PURGATORY (EP) / PURGATORY - TIED TO THE TRAX

$

70

PURGATORY (EP) (1985, J.U.F. Records)

- Night Crawler Bitch

- Valley Of The Shadow Of Death

- Deep Into The Red

- Purgatory (Shattered Version)?

~ These are the raw versions of later songs. at this time the band was single guitar player only.; before Randy Gonce stepped into the line up for the full length "Tied To The Trax"

PURGATORY - TIED TO THE TRAX ( 1986, Auburn Records)

1. Tied To The Trax

2. Deep Into The Red

3. Screamin' Machine

4. Night Crawler Bitch

5. Fear Of The Night

6. Crush The Black Cross

7. Lost Angels

8. Valley Of The Shadow Of Death

9. Purgatory (Shattered Vision)

~ Purgatory are kind of a hard band to label. They are a little bit speed metal, a little bit thrash, and a little bit good old fashioned heavy metal. But they don't really sound like other American heavy/speed metal bands from the early 80's, I guess there are some similarities to Abattoir and Chastain, but with a more thrash oriented approach at times. But all genre specifying aside, this is a surprisingly heavy album, it's pretty damn fast at times too. Especially when you consider that some of these songs were written(I believe) as far back as '84.

The production is surprisingly good for this type of album, especially when you consider that it came out 23 years ago from the time of this review. The guitars shred nicely, great solos and some nice fast riffs. The bass is surprisingly loud in the mix, something that was kind of rare for heavy metal bands from this period. Drums are solid. Their vocalist is not bad either, but he's sort of hit or miss. His mid-range voice isn't all that impressive, but when he snarls or shrieks he sounds great.

The band is at it's best when they play fast. Songs like "Tied to the Trax," "Deep in the Red," "Los Angeles," and "Fear of the Night" are all great speed metal songs, really good quality stuff. "Crush the Black Cross" is straight up thrash, and it's one mean ass kicking song, despite it's quasi-religious lyrics. Reminds me a lot of early Overkill, especially that chorus "Crush! The black cross!" Most of the mid paced songs are forgettable, with the exception being the excellent "Valley of the Shadow of Death" which is probably the best track on here. It changes tempo a lot from slower verses to speed metal lead guitar breaks. Good vocal delivery with some nice screams, and the guitar leads seem to be constantly shifting, moving the song along nicely.

Definitely a solid album, and a hidden gem in the metal world. Fans of really heavy early/mid 80's American bands like Helstar, Chastain, Metal Church, etc. should definitely check this stuff out, you won't be disappointed.

Condition: Like New

Catalog #: n/a (for the EP) / AU1-005 for the full length

Key Points: Some early, original John Gallager level (Raven) crazed vocals mixed with some blazing guitar speed solos & some memorable riffs. Auburn Records was supposed to re-issue this as a deluxe CD (like Shok Paris) but that was like 5 years ago. SPV had a generic CD out (without the EP tracks) nor any of the lyrics and such.

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LOOKING AT A WARNING THAT'S GETTING HARD TO SEE * ENDLESS BLIND REACTION FOR MY SANITY * EVIL WINDS AND WHISPERS RAINING DOWN ON ME * ADD THE VEIL OF SILENCE, CAN'T ESCAPE REALITY * FEEL THE PAIN OF TORTURE, TOUCH YOUR TREACHERY * HEAR THE TOTAL ANGUISH COMING OVER ME * OOOH COMING OVER ME * I WATCH MY BREATH ESCAPING AS YOU SMOTHER ME * SEEMS MY ANIMAL INSTINCT SPARKS MY BRAVERY * MIND BEGINS TO WONDER, BODY UNEARTHED BY THUNDER * HOW IN FACT DID I DIE * AND DRIFTING PAST OUR HOMELAND TO OUR NEIGHBORS * TORN BY WAR, CANNOT FIND THE STRENGTH TO CRY * AND IN THIS SHATTERED VISION, THAT MY TWISTED MIND CAN SEE * BLOW ME AWAY * AND FLYING CLOSE TO HEAVEN AND A SIN AWAY FROM HELL * IS THIS THE PRICE I HAVE TO PAY *

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