jack's soul & rock corner

THE TWO BEST THRASH ALBUMS OF 1988:


Coroner
Punishment For Decadence (1988)
192

Ladies and gentlemen, here’s CORONER!!! Prepare to be annihilated by 300 pounds of heavyweight technical thrash from Switzerland. You know that Coroner is one of those bands that never fail to amaze and especially back in 1988 when almost any thrash album could go wrong. “Punishment For Decadence” is an admirable technical thrash release with a really good production; the guitar tone is evil and harsh but not too low or put in the front of the mix. The drums aren’t too loud or crappy; in fact they are standard thrash drums for 1988 and that works really good for this phenomenal thrash band and finally, Ron Royce’s gruffy voice is excellent.
Conclusion: Get it at any cost. It’s (in my opinion) Coroner’s best album.

1. Intro
2. Absorbed
3. Masked Jackal
4. Arc-Lite
5. Skeleton On Your Shoulder
6. Sudden Fall
7. Shadow Of A Lost Dream
8. The New Breed
9. Voyage To Eternity
10. Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix cover)


Flotsam and Jetsam
No Place For Disgrace (1988)
192

Flotsam and Jetsam will be eternally remembered as the band that supplied Metallica with a bass player. They should really be remembered for their music. This is the band's magnum opus, never to be approached even distantly ever again.
Flotsam and Jetsam were magnificent songwriters. The title track is a moving account of a disgraced samurai's final moments before absolving himself through suicide. It shows an empathy with the thoughts of such a character. The riffs, from the introduction to the finale, are original and memorable. Some of the subject matter for the remaining tracks on the album is a little lame ("I Live, You Die", "Misguided Fortune"), but even some of the thrash elite at the time were dealing in cheese of the stinkiest vintage at the time (anyone want crackers with Megadeth's "502" and Slayer's "Mandatory Suicide"?). Newstead was one of the main songwriters for the band before his departure, and his creativity, long stifled by the rampant egos in Metallica, shines through here, as he co–wrote the best tracks on the album.
As a demonstration of the heights thrash could reach at its best, this album is a must own for all dedicated fans of the genre. Unfortunately, the band could never escape from the shadow of a past member.

1. No Place for Disgrace
2. Dreams of Death
3. N.E. Terror
4. Escape From Within
5. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting (Elton John cover)
6. Hard on You
7. I Live You Die
8. Misguided Fortune
9. P.A.A.B.
10. The Jones

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