Forbidden
Green

"..Don't tell me that I'm all alone, I choose the path I take
Choose the path I take, chose to stay awake.."

These few words, contained in one of the tracks of this forgotten gem often buried under crap, fully represent the spirit of "Green", the fourth and last full-length marked Forbidden. On one side, there is disillusionment and anger that a man can generate within himself, the kind that makes you cry and bleed, choosing solitude over the vile submission to the system's rules, this world made of nothing, the hypocrisy of a nice suit and a damn face. On the other side, there is the refusal to follow well-trodden paths with highly revered works such as the beloved "Forbidden Evil" and "Twisted Into Form", and the controversial "Distortion", preferring to rework the various influences and maturity acquired, without which no band would have reason to exist, with courage, risking sales flop (which unfortunately happened, a factor that contributed to the band's split) and a strong rejection by the audience. Then, coming out with such a record in '96 did the rest; many know that Thrash metal during those years was experiencing a deep crisis... but some of the more attentive also know that it is actually what they want us to believe. Even if we declare ourselves lovers of metal and niche music, we often foolishly fall victim to the mainstream and "dominant thought" (a nod to the opening verses of the review).

Without mincing words, the album is a masterpiece, repeated listens (many, I assure you) do not even slightly diminish the impact and emotional charge of the tracks. The beginning is misleading yet spot-on, a slow and enveloping track, especially in the vocal melodies of a highly inspired Russ Anderson, gives the impression every second that it's about to explode, and yet like a mantra, it crawls to the final seconds; at times it almost resembles a post-grunge track (almost inspired by the best Alice In Chains) reinterpreted the Forbidden way. The real beginning is after the first two and a half minutes of the first track, starting with a series of overwhelming pieces where rhythmic chaos dominates. Here we have an already modern approach, typical of post-thrash; no longer purely Speed tempos, but a continuous series of slower moments and devastating pattern changes nervously alternated with more sustained and complex ones. Steven Jacobs's drumming is practically perfect, very varied and powerful, supported by the excellent Matt Camacho on bass. There is no need to reiterate the high technical prowess of these musicians, nor to praise the qualities of guitarists Craig Locicero (who took part in the European tour alongside the late Schuldiner supporting the release of "Individual Thought Patterns" by Death) and Tim Calvert (who played with Nevermore during the "Dreaming Neon Black" period, a band that certainly does not hide the importance Forbidden had, especially with "Distortion", in the maturation of their sound). The riffing is chaotic, at times dissonant, highlighting a wide range of influences; from Voivod (yet again!... it must mean something!) to Pantera, to the hardest hardcore, without forgetting what they represented with late '80s releases. All seasoned with solos crafted ad hoc, less present than in previous works due to the completely new mood of "Green", but more unsettling and disturbed, and furthermore, noises, samples, spoken vocals, and scratches that complete this abstract painting of metropolitan decay. Everything is well concocted, as is the production, powerful, dirty enough and naturally with more compressed sounds than in the past. Certainly not forgetting Anderson who here showcases his best performance ever, truly inspired, extremely varied, and interpretative, excellent both in the clean parts and the rougher, more aggressive sections, shaking off the names they used to compare him to in the early works (Araya and Halford above all). What I've always loved about this singer is the ability to create great vocal parts that stick with you without boring you, even after repeated listens; unlike a Warrell Dane, who despite recognizing his absolute greatness and uniqueness (I adore his voice and Nevermore), isn't always easy to listen to, sometimes (at least as far as I'm concerned) he seems to become pedantic and tiresome.

In conclusion, this is the most intense and complex album by Forbidden, not so much for an excessively intricate instrumental work, but for a more chaotic and deviant approach, and it is at the same time the most mature and personal record. An angry, devastating, intelligent, and inspired work that was ahead of its time and unfortunately wasn't given much consideration, given the crap metal-core offers us today. My advice is to rediscover this post-thrash pearl, even for those who already know and have hastily shelved "Green", as now you have the chance to listen to it with a different ear.

P.S. To date, the band is active again with Glen Alvelais (already in "Forbidden Evil") replacing Calvert and the great Gene Hoglan on drums. I don't know the band's discography plans, but if we are lucky enough to hear new material, I hope they start again from the coordinates of this splendid "Green".