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Rating: Line-up:
Dave White - Vocals
Lee Altus - Guitar
Doug Piercy - Guitar
Marc Biedermann - Bass
Darren Minter - Drums
Label: Roadrunner Records
The year is 1991, precisely in the Bay Area of San Francisco, a place where myriads of Thrash Metal bands have formed. Among these bands are Heathen, who after debuting with the beautiful 'Breaking The Silence' (1987), bring to light one of the most colossal and phenomenal albums of the entire genre: 'Victims Of Deception'.
The album in question was born in an unfortunate period, the 90s, which represent the decade of decline for Heavy Metal in general, in favor of a phenomenon known as Grunge. To tackle this inconvenience, bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Testament, etc., preferred to shelve their old sounds in favor of more radio-friendly material to keep up with the times. However, Heathen maintained their Thrash Sound, but with something more: a monstrous technique. Victims Of Deception is not at all a canonical and traditional Thrash Metal album; it's not just sound violence for its own sake, but a complex, intricate, highly technical and damn engaging album. It could be described as Progressive Thrash or Technical Thrash, as the affinities with bands like Megadeth, Toxik, Dark Angel, and Coroner are quite evident here, not to mention a slight influence of Anthrax, especially in David White's singing, which vaguely resembles Joey Belladonna's. I would define this album as a combination of the complexity and length of Time Does Not Heal (Dark Angel) and the power of Among The Living (Anthrax).
I consider this album a masterpiece, if not only for the excessive length of the tracks, which slightly weighs on the immediacy and for the presence of some fillers that completely clash in an album of this kind, such as the Rainbow cover 'Kill The King'.
But let's do a Track By Track analysis: the album opens with Hypnotized, which immediately presents itself as one of the best tracks on the album; preceded by an intro where you hear an obsessive voice, almost intent on hypnotizing the listener. The song aims to condemn, in a certain sense, religion that manipulates the minds of human beings, preventing them from thinking with their own heads. After the long intro, the song finally starts, revealing itself to be extremely engaging thanks to the devastating and ultra-technical riffs of Lee Altus, all accompanied by White’s beautiful voice, which fits perfectly with the sound proposed. Immediately, another of the best tracks of the album kicks in, "Opiate Of The Masses", a stunning track, more paced compared to the first song, but decidedly more lethal. I challenge any respectable Thrasher to resist Headbanging, which here seems to come out almost naturally. Closing the initial trio of the best tracks of the album is Heathen's Song, a semi-ballad that is simply exciting. Introduced by an arpeggio vaguely reminiscent of the song "Beneath The Remains" by Sepultura, it immediately stands out for Dave White's ability to range his voice from the angrier singing of the previous songs to a much more melodic singing. As I said, it's a Semi-Ballad, as the other part of the song picks up the power previously experienced. After the fantastic trio comes the Rainbow cover 'Kill The King', which I find quite useless, it feels out of place with the general sound of the album, and given the band's capabilities, I would have preferred another original song instead of a filler cover, which fits well in other types of albums in my humble opinion. They recover with Fear Of The Unknown, where the great skills of bassist Marc Biedermann are showcased. Prisoners Of Fate is another very beautiful ballad. The album continues with Morbid Curiosity, a great song with a fast and pounding rhythm. Guitarmony is an amazing instrumental, dominated by the guitars of Lee Altus and Doug Percy, who with great mastery display a beautiful solo. With Mercy Is No Virtue, they return to the majesty of the first 3 tracks, as I consider it the fourth best song of the entire album, incredibly powerful, fast, with a hair-raising solo, simply inhuman. The album closes with Timeless Cell Of Prophecy, actually a bonus track.
What else can I say, I hope I've convinced you to give it a listen. Absolutely don't miss this masterpiece that I recommend to all Thrash lovers and others.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Hypnotized (08:35)
[Altus/White]
Masses form into religion to fulfill their lives
Seeking answers in the bible, hear their helpless cries
Mindlessly, no thought, they follow false prophets of the flesh
Depend on the spirit of the One to grant their every wish
[Pre-Chorus:]
It's not too late to change your fate
You must control your own mind
You're the only one that can release you
It's yourself you've got to find
[Chorus:]
Fools give money to the church to earn their place with God
In our eyes it's contradiction and religious fraud
Hypnotized by what they say
Your mind is under their control
Hypnotized you will obey
Your fate will soon be called
You must make your own decision of what you think is real
Your soul was given on to you and not for these thieves to steal
Don't be fooled by these hypnotic forces, they will rob you blind
There is no excuse for their actions
Making a mockery of mankind
[Repeat Pre-Chorus & Chorus]
Masses form into religion to fulfill their lives
Seeking answers in the bible, hear their helpless cries
Don't be fooled by these hypnotic forces, they will rob you blind
There is no excuse for their actions
Making a mockery of mankind
[Repeat Pre-Chorus & Chorus]
02 Opiate of the Masses (07:51)
[Altus/White]
The future is scarred by the bloodstained past
Haunted by disgrace
Holy wars that are never ending
Forever fight of faith
Don't accuse these meaningless symbols
Created by mankind
Will they recognize their own creation?
Can they be so blind?
Fools manipulating all they see
Cruel as the world can be
Cries of pain as the tortured souls
whither away into the dust
Power is the fix
And man is drawn to it
The illness and the lies
The virus never dies
To captivate the minds of the masses
Tell them what they want to hear
And for those who will oppose you
They will live in fear
Domination your favorite sensation
Operated by remote control
In your hands are the lives of the helpless
Their fate they'll never know
Fools manipulating all they see
Cruel as the world can be
Cries of pain as the tortured souls
Whither away into the dust
Power is the fix
And man is drawn to it
No matter the cost of what's won or lost
Addiction planted the seed
That sprouted the tree of greed
The illness and the lies
The virus never dies
Control your own destiny
Get rid of insecurity
There's little truth in what they say
Don't let 'em steal your life away
Power
To this world brings death and destruction
Leaving the earth in decay
Money
Breeds organized crime and corruption
Who says that crime doesn't pay?
Greed The green-seeking virus that spreads
And manifests your selfish needs
Spreading the addiction
Man's own contradiction
When it's themselves that they deceive
05 Fear of the Unknown (07:08)
Superstition creeps within
They alter what we hold in our perception
Our subconscious stores the clues
To what is in our mind and what is real
Pre-Chorus:
No one knows the reason
No one has the key
To unlock the door of this mystery
Will we ever find out?
Will we ever see?
What's behind the curtain of perplexity?
Chorus:
So many things in life we just can't explain
There is so much that's still unclear
If we dare to enter the forbidden zone
We'd no longer feel the fear of the unknown
Images of the unseen
Wander through our imagination
It's all so strange, the wonder of it all
Our hopes and fears, the rise and falls
Repeat Pre-Chorus & Chorus
This unseen power mystifies the hour
Transforms the blue skies to red
The howling moon is calling
As the dead of night is falling
These spirits dance upon our souls
Sometimes you can feel it
You might not believe it; but things happen that
we can't control
Nothing has changed
It's still the same
Unanswered questions will remain
06 Prisoners of Fate (06:21)
[Altus/White]
There's got to be a solution
There must be a cure
Something to get me through this confusion
What will it take to set me free?
The time that's passed is full of frustration
So much to tell, but no words to say
I've suffered enough and my dues are paid
No turning back now
I'm on my way
When I look back I see
A time of misery
At times it seemed that it would never end
[Chorus:]
Life is a gamble
No matter how you play the game
Roll the dice and take your chances
Win or lose it doesn't matter
'Cause there's no escape
When you're a prisoner of fate
Anything is possible
But nothing is ever really sure
Not always knowing what's wrong or right
Your only choice is to decide
I stand alone in the pouring rain
I just had to say
Capture the moment before it's gone
You've got the strength to carry on
I was condemned to feel
This pain that's so unreal
The chains that bind me are behind me know
[Repeat Chorus]
Once I was lost in the abyss
No longer could I go on like this
[Repeat Chorus]
Prisoners of fate <i>[4x]
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By Psycroptic
This album is highly recommended to those who were disappointed by the black album in 1991.
If you love Metallica (the real ones, drunk and pissed), this album will present you with more than one pleasant surprise.
