn vinyl in local metal/hardcore stores in Mexico City,Mexico, so when an offer came to jump in a car and drive 15 hours all the way to San Antonio, TX, I didn't hesitate... I made it to a bitchin' store somewhere on the outskirts of that forlorn, depressive city and got ahold of my copy. I paid 8 bucks for it, by the way (I've seen used copies that go for over a 100 dlls!)... When I finally heard it, I was only let down by the horrid demo-esque production. Too bad, becasue the music was so unique and, dare I say, progressive. Almost twenty years later I still listen to this ouvre on a very frequent basis, which says a lot since I can't stand bands like megadeth or metallica anyomre (blame their popstar status and their faded formulas, not me!)... Want to know how it sounds like? well, it's thrash metal, but with a seventies, psychedelic flavor that you won't be able to find anywhere else in the field. If you're a newcomer and want some kind of clear reference, I would say these guys come across as a proto-mix of, say, Municipal Waste and Baroness, but a lot more trad-metal, and a lot more 70's. In fact, as far as I know, they broke up because nobody got it. later on, les claypool and larry lalonde (ex-possessed) became rockstars with their overrated alterno-band, Primus...But the real brains behind this classic album was a certain Marc Biedermann, an excelent guitarist/composer and ex-hippie who dared introduce a younger crowd to the perennial sounds of Crimson, Rush, early Sabbath, early Scorpions, Rainbow, and many other luminaries. Such a shame nobody wanted to listen. Believe me, back then, they press hailed them as the next big thing, and considering that Kirk Hammet was set to produce them, man... just goes to show you that we live in a world that is far from perfect! All in all,the album's filled to the brim with fast riffs, intrincate and surprising tempo changes, trippy effects, solid drumming, catchy songs and twisted, quasi-prog melodies. The lyrics deal with drugs, politics, death wishes, nightmares, insanity, and, as far as I can tell, ecological concerns. On the pictures published in mags they often resembled burnt-out hippies, which is a funny look I totally dig, but that's secondary, of course! Some songs are quite long, such as "Death Noise" and "Metamorphosis of a Monster": the former sounding a lot like a darker "Sails of Charon" (Scorpions), one of the best heavy rock songs ever! Really, bands like Metallica or Anthrax could only wish (even today, after all the millions, the big houses, the grammys and the addictions!)to sound like this...Wonder where Biedermann is today. At least, he lives and rocks in my personal pantheon, alongside the likes of Ax Genrich (guruguru), Randy Holden, John Duccan, Glenn Buxton, Rod Price, Hideki Ishima (the flower travelling band), Brian Robertson, steve Hillage, Duane Denison, Helios Creed and many others most people have never heard of... Blind Illusion: one of the best kept secrets ever!"

Great Thrash - and a great addition to my Les Claypool colle

J. Almond | San Francisco, CA United States | 11/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Before Les Claypool became famous with Primus, he was in this band - in fact this may have been where he and Larry LaLonde met (not sure of that).



Mark Beiderman's Blind Illusion was one of my favorite thrash albums back in the day and I was very happy to finally find it on CD. I've also owned it on Vinyl and Cassette.



I've heard rumors of a second album that was recorded by this same line up that has yet to be released. HEY MARK - RELEASE IT ALREADY! I wanna hear it."