A four way split between four bands related only by the A.R.T. Records' label. The 7" releases which are shared here are essentially lost to dusty attics and meticulously organized record holds, and so other than the occasional copy showing up, it may be tough to snag these otherwise. The bands, all active in the early to mid 90's, are from different corners of the United States and materially, display a mix of thrash and death metal with some teaspoons of crossover drizzled into the soup. A small amount of sleuthing work revealed the connections behind A.R.T. Records and Thrashback Records but I'll hold onto that info for another time. As with the previous Thrashback Records releases, this 4-Way Split is done with the same professionalism and attention to packaging. The liner notes, while not extensive, have a lot of great information for those interested in obscure underground metal from this time period. There is some negative space in the layout, particularly on the page with the lineups for the bands. Some bigger pictures could have filled in the booklet there, but it's a minor thing.
This compilation or split or whatever you want to call it is worthwhile for the three Drop Dead tracks alone. Pummeling and powerful death metal, the three tracks, two culled from the 1993 March of Empire 7" and a bonus track recorded for an unreleased full length, are tight, precise efforts in aggression with a thrash underpinning up front, yet also display similarities to the belchy and gory artfulness of the Dutch scene through the addition of a keyboard outro on "March of Empire", the highly melodic solo on "Oppression", and the sopping moist vocals presentation of Kevin Marby. Kris Weiskittel's drum performance is worth noting as the foundation of the band's thrash element. This is evident on opening track "Clouds on the Horizon" as he slips into a typical eighth-note double bass death metal rhythm with snare on the second and fourth beats halfway through the song, contrasting the typical thrash beats previously used in the song. Drew Pearson rounds out the trio on bass commendably. The three songs are all worthy of attention.
Also noteworthy are the Final Judgement tracks, an interesting mixture of Thrash, Death, and Doom metal. The tracks wouldn't be entirely out of place on an early Paradise Lost or My Dying Bride styled album. The Atlanta, Georgia band then are an oddity, seemingly playing in the UK style of Doom Death. Two tracks here are from the 1993 Drastic Dose of Reality 7". "I Do What I Do Not Want To Do" is notable for the bizarre transitions and pauses, a habit which is picked up again at times during "Punishable By Death." Vocalist Chad Cross provides a strong performance with deep bellowing gruff barks of vocals, but is restrained enough to not overwhelm the instrumentals. "Punishable By Death" is their most effective track, but at just over six minutes, it could have been cropped into a more reasonable length. There is a bit too much repetition as the track drags on. "Habitual Sacrifice", another strong track which was intended to be released on a compilation at some forgotten time in the past, is included as a bonus track. The three tracks are strong enough here to make me want to check out their 1994 full length, Desolating Sacrilege - if I can find a copy under $100.
The other two bands, Dry Bones and Godhead, are not the same caliber. Dry Bones is out of place here, but their inclusion acts more like an aperitif. Dry Bones, with clean vocals and politically charged lyrics don't carry the same dark heft as the death metal bands. The band is really nothing more than a Suicidal Tendencies or S.O.D. tribute in many ways, but where the originators managed to maintain an aggression and violence through some of their tracks, Dry Bones doesn't. Some of the songs have solid riffs, but overall I found them mediocre and uninteresting. Perhaps they would be a fun opener to get some moshing going, but that isn't happening in my office at 8PM on a weeknight when I have to potentially shovel a foot of snow tomorrow morning. Godhead closes out the four band release with typical sounding death/thrash. I get bits of the NY and Floridian scene from the Toledo project, but not particularly well produced. "Unspoken Madness" is the best of the three tracks with interesting bass and drum interplay throughout the track, however this release is truly all about Drop Dead and Final Judgement.
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