Mandator
Initial Velocity

After releasing their debut album, titled "The Rules Have Been Disturbed," the Mysto Dysto, proud standard-bearers of Dutch thrash, decided to change their name to Mandator; the reason for this choice has been lost in history, and I could not find any information about it, but perhaps the fact that the namesake guitar distortion pedal had a bad reputation could have been a good incentive. Nonetheless, this change did not affect the band's activity as they continued to keep the metal flag flying high in their homeland, alongside bands like Pestilence and Thanatos, releasing in 1988 their second actual album called "Initial Velocity."

The style proposed by the group alternates classic European thrash with mid-80s speed (like "Walls of Jericho" for instance) throughout the tracklist, with the balance leaning towards one of the two (sub)genres depending on the individual songs. The assault begins right away with the opener "Attila," which along with "Faces of Death" and "Posers" represents the more aggressive side of the band's sound, where the thrash component takes center stage, yet also the more conventional and less personal. In contrast, there are other songs, much closer to speed, that feature catchier choruses and more attention to melody and atmosphere changes, allowing the group to stand out against the multitude of bands from neighboring Germany. One can mention the varied "Evil Dead," in which singer Peter Meijering showcases all his versatility, the semi-ballad "I Will Be Your Last," placed at the end, unlike what Metallica did with various "Fade to Black" and "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)," the epic and martial "Jack Boots and Leather Caps," but above all the splendid "Black Rose," which starts as a classic speed song only to slow down in a finale of rare emotional intensity. As for the production, it is definitely not perfect, but considering it is an 80s thrash record, it is normal and fitting for it to be so.

While it is not a masterpiece, due to the presence of some less convincing episodes, "Initial Velocity" is a long-lasting album in terms of listening thanks to the compositional diversity that characterizes it and the aforementioned alternation between speed and thrash parts, which is found for the last time in a work by the group, since the subsequent "Perfect Progeny" is a 100% thrash album, and unfortunately, also the last from this underrated band that failed to gain the recognition it deserved.