This was an album I saw in stores as a kid and thought it looked cool from the artwork. I used to draw a lot back then and stuff like comic book and album covers were an influence.

Mind you didn’t, I didn’t hear the album until a decade later. When I finally did listen to it, it was something entirely new. By that time I was listening to hip-hop but mainly stuff from the South.

It was 2005 and 1992’s Body Count was the first I’d heard any Ice-T project. This album piqued my interest and is the reason I enjoy Power and O.G. Original Gangsta now.

The Vision for Ice T and Body Count

Body Count made its debut on O.G. Original Gangsta. This likely contributed to the band being labeled rap rock tag. If it needed a new title, “street metal” or “hood metal” would’ve done it. Ice T doesn’t actually rap on the first album.

It’s more of a mix between singing and spoken word. Growing up, Ice T took in all kinds of music and had friends who played rock and also enjoyed metal. Ice T’s hip-hop career definitely allowed for exploration of different styles.

What Ice T and Ernie C wanted to achieve with the band was rock and metal with hip-hop energy and storytelling. As a long-time fan of rock and metal, I can agree with his view that the lyrics do tend to lean more towards fiction depending on the band.

I believe the intent was to merge rock and hip-hop together merging content that is usually addressed in politically aware hip-hop with the technical side of rock.

This mix should’ve been massive in rock and resulted in more artists from a hip-hop background or who grew up in the trappings discussed in hip-hop telling their stories in rock. Professionally, it brought Ice T into households and on radios that didn’t entertainment hip-hop.

What happened with this meeting of styles was more like bands taking the technical aspects of both and making of rap rock or rap metal. Stories—about a part of America that the mainstream usually ignored until something bad happened—were still being told.

However, for the most part they were more aggressive versions stories we’d heard for decades in same genre. They were just faster, louder, and often featured rapping.

Influences of A Pioneering Band

That brings us back to how the idea of Body Count came about. Ice T and Ernie C rocked with Black Sabbath as well as the thrash metal and hardcore punk bands of the decade prior. Crossover thrash was also an influence and was ultimately the direction the band ran.

In 1992, there were hip-hop artists and groups that made darker music while still staying firmly in the realm of reality. The goal was to use the dark sound of rock they enjoyed and address issues Ice-T did in his hip-hop career.

On paper, it was simple. Bring the dark mood of Black Sabbath, discuss real life social issues as they relate to the artists, and make it loud, fast, and intense. Body Count nailed that on the debut album.

The Debut Album

What I liked most about the debut album is the experimentation from Ice-T. A lot of songs feature shouted spoken word from the lead singer. Then you get a track like “The Winner Loses” which is a dark song about a crack abuser.

A song like this one and “Cop Killer” have warnings and messages amongst the guitars and drums. That’s another thing; the other members were on top of it. Guitarists Ernie C and D-Roc the Executioner, Mooseman on bass, and drummer Beatmaster V all brought it on the debut.

When listening to rock for a while, it can become easy to overlook other members of a band unless they do an exceptional job. It’s also hard when you’re like me and put a greater emphasis on singing performance and lyrics.

The entire album is dark but not dark to the point of being bleak. It’s a mix of metal and hardcore punk on the sound side and the album structure from hip-hop with interludes being used regularly.

You know, the skit track that you might skip over on an album. Some of them are placed really well and sets up the next song. Allof the interludes were placed for a specific effect on the listener.

However, the overall flow could be impacted at times. You had some interludes that result in a tone shift between songs as was the case in listening to “KKK B****” then getting into “Voodoo” which is a horror-themed song about a run in with voodoo.

I definitely recommend this first album if you’ve wanted to hear Ice-T in a different but familiar environment. It’s also always good when an artist has love for a genre that isn’t what they’re known for, pursues a project, and have it end up successful.

Here’s hoping Denzel Curry takes note and pursue rock as well.

Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

That doesn’t take away from the musicianship or songwriting, I’m into faster, aggressive, energetic music. Of course, there are bands such as Electric Wizard, Lucifer, Acid King, Witch Mountain, and Doomsword that are staples of my rock listening.

This brings me to Black women singing doom metal. Now, there aren’t a ton of them singing doom metal. Hell, Black men aren’t even threatening a monopoly in metal, however Black women are there and the two singers we’re going to focus on are crushing it.

One singer might be familiar to TheBRHM readers—Kayla Dixon—but we’ll get into a brief intro of Cammie Gilbert and her singing ability as well.

Back Up…What’s Doom Metal?

In simplest terms, doom metal is a slowed down version of traditional heavy metal—Judas Priest, Iron Maiden-period metal.

While Black Sabbath created heavy metal and the guitar sound so closely associated with the genre, a sizeable chunk of their first Ozzy Osbourne era stuff is doom metal.

So, Black Sabbath presented two genres of metal during its early years and some bands went the slower doom metal direction.

The slower, deeper playing of doom metal comes adds to the music’s atmosphere with lyrics often being centered on themes of emotions, life, dreams, horror, drug use and dark literature.

Basically, if it could be made dark and possibly moody, doom can and most likely will do it. That said, not all doom metal is dark and depressing. Just any form of metal, the lyrical content can be about anything but the music itself is performed with that atmosphere and tempo in mind.

If a doom metal band wanted to make an album about kittens, pandas, and fries—or chips for our readers in the UK—a band can do that. Metal is flexible like that.

A more musically trained person could explain the intricacies of doom metal better but this is the gist. In the same way that speed metal is faster old school metal, doom is old school metal thrown in reverse at core.

Cammie Gilbert of Oceans of Slumber

Getting away from the genre lesson, we have Cammie Gilbert of Houston, Texas band Oceans of Slumber. Formed in 2011, the band plays progressive and doom metal but their album The Banished Heart was a really a mix.

More on that album in a review. Cammie Gilbert joined Oceans of Slumber in 2014 and made her debut on the Blue EP in 2015. It was her vocals on the band’s cover of Candlemass classic “Solitude” that impressed me.

With the release of the band’s sophomore release Winter in 2016, we got to hear Gilbert’s singing put to the gauntlet of an hour-long doom and prog album and she doesn’t budge.

Her singing performance doesn’t sound better on some songs than others. She’s just consistent throughout. What also rocks about her singing style is that Oceans of Slumber puts it at the forefront of the band’s sound.

Even with the 2020 self-titled album, she’s still the vocal focus despite having bass player Semir Özerkan and guitarist Alexander Lucian providing backup vocals and doing a damn good job of it.

Check out the tunes below to experience Gilbert’s singing.

Recommended Songs: “Solitude” (Candlemass cover), “Winter”, “A Return to the Earth Below”

Kayla Dixon of Witch Mountain

Dixon and Witch Mountain have been mentioned before. Hailing from Washington D.C, Kayla Dixon has a background in jazz, musical theater, ballet, musical theater, and acting. A true polymath of the creative arts.

She joined the Portland-based Witch Mountain in 2015 and made her full-length debut with the band on their 2018 self-titled album.

The sound Dixon brings to the band is similar to what Cammie Gilbert brings to Oceans of Slumber. When the music has this darker or more occult vibe or atmosphere to it, you want a certain voice or tone.

It doesn’t have to be a female singer but going back to Coven’s Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls from 1969, you had Jinx Dawson heading up a dark band and her vocals just fit the music.

Dixon has that the same kind of energy to work with WM and her background in stagecraft adds to live performances. She doesn’t come off as an overly technical performer but as one who enjoys what she’s doing and believes in her band’s talents.

Even though I discovered Dixon in Witch Mountain, the song “Remnants of Stars” stands out to me mainly because of her performance but also because it’s her plying her craft in a power metal band.

The faster, bombastic stuff will always win me over and Dixon with Helion Prime impressed the hell out of me. Her classical background was a perfect fit for the band and I’d like to see her return to the genre in the future if possible.

For now, get a load of Kayla Dixon’s singing chops with these recommended tracks.

Recommended Songs: “Remnants of Stars”, “Midnight”, “Nighthawk”

Black Women in Doom Metal

I’d love see more Black women singing doom metal or playing whatever instruments. Black women playing straight-up metal is something I can get behind. It would add something not just from a performance standpoint but there’s a lyrical benefit there.

Who are some Black women you’d love to hear perform metal? Be sure to let us know in the comments below! Drop some names and we could get into them in future article.

Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

However, the California offerings beside Hirax don’t get that much of a mention. I sum it up as not having that big of catalog or a strong output across decades. We’re looking at what I feel is the better introduction to Sound Barrier of its two full length releases: 1986’s Speed of Light.

Side A of Speed of Light

The first five tracks of Speed of Light make for an extremely strong A-side. It was as if Sound Barrier was expecting this album to be a breakout project for the band and they went all out on the four original tracks and the Thin Lizzy cover which closes out the side.

The opening/titular track kicks things off with some speed metal that wouldn’t be out of place on a U.S power metal release of this period such as Omen’s Battle Cry or Jag Panzer’s Ample Destruction. This song gives a sampling of what to expect for the rest of the album as for the band’s sound and approach.

My personal favorite from the A-side is the follow-up tune “Gladiator” which is right up my alley when comes to more sci-fi or fantasy-themed speed metal. If we’re not in the whipping through the wasteland in war wagons, I like my speed metal along these lines and could’ve taken an album of just this from Sound Barrier.

“On the Level (Head Banger)” and “What Price of Glory?” are both good tracks that keep the A-side just rocking along. They don’t slow down the album or give an early breather but the album as a whole isn’t the fastest thing. It’s very up tempo throughout but we’re talking about a pounder-heavy project. It’s not ripping through tracks like a Kreator or Sodom release.

Closing out the A-side is a clean cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Hollywood (Down on Yours Luck)” . Now, I enjoy the original from the 1981 release Renegade but I really dig the pace of this one. The OG track has a some grit to it, Sound Barrier’s sounds like it has better production for the time in addition to a little more heaviness. It’s similar to the Judas Priest treatment of Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust” that I love.

Strongest Tracks: Speed of Light, Gladiator**, Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)*

B-Side

Kicking off the B-side is “Fight for Life!” which puts us back into something that could’ve been on an early Omen or Jag Panzer release. Or more specifically a number of U.S power metal albums that dropped in the early-mid 1980s. Along with speed metal and thrash, that genre is right up my alley, so this was very pleasing to the ear.

The heavyweight of this side is “Aim for the Top” which could’ve been the opening track. It has more speed to it than the previous track and would’ve been at home on the A-side. This is the 80s metal I love to hear and if Speed of Light had been along these lines from start to finish, I’d say this was an essential listen for the speed merchants.

“Hard As a Rock” is heavy track that straddles between heavier hard rock and a pretty run of the mill heavy metal pounder. It’s not the heaviest of pounders but it’s still a solid tune. It has the misfortune of coming after “Aim for the Top” and would’ve probably been better served as the closer to the stronger A-side.

Thinking about it, this track and the closer “On to the Next Adventure” are the best examples of the overall production of this album. It will remind you of a NWOBHM era album. Other tracks on the album had enough speed and energy to them that production took a bit of a back seat to my observations but these two tunes don’t have that same umph as most tracks here.

However, Sound Barrier didn’t slack on the album closer. It’s a good, heavy song with some get up and go that ends things on a strong but unfulfilling note as there was no next adventure for Sound Barrier. There wouldn’t be a single until 2017 then nothing else.

Following Speed of Light, Sound Barrier called it a day and some members moved on to other bands, notably projects associated with former short-time Sound Barrier guitarist Alex Masi.

Strongest Tracks: Fight for Life, Aim for the Top**, On to the Next Adventure

Strength of the Opener: Speed of Light

As mentioned above, the titular track “Speed of Light” is a strong opener for this album. It does the job of establishing either the pace or atmosphere of the album

Oddly enough, when I first gave this album a listen years ago, I remember not thinking much of the opener. Looking back, I was heavily into my new wave of thrash bag and I preferred blistering fast tracks start to finish. When I got into Manowar, Chastain, and Omen, a gained an appreciation for “Speed of Light”.

So, it’s a great opening track for the album. Alternative opening tracks include “Gladiator” from the A-side and “Aim for the Top” from the B-side.

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

We’ll have to dive into this project as there was no listed demos or other projects before the full-length debut for Three. It simply dropped in March 2023 via Black Mold Records, a label that has typically released sludge metal and doom metal projects.

Now, a label’s usual output doesn’t indicate that’s all you’re going to find. You could look through the catalog of a black metal label and find some old school metal in the mix of album releases by bands on the label.

In the case of Three, the release is in the slower waters of doom but with a late 70s-early 80s metal sound. Not so much Black Sabbath but more like a grimier Cirith Ungol with some healthy splashes of Brocas Helm thrown in.

A major contributing factor to that approach is the tandem of  multi-instrumentalist Corey Bing and guitarist/bass player Bahb Branca. The two are Ohio sludge scene veterans who have played in several acts together—many most with releases on Black Mold Records.

Opening Act of Three

Three has seven tracks across almost 31-minutes. The opener is “County Line”, a track that gives “controlled Brocas Helm” vibes. It’s not a rapid jaunt but it’s not s slog either, we’re talking about a pounder that gives the listener some idea of what to expect sonically. This song and “Red Dragon” have a kind of dungeon epicness to it—especially “Red Dragon”.

That track really piqued my interest in the rest of album because it reminds me of what I like to hear from epic heavy metal or U.S power metal: not too produced or clean but still epic in a Conan or Kull sense.

While “Red Dragon” really impressed, “For Your Love”, the second track on the album is the standout of the opening three songs. The longest track on the album, “For Your Love” is a slower-paced affair but it showed what this trio could do with a lengthier piece.

Strongest Tracks: For Your Love, Red Dragon

Second Act

The fourth  “Missing You” is somewhat similar to “For Your Love” only shorter and heavier. The doom is much thicker here. “Remember” is a longer rocker that could’ve been on Black Death. It still has that cavernous sound and slower-tempo while not being similar to other tunes on the album.

If you like your dark and slow romantic doom then “When Your Love Comes Down” might not be too up your alley. It’s notably faster than other tracks on Three and it gets the thumbs up from me. One thing I always liked about old school doom is that you could get a speeder on a slower-paced or mid-tempo release and it would stand out—sometimes as if it was the star of the show such as “Free Country” from Witchfinder General’s Death Penalty.

Closing out the album is “Mirror of Darkness”, a song that has a similar tempo to “When Your Love Comes Down” and gave me more of what I was seeking from this release lyrically: fantasy or dark fantasy themes. It’s a strong closer and could’ve been a stronger opener.

Strongest Tracks: Missing You, When Your Love Comes Down*, Mirror of Darkness*

Strength of the Opener: County Line

Opening tracks are very important since they can set the pace for the album or give the listener an idea of what they’re getting into. The faster and more bombastic, the stronger the opening, for me. In the case of Three, “County Line” is an opener: not the strongest but not the worst choice to kick things off.

However, tunes like “For Your Love”, “Red Dragon”, and the closer “Mirror of Darkness” are very strong picks to open the album just by being the standout tracks on this release.

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

At the  time of the band ‘s formation they weren’t playing thrash metal but by the time of the 1985 demo Black Metal (featuring a cover of Venom’s landmark song of the same name), the band was delivering speedy metal.

The demo dropped just a bit after the debut full-length albums from Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer and same year that Exodus released their debut album. However, a full-length album wouldn’t come about until 1990. What we’re looking at is the 1998 album To Kill Evil, a reissue of the 1990 self-titled debut sans the four extra tracks.

A-Side of To Kill Evil

Off the bat, the first two tracks slap. They slap hard. The titular track sets up what you think the entire album will be with a strong, fast-paced pounder led by Coffey’s vocal work but then you get the awesome display of speed and vocal ability that is the Starks-led “Time Is at Hand”. Remember the opening as we go through the album.

I’m a big fan of vocalists such Sergeant Salsten from Deathhammer and Stace “Sheepdog” McLaren formerly of Razor where both of their voices have bite and grit to them but they can also fling their voices into piercing, screams. I’ll always mark out for a piercing scream in a song and “Time Is at Hand” has the right amount.

“Pain” slows things down early into the album. It’s one of three slower or mid-tempo tunes on the album but it’s solid. Things pick up a bit with “The Great Controversy” which starts on the slow side but heads into speed metal territory in the second half of the song. The vocals here are more spoken word which works well here.

Stone Vengeance picks things up again with “The Persecution” which is a bit thrashy at points but pretty funky and speedy throughout. I dig this song a bit for the bass and drum heaviness here. We’ll run with this track as the A-side closer since this reissue was on CD and featured a reshuffling of tracks.

Strongest Tracks: To Kill Evil, Time Is at Hand**

B-side

The B-side opens with a short instrumental which is almost inaudible on the iTunes version of the album. It’s an acoustic piece. Following that is “Malice” which returns to the thrash approach of the first two tracks of the album.

I wouldn’t say it’s stronger than “Time Is at Hand” but it has more power and punch than the title track which opens the album. Coffey continues the vocal duties here and a song like this is what I lean into more to appreciate his vocal ability and delivery.

Now, I love my faster tracks but “Higher Now” is a pretty good, slower-tempo piece. Beyond the faster stuff which Coffey’s voice is suited for, something like this works. Following that is another instrumental which is more audible than the first (“Bullfight”). It sets up for what is technically the album’s closer of the original tracks: “Long Live Stone Vengeance”.

Coffey’s vocal performance here features moments where he pops a scream and I could’ve used more of those here. The band as a whole delivers a speedy ride that is similar to very early thrash where it isn’t pure power, speed and aggression. Again, see the first two tracks on the album.

Strongest Tracks: Malice, Higher Now, Long Live Stone Vengeance

Best of the Bonuses

Looking at the four bonus or additional tracks, you have a good cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” and “The Pill” as the standouts. The cover has Coffey more in his bluesy hard rock bag. He was also in that bag for the song “Chase” which is worth a listen as well. For me, it had the relatability of hip-hop or soul in rock trappings was thumbs up from me.

“The Pill” does the same but in thrashier trappings. It’s as if Rick James did speed metal or thrash without ending up at groove metal or funk metal. Stone Vengeance took Black musical storytelling throughout and kept it well within a speedy approach.

The Best: Foxy Lady, The Pill*

Strength of the Opener: To Kill Evil

With there being a few style and tempo changes throughout the album, the opener did it’s job in getting me interested in checking out the rest of the project. It lets you know that there will be some thrashing going on but it doesn’t let you know about the entire musical journey.

Well, to a degree. You kind of get an idea of the lyrical approach or themed covered here with songs about belief and basically spirituality but it isn’t antagonistic. Had the album been entirely thrash along the lines of the strongest songs on the album with some venturing into “Chase” territory, I’d say it’s a strong opener. However, it’s more of a strong song on it’s own and a solid opener.

“Time Is at Hand” would be the best replacement opener while “Malice” would do alright in that slot. Overall, this was an enjoyable listen and I’m looking for to checking out the available 2000 release The Angel.

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

And rightfully so, Glover is a singer with range and presence. Both are definite thumbs up in my book. Let’s look at another pioneer in Cleveland, Ohio’s Siki Spacek.

Black Death and Early Ohio Metal

The lead singer and guitarist for pioneering Black heavy metal band Black Death, Siki embodies everything I like about open musicians.

Just being open to different genres or bringing in elements from different eras. Black Death was the start and it came out at a time when the Ohio metal scene was getting its first bands such as Destructor, Chastain, and Axe Master. Bands were exploring both heavier and faster sounds and while many didn’t continue or release a full length, some demos show that “This band was on the right track.”

Black Death was no different in their demos with the second and third having songs worthy of full length placement.

What I dig about Siki’s vocals on this release is that there’s a lot of grit and soul to it. It gives some tracks such as “When Tears Run Red” and “Streetwalker” a different air than pounders like “Scream of the Iron Messiah” and “Here Comes the Wrecking Crew”.

Now, I’ve been listening to interviews to fill myself in about what happened with the band and Siki Spacek post-debut album. A lot occurred in metal worldwide after 1984—in Ohio metal alone—where’s like “Siki’s vocals would fit this.” I have the same thoughts about contemporary Guy Speranza of Riot. It’s a very “what if” scenario where you can plug an artist into different genres, bands, and on particular albums.

For those with long memories, think about that period where Rob Halford being interested in doing black metal was of note.

The Iron Messiah Returns

Decades later and with the band Black Death Resurrected, and Siki delivered The Return of the Iron Messiah. It fit some of what I figured Black Death would’ve grown into in a follow-up—only with modern production and a lot more experience playing. Similar to going through UK thrash veterans Onslaught’s discography—where the band got faster and even more aggressive with modern releases—Black Death Resurrected was a faster, darker BD.

The approach of this band was rooted in the original but it sounded how the band should sound almost 30 years later. That is, if we had 30 years of releases in that time to see the band grow. It was a familiar sound with new energy that delivered a new release filled with pounders.

With that said, The Return of the Iron Messiah dropped in late 2015. Where did Siki ply his vocal talents after?

Three

I touched on the Ohio metal scene of the 80s, the 21^st century of the scene saw a faster breed of bands such as Midnight and Vindicator. It also saw some solo projects and projects from OG acts such as Winters Bane, headed up by vocal veteran Tim “Ripper” Owens.

Eight years after The Return of the Iron Messiah, Siki Spacek returned with his vocal and guitar stylings. With the power trio Three, you see Siki in the mix of a darker, slower metal. There’s a 70s-early 80s doom sound with a lot of cavernousness, it also sounds like straight up late 70s metal from the period at the same time. It’s a change in pace if you’re familiar with some of the stuff Siki’s voice has been involved in but his voice fits this sound.

Ultimately, Spacek is a singer I wish there was a lot more from, heavy metal, doom, speed metal, blues, funk—straight up hard rock—the guy’s voice could fit in with a couple different genres and add an old school “street metal” sound.

If you’re familiar with the work of Siki Spacek, what are some of your favorite releases? Also, if you’re into the Ohio metal scene, share some of your favorite bands.

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

While I was really enjoying the stuff that didn’t feature heavy blackened or punk influences in the production and sound—the blackened stuff was intriguing. You had bands where the blackened element came in the instrumentals and production and less from the vocals. This worked for me and I was discovering bands such as the disbanded Baphomet’s Blood, Dismantle, Children of Technology, and Mortifier.

Basically, bands on the “Slayer-Sodom-Kreator” end of the thrash pool including Toxic Holocaust.

Toxic Holocaust and 2000s Thrash Metal

The Joel Grind-founded and led Toxic Holocaust was formed in 1999. This period—late 90s and early 00s—was a period when several of New Wave of Thrash Metal bands would form and disband. Looking at some of the bands from that time on Encyclopedia Metallum, you’ll find that some of those early bands were more like prototype or precursor projects.

Grind honed TH’s early sound across two years of demos and split albums, progressively improving—as were a couple of the band’s contemporaries such as Skeletonwitch and Violator. The 2000s run of Toxic Holocaust produced three projects and we’ll see which one was the best of the decade.

On “Best of the Decade”, we go into a band’s discography for a particular decade and rank the albums. The last one listed is what we consider their best of the decade. The only criteria here is that the band have at least three full-length albums in that decade.

Let’s dive into these early Toxic Holocaust projects!

Evil Never Dies (2003)

I discovered this album about five years after its release and was impressed by the atmosphere and speed on display. Mind you, the deeper you dig into the New Wave of Thrash, you’ll find similar approaches and influences less than six feet down. Since TH was one of the first bands of that wave I discovered, they stood out. It also didn’t help that the band became more varied in lyrical content and sound with time, addition of members, and advances/access in recording.

Basically, Toxic Holocaust became more polished—in a good way. Here, the black metal influences on TH’s sound is still very thick including the very production. It makes for a darker, feral thrash sound which will always work with the lyrical content the band worked with heavily in the first trilogy of albums.

I love diving into early discographies and I’m always pleased when the debut is worth the listen and enjoyable start to finish. END fits the bill will several bangers across 32-minutes of twelve tracks about nuclear war, the post apocalypse, and Hell—all themes I dig!

This album or An Overdose of Death make for a great introduction to the band. Unfortunately, I discovered our next entry before the debut and that provided a bit of a problem when trying to appreciate END.

The Bangers: War is Hell**, 666*, Atomik Destruktor*

An Overdose of Death… (2008)

Of the decade, An Overdose of Death is my favorite from Toxic Holocaust. It was the album I discovered the band through and enjoyed instantly from the opener “Wild Dogs” but was sold with “Nuke the Cross” and it’s hard thrashing gallop. It’s a banger-banger. There are other strong tracks here but the bombs drops came in the first two tracks. Everything else is cannon and shotgun fire because like the two albums before it: TH was about speed and gross power.

However, the 2008 release was the start of a more-polished TH. Personally, I put it down to access to better recording, better song writing, and so on. It was almost a decade since the band was formed and five years since the debut. Bands tend to improve early on before getting into the groove the fans expect.

Having listened to their discography, I’d say they were really ending towards interesting times creativity here. The album doesn’t have the speed of END or Hell on Earth but it does have a heaviness that the first lacked.

The Bangers: Wild Dogs*, Nuke the Cross**, War is Hell*, Death from Above*, City of a Million Graves**

Toxic Holocaust – Hell on Earth (2005)

We’ve gone into the other two albums enough that there isn’t too much to say about the best of the decade here. It has enough of the vocal and instrumental approach and energy from Evil Never Dies but production and lyrical focus-wise, it’s the bridge to An Overdose of Death. It’s the Reese’s Cup of the 2000s trifecta: the best of both worlds.

What I dig the most about this album is that it kept the speed of END and went feral with it. The album clocks in at 27 minutes and change but there are a number of instrumentals here. Normally, I’d boohoo that since I’m not a big fan of instrumental tracks on albums but that atmosphere from END is present here and the instrumentals contribute heavily to that.

Besides, if I was ranking this based on meat on the bone, An Overdose…would get the nod as best of the decade. As far as tracks to check out here, “Thrashing Death” is probably the star of the album for me—but I’m a sucker for thrash anthems—“Ready to Fight” and “Hell on Earth” are definitely worthy of banger status.

The Bangers: Arise from the Grave*, Thrashing Death**, Never Stop the Slaughter*, Ready to Fight*, Hell on Earth*

If you listened to these albums, how would you rank them? Let us know in the comments!

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

It’s different for artists who have been around for years and I pick them up later into their career when they’re an established artist. For instance, I discovered Judas Priest shortly after Angel of Retribution dropped in 2005. Venom was discovered right before Metal Black in 2006. In the case of Venom, I was going through a bunch of the 1980s New Wave of British Heavy Metal and stumbled upon Black Metal, their highly acclaimed album.

Then we have Flint, Michigan artist Mario Judah. While he’s been involved in music prior to 2020, that year was an quite the debut for the young artist as he released several unique, strong singles showcasing a style of hip-hop and rap-rock that took me back to the early 2000s. Obviously, “Die Very Rough” was the viral single that really grabbed my attention.

The thing is, I discovered that song year’s after it went viral and it still impressed me. It held up and that’s a feat because nowadays there’s a push to keep making music—remaining relevant in an industry loaded with talent with more talent being discovered or releasing each month. Tunes that were hot last year could end up buried by other artists’ stuff or even new material from the artist that made said buried banger.

I wrote on 2024’s Endure and went to see if Mario Judah had anything else afterward. While I really dug Endure and the length of the project reminded me of 80s rock album releases, it was significantly brief by hip-hop or rock standards today—or of the decade in general. Seriously, folks release 18 and 20+ track releases and you might conclude “Eh, it could’ve been done in 15 tracks, really.”

“What Happened to Mario Judah?”

So the thought is “There’s gotta be more stuff. An EP, some features, etc” since Endure dropped early in the year. Looking on Apple Music I found that his debut full-length remained the most recent thing. That’s not unusual for artists who have been at this for a five, ten or more years.

For younger artists, that’s somewhat unusual because of they’re still at that stage of establishing themselves and keeping relevant. It’s letting listeners and fans know “I’m still here, I’m not a flash in the pan, and I got stuff bubbling—but I’m working with my contemporaries and peers.”

What I did find in my search were questions of “What happened to Mario Judah?” It’s a question with mixed meanings. On the one hand, listeners remember the artist dropped some heat in the past but they haven’t seen anything out of them recently. Then again, there’s also the sense of the artist falling off. I saw the same question around California artist Remble who had a banger with “Untouchable” in 2021 and RMR who had a banger with “DEALER” in 2020.

Both of them would continue making music after those releases each year and have released material this year with RMR dropping his second album “Tribune” in July 2024.

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…and It Better Be Flames

And yes, metal is filled with such bands. In the late 2000s, I discovered California’s new thrash act Dismantle which ultimately had a six-and-a-half to seven-year run of dropping material. Nothing out of them since 2013 but they reformed in 2016. I’m going to do a “Greatest Album Debuts” on them but I’m still interested in new material from them.

On that note, this is a benefit of Mario Judah not releasing anything recently. He debuted in 2020 and released something at least this year. Sure, I’m hoping for more music from him but hip-hop has a more “Go! Go! Go!” pace for younger artists which isn’t exactly a thing for younger metal bands. You can hope for it to be flames but if it falls short, all that artist has to do is keep at it, get some collabs, sharpen their craft and they just might drop some flames again. Consistency makes it something of a numbers game, looking at it.

However, an older artist whether in hip-hop or metal dropping something after anything over five years? It should be flames. I mean rust aside, that’s enough time to put your best foot forward. Ten years after the last release? It better be flames. There’s no excuse for why the release shouldn’t slam.

Ultimately, art takes time to make but a certain level of quality can be expected considering the time. Still in his 20s, time is on the side of Mario Judah and just because he hasn’t dropped this summer—a prime time to drop music—that doesn’t mean he fell off entirely.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

What is Bathory?

Bathory was a one-man act by late Swedish musician Quorthon. Up until the 1988 release Under the Sign of the Black Mark, Bathory played exclusively black metal and is considered—along with acts Venom, Hellhammer, Sabbat (JP), and Bulldozer—to be pioneers of black metal in its first wave. With Under the Sign of the Black Mark, the band began forging what would become Viking metal.

With this debut album, you can hear the influences of thrash and Venom’s releases but Quorthon’s faster playing and vocals really helped in establishing more of what we would hear out of the Norwegian-heavy second wave in the early 1990s.

Perhaps we’ll get into a “Best of the Decade” for the first three albums from the 1980s but let’s focus on the debut because it’s a strong album and a pioneering one.

A-Side of Bathory

Now, this album is just under 27 minutes, so it goes by fast and has this nasty sound and production I like. By 1980s standards, the production—compared to larger metal acts—it’s not bad but not on par with the large commercial releases. Again, this is a debut from a young band playing an abrasive style. Factor in the lyrical content, very clean production wouldn’t really fit this release.

An instrumental or ambient track serves as both the intro and outro here. The original just eight tracks but the version I got has 10. On the A-side, we have five tracks with one being the introduction “Storm of Damnation”. I typically don’t get into intros, outros, or instrumentals. It fits the atmosphere of the album, though.

The meat of the A-side and B-side are the eight tracks making up the bulk of the album. “Hades”, “Reaper”, “Necromansy”, and “Sacrifice” make up the stronger tracks on this album but I wouldn’t say either are the strongest track on the release. I consider “Hades” to be the opening track but the tunes “Necromansy” and “Sacrifice” are two songs that really ride.

Of those two, “Sacrifice” is the rockier of the two—or rather, it’s as rocky as songs about Satan, evil and sacrifices can be. That’s another thing about this album, it’s black metal in the truly old-school sense with lyrics that based around dated, simplistic views of evil and depictions of Satan and devil worship.

“Reaper” holds the honor of being the strongest track on the A-side. It rips and rides and could’ve easily been the opening track—and a ridiculously strong one.

Strongest Tracks: Necromansy, Reaper**, Sacrifice*

B-Side

Second verse, same as the first. These five tracks are still decent but the B-side has two tracks that sometimes require multiple listens for me to just really get into. “In Conspiracy with Satan” and “Raise the Dead” don’t hit on the first listen like “Reaper” or “Sacrifice” but they fit the atmosphere of the album. Now, the stronger tracks of “Armageddon” and “War” slam with “War” being my favorite track on Bathory and the strongest tune on the release. Some might go with “Reaper”—which slams—and that would be a pick worthy of the spot but “War” just really puts the bow on this debut.

I tend to rearrange tracklists to see if the album could’ve been a different party with the same songs. In Bathory’s case, I typically got a strong A-side that rocked hard as hell because “Reaper” and “War” were there. Go figure.

Overall, I’d say that this was a very good debut and Bathory got better with each release in the 1980s. An even better debut would’ve been The Return… but that album came about for reason. If the two album swapped release dates, Bathory would sound like a step back or stripping of established trappings.

“Hades” was a solid opener that lets you know what kind of party this is going to be. That’s the job of the opening track, after all. As I said before, “Reaper” would’ve been a stronger opening track but “Hades” does the job.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

My parents weren’t metalheads although they have heard it before. Both leaned more towards hard rock—the classic stuff that plays on your local Rock or The Eagle stations in U.S. You know, before it’s time to get the Led out. My father enjoyed Zappa, AC/DC, and actually rocked with Sir Elton John. Meanwhile, my mother enjoyed some Heart, Journey, and—as she got older—appreciated Maroon 5, Matchbox Twenty, and so on.

They both enjoyed Aerosmith and Blondie.

Growing Up with Black Rock Fans as Parents

Between the two, my father was the one who played rock music in the house regularly. He’d sit in the den, working on some car part or whatever behind the bar while playing blues and hard rock on the den’s radio or 8-track player.

The den was usually thick with cigarette smoke and seemed like a hole-in-the-wall spot—only with AC/DC’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap playing. He often wouldn’t allow us in the den when he was chilling and that’s either because of the nature of the music or that he was smoking—or both.

My parents were very adamant that we grew up happy but not troublesome. I remember that my mother didn’t allow us to say n***a in the house even though we were in high school and heard from our peers and even a few teachers to the point where it was normal.

Eventually, she would relent when we got older only for us to find out that she used it fairly regularly as well. One thing she didn’t play about was the rock music of the late 90s and early 00s.

20/20 and Satanic Concern

Now, I use “Satanic concern” because by the late 90s, the whole Satanic panic thing of the 70s and 80s was fading into the 90s. It still had sturdy roots throughout the South and there was very much a concern that edgier music such as gangsta rap and metal—at that time replaced with MTV’s nu-metal and aggressive rock—was making teenagers angrier and disruptive.

My mom wasn’t a fan of it in her house but didn’t discourage it. However, she viewed it in the more stereotypical sense of it being “Kill your mom, kill your dad” music. Also, older Black parents—especially ones raised in the church or who attended church—can be a bit superstitious at times and overly moral at others.

Now I’m not saying this wasn’t a lyrical theme or lyrics in some artist’s or band’s tunes in the late 90s and early 00s but I wasn’t listening to that kind of stuff. I will admit that a lot of what I listened to was on the angsty, violent end.

Hell, a lot of the metal I listen to now is either aggressive or violent in some way. What can I say? I like excitement in my music. I won’t lie, if she had been more strict, we probably would’ve been stuck with just gospel, pop and R&B in the house which would’ve been—yeah.

At any rate, it didn’t take long for her to accept that we all liked different music just play it in a headset or something. As a parent, she just didn’t want us reenacting what we heard or taking it as a way to live. Considering what I listened to at the time—that wasn’t happening. Lots of Slipknot, Insane Clown Posse, Three 6 Mafia, and Slayer throughout high school.

It’s just that at that time, there was a lot of stuff on television that would warn parents about “sullen, disinterested teens” and so on. It’s a mindset that persists 20 years later. I recently listened to an episode of the Snapped podcast and a case about a juggalette who killed her husband featured a detective or lawyer who noted that juggalos—the fans of the Insane Clown Posse and similar/related artists—were a gang.

Now, some juggalos are definitely involved in gang activity but the entire fanbase? It’s 2023. That’s like saying all metalheads, punks, or stoners are degenerates. That’s definitely a wide paintbrush being used on a fanbase or scene.

How did your parents handle your love or enjoyment of metal music or other music that wasn’t played in the house regularly? Share your story below and let us know what you listened to exactly at that time—genres or artists.

Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.