Forbidden
Distortion

The early '90s are a turning point for thrash metal. Perhaps one might even say it marks the death point if by thrash we mean the pure, fresh, raw, fast, instinctive kind born from a mixture of NWOBHM and punk and speed influences that arose between the Bay Area of San Francisco and New York in the early eighties. The various bands that brought this genre of music to success increasingly moved away from their original sound toward the end of the century to explore different sounds, some to incorporate characteristics of new emerging genres (grunge, alternative, industrial), some to introduce elements of other rock genres (blues, psychedelia, country), and some trying to get closer to extreme metal sounds. In any case, these modernizations, if they can be called that, have certainly divided thrashers around the world, creating a divide between purists of the genre and "filomodernists."

The album in question is the third studio work of Forbidden, a group belonging to the second wave of thrash Bay Area which, with their first two beautiful albums, initially played Slayer-like thrash (in "Forbidden Evil"), then a thrash more inspired by bands like Metallica and Testament (in "Twisted Into Form"), revealing themselves as a band of good caliber, characterized by the very distinctive voice of their singer Anderson and the excellent work behind the drums by Bostaph, not to mention the excellent technique of the other members.

As many of you might have guessed from reading the above lines, the album in question has little to do with those two beautiful historic works. "Distortion" is a post-thrash album (or modern thrash, if you prefer, in any case different from what real thrash is) that has absorbed a lot of sounds, vocal and rhythmic patterns typical of a monotonous, repetitive, and cold alternative-industrial sound.

The question now arises spontaneously: what should an album of this type contain, and how should it be to appeal to thrash lovers, as I believe most of those who purchased this album and you who are reading this review are? I'll try to imagine... if speed and fluidity of sound are now utopian, well I would at least expect originality, variety in musical themes, and above all an unmistakable personal touch that gives me the ability, when listening to a song from this album, to say: yes, these are Forbidden, they are recognizable right away. But in this album, in my opinion, there is nothing like that. The answer to the question is not easy because each thrasher will have, among other genres, their personal favorites. Probably the most convenient thing to do to answer the question is a comparison. So, among all the albums produced by thrash bands in the post-thrash period, where can "Distortion" be placed? My personal answer is low, very low. It lacks not only all those minimal elements I listed above, but also for other reasons: the album is boring and monotonous, at times annoying, few tracks stand out from the others and none shine with superior quality, and I absolutely do not believe that the reason is the consistently high average of the compositions, quite the opposite.

First of all, let's take a look at the line-up. It differs from "Twisted Into Form" only for the drummer (we find Locicero and Calvert on guitars and Camacho on bass, along with the aforementioned Anderson on vocals). And it is immediately noticeable from the first notes of the opening song, the title track, how Bostaph's beautiful patterns are now but a memory. Listening to this piece, vocal distortions and sounds are immediately noticeable, ones you would expect to find more in groups like Godsmack or Marilyn Manson. The track is really annoying and repetitive to the max. The second song, "Hypnotized By The Rhythm", is better at least rhythmically, but then, like the previous one, it gets lost in ugly and useless choruses only to end with a confusing and obsessive vocal phase truly befitting of any alternative group. The third track, "Rape", further confirms that Forbidden didn't have very clear ideas and that what they wanted to say they had already said in the first two albums. Only three tracks have passed, but already the feeling is that the album was recorded solely to satisfy the record label in question (Fierce Records, in fact).

Fourth track: "No Reason", same story. I don't even want to dwell on this episode as the only thing the band manages to bring out with the usual backing chorus accompanying the main voice is a Noooo noooo nooooo noooo noooo nooooo.... which immediately prompts the listener to make it their own as it can quite well be the scream one might make upon listening to this album. The fifth song, "Feed The Hand", seems, at least in the first 4 minutes, better than the previous ones. You hear more doom-like atmospheres and later closer to thrash, although not very fast; after a minute with the usual unfortunate repetitions, the track at the end becomes pleasant again, overall resulting in being passable. With the sixth piece, "Wake Up!", Forbidden remembers somewhere in the recesses of their mind that they used to be a thrash metal band. And so the drums and guitars do decent work, but Anderson's inappropriate interpretation immediately halts his companions, reminding them that the thrash period is over and thus the annoying chorus is back again at the end of the song. "Minds 'I'" follows, slower and less aggressive, at times almost like a ballad. Here Anderson sings well, and the track isn't bad. I would say it's the second passable piece of the album. In "All That Is", incredibly, there's the first solo of the album worthy of being called such. It's one of the few songs that recall thrash elements and has an interesting slightly gothic atmosphere. The penultimate song "Undertaker" doesn't even make sense to comment on. I refer only back to what I stated about the first tracks, saying only that this piece is perhaps, along with the first, the absolute worst. Interesting and beautiful, however, is the cover of "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson. The album closes with a short, slow, sweet, calm, and pleasant instrumental ghost-track.

In closing, I can't help but reiterate my disappointment over a dramatic compositional decline of the band after the glories of their beginnings. In the great book of thrash's death, most of those who invented it and brought it to prominence are listed among the authors. And Forbidden are no exception. If you want to give such a book the title "Evolution of Thrash," the authors will be the same. Only the point of view would change. And, in that case, probably the rating I gave to this album wouldn't be the same either.

Tracklist:

1) Distortion - 5:57

2) Hypnotized By The Rhythm - 4:55

3) Rape - 5:21

4) No Reason - 6:23

5) Feed The Hand - 6:41

6) Wake Up! - 3:57

7) Minds "I" - 4:30

8) All That Is - 4:17

9) Undertaker - 6:23

10) 21st Century Schizoid Man - 11:08