Aspid
Extravasation

The context: Post-Soviet Russia, A.D. 1992.

Who: four young men blessed with an indescribable musical talent.

It is with these premises that I find myself discussing Aspid, a Russian band that, like many, would have been born, lived (briefly), and died in total obscurity if not, many years later, "rediscovered"; by few people, to be clear, but still more than before. And for this reason, true fans of technical thrash metal consider them one of the best groups, as well as the most underrated. I am not exactly one of them, but I feel the same way. Because, back in the already-mentioned 1992, these guys put their immense skills into practice and debuted with "Extravasation", or "?????????????", if you prefer the original title. Indeed, Aspid always sang in Russian (which understandably makes comprehension difficult), but in the first of the two remasters (dated 2007), the titles were translated into English, and I will use them as well. The story behind this edition, by Stigmartyr and ant[ICON], is controversial, as it is probably unofficial and sped up to disguise the noises of the original vinyl. So, just this past April, the newly established Metal Race, a Russian old-style metal label, decided to start by remastering records of old glories from their country; among these, Daj and indeed Aspid. I was also fortunate enough to snag one of the 500 copies, this time authorized and faithfully extracted from the old audiocassettes and very close to the original. What else to say? Let's delve into more detail now.

As mentioned, Aspid consists of four members. But each did only his part: a singer, a bassist, a drummer, and, above all, A guitarist. Trust me, that's enough. Because Alexander Sidorchik is the epitome of guitar acrobatics, extracting as much as possible from a regular six-string, with the undeniable asset of producing extremely technical solos that are, even more importantly, smooth and cohesive. For this reason, he also makes space for bassist Vladimir Pyzhenkov, who stands out for a notably unconventional sound and frequent deviations from the guitarist's theme. And then, there's Vasiliy Shapovalov on the skins, a very fast drummer with a varied style, enriched with fills of all kinds, often making many moments of the same track different from one another. Finally, I would also pause on Vitaliy Holopov, a singer who is never banal, mastering various types of screams, hints of growl, up to high notes of remarkable stature. A formation you don't see every day. And if it's born in Volgodonsk, rest assured it will not be talked about.

And now, the album. The introduction consists of haunting atmospheres that perfectly fit the context and prepare the listener for what is to come. In fact, an equally eerie scream introduces the second track, "It Came (Aspid)"/"?? ?????? (?????)", which immediately showcases the group's peculiarities. The dry riff of the verses is accompanied twice by the simple chorus, before giving way to a wide instrumental section, adorned with a solo that should (or rather, should have) remained in the annals of metal. I will add nothing more here; I invite you simply to listen to it, although for reasons of time constraints, I could not upload the previous part as well. Caught up? Back into the abyss with "Towards One Goal"/"? ???? ?????", introduced by a calmer-than-ever bass and the usual scream to awaken the atmosphere. The attack is typically thrash, just like the structure of the song itself, before it becomes a battle once again: Shapovalov's long drum solo introduces us to a devastating riff, and then to another superb solo, skillfully completed by Sidorchik. And now, it's time for the slow track: indeed, no one is spared from the slow song. But such an adjective is not the most appropriate for "Give Me"/"??? ???", which must be understood in its entirety. The first part, with its cadenced rhythms, is suddenly broken, and Sidorchik outdoes himself in two solos, one at great speed and the other at insane speed, making you forget you were slightly distracted in the first part. It closes with a nice chat in Russian, increasingly incomprehensible, and a bit of chaos to fade out; I don't know about you, but it immediately reminded me of "Crippling Velocity" by the masters Demolition Hammer, given that there are also background screams. Either way, we arrive at "Hey, You!"/ "??, ??!". Experience has told me that songs with this name are always great: so far, it has been true for Pink Floyd and the Exies, and now also for Aspid. Barrages of double bass support the shortest track of the album, just over four minutes, sacrificing some sung parts to make room for a central riff of obligatory headbanging and Sidorchik's very fast and furious solo. Also, therefore, this one gets full marks. The sixth track is the one I'm a little more attached to, being the first one I heard. But not only for this reason, because "Where The Night"/"??? ??? ????" can be defined as a summary of everything our guys have to offer: immediately a fast bass line (which will dominate for the rest of the song), followed by an intro whipped by two deadly accelerations, until the attack riff, almost two minutes in, purely thrash; we certainly can't exclude the blast beat chorus and the double pedal carpet after the usual guitar solo. This is a track that does not waste time, and you can tell. We are at the penultimate "Comatose State"/"?????????? ?????????", which doesn't add anything new, but nevertheless remains valid, supported once again by an unstoppable Shapovalov, very varied in his approach. Finally, the title track. What to expect? Simply seven minutes of pure instrumental thrash, where more than ever there's an open battle among the other three members of the group. Many emotions flow through this piece, which feels like a journey you'd wish would never end. But unfortunately, without noticing, it's already over.

Dear young (and not so young), describing this album without a dose of admiration and at the same time of melancholy is impossible. There are grounds to speak of a true forgotten gem of thrash metal, buried under the dust of more than twenty years. Yes, because Aspid disbanded, no one knows when, no one knows why, without ever releasing any other works (except for the track "War"/"?????", contained in a Soviet metal compilation, distant from the others but with the Aspid mark still shining through). And only many years later, a yet unfinished, tribute was paid to their undisputed abilities, as they could have contributed greatly to metal. But who knows, perhaps their misfortune was to play in such a historical-political context. Because the train of popularity often passes only once. And in this case, that time never came.