Realm
Endless War

Realm... Or: "With talent, conviction, and originality, you surely can't buy bread".

At the end of the eighties, the Thrash Metal scene was undergoing a period of complex transformation... I won't dwell on describing the situation in detail (and tediously), but suffice it to say that the desire for renewal and evolution was driving many bands, newbies and veterans alike, to find something that would prevent the genre from endlessly recycling itself and dying suffocated by its own stagnation. This quest led to qualitatively astounding results and heaps of nauseating musical garbage.

But here lies THE incomprehensible contradiction (at least for me): this manifest and clear desire for renewal was developing in the shadow of a scene incapable of modifying its hierarchical line and in the face of a conservative audience, not inclined toward stylistic variations. Mah!

Realm (previously known as Bloodhunt) were born and died in this nebulous, unstable climate, leaving behind an incredible debut and an excellent but less intense successor. Amidst modernist veins and devoted to melodic impact (which would eventually prevail) and several swan songs, Realm, true to their creed, chose the path of Techno-Thrash (where Techno stands for complexity, variety, and technique)... That path first illuminated and traveled in 1986 by the great Watchtower with their "Energetic Disassembly," which marked the beginning of the Thrash renewal and the approach to sonic technicality that flirted with unheard and distant realities (progressive, jazz, etc.), becoming a symbol of metallic belonging.

The miraculous year for the entire movement and all the evolutions that arose from Thrash was 1988 (the release year of "Endless War"), an ideal checkpoint between two ways of seeing and conceiving Thrash. Backed by a contract with Roadrunner won thanks to the demos "Perceptive Incentive" and "Final Solution" (1985-1986), Realm debut with an album that strengthens the stylistic avant-garde and technical innovation of the early Watchtower but at the same time (and here lies the greatness of this work) possesses an impact and "melodic" immediacy that makes such a complex work enjoyable and accessible.

Incredibly, Realm appear "fresh and genuine" like the produce from grandma's garden... A genuineness that leads to a clarity of intent that partly ties them to the Speed-Us Metal scene... A genuineness that instinctively and wonderfully merges with its antithesis par excellence: the absolute and ostentatious awareness and exultation of their instrumental prowess and excellent technical skills. It all converges into such a natural conviction that it immediately distances itself from that unpleasant, sterile, and cold neurotic complexity, often pointless, which (alas) will differentiate some bands of the time (to name one: Deathrow of "Deception Ignored" from the same year) and all those groups that make instrumental technique their strong suit (who said Progressive Metal???... Well done!).

The kingdom of Realm is a world governed with stern and calculated rationality, a precise, delineated world, but at the same time characterized by uncertain and nebulous borders encompassing many realities (Thrash, Prog, Power, Blues?!?) and vast unexplored territories. It all manifests as a lucid and distorted fresco of tracks, each more beautiful than the last. A painting of sharp and precise colors, sometimes in stark contrast, that when meeting, blur in a strong and dangerous embrace balancing innovative tones and clear artistic references. Realm prove to be expert equilibrists, and perhaps "balance" is the key word to best describe their music: suspended on the thin wire of Thrash, swaying dangerously between progressive improvisations and US Metal quadratures, between nervous flair and furious weight, between immediacy and variety, between sacred and profane, in a mad and perfect blend, rarely heard at the time. Surprising is the fact that this manic and neurotic "balance" is maintained throughout the album, revealing a maturity and a personality that almost makes us forget we are facing a debut.

Our heroes play with song structure while still clinging to it firmly, impose an expressive elegance on sonic violence, arousing and creating palpable tension between fast and perfectly interlocked time changes ("Endless War", "All Heads Will Turn To The Hunt", "This House is Burning"); mitigate explosive anger with claustrophobic, well-crafted, and complex arrangements, inflated with excellent use of melody ("Slay to Oppressor", "Fate's Wind"); introduce and make acoustic breaks, accelerations, decelerations, furious structures, and more relaxed moments play with each other ("Root of Evil", "Second Coming"); they abandon themselves to uncontrolled and uncontrollable moments (the mad "Mang" and "Poisoned Minds"); and for a moment, just a moment, they leave behind the beloved "song form" to get lost in progressive structures with a distant bluesy flavor forming attractive and innovative "collages" of sound where unpredictability, impact, and technique find their meeting point, yet without distorting the incredible compositional and melodic coherence ("Eminence"... the atmosphere of this song can be courageously likened to the reasoned, emotional, and unpredictably structured approach of a masterpiece like "The Sound of Perseverance" by the never too mourned Schuldiner). Everything is so powerful and convincing that the Speed-Thrash rendition of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" does not pale at all and blends well with the rest of the work.

In short, a meticulous and heartfelt work, highlighting the perfect preparation of the five elements and markedly emphasizing the skill of the axe duo Paul Laganowski-Takis Kinis (the latter the real mind of the group) and the theatrical vocal abilities of Mark Antoni, able to easily switch from more "theatrical" tones to high and corrosive falsettos, without forgetting the precise and creative work of the rhythm section Steve Post-Mike Olson. The group's potential finds its full expression in this work... A work where determination, impact, variety, captivating melody, and elegant technique reign supreme, and where all uncertainties and naivety are banned (present in my opinion, just to draw a comparison, in Toxic's World Circus?). A healthy rivalry matured in the environment between Realm and the aforementioned Toxic, who were compared in terms of technical depth and Thrash innovation... Beaten at the debut, Toxic would take a nice revenge the following year with their masterpiece "Think This" (but that's another story).

Subsequently, the band, trying not to repeat themselves and evolve their sound, released "Suiciety", a very pleasant work pushing more on (cold) technique and intricate and complex structures, losing a bit of the genuineness-accessibility that had made "Endless War" great (but that's yet ANOTHER story). Subsequently, the band wouldn't reap the fruits of their efforts, the great Grunge assassin would arrive, and for Realm, there would be no choice but to disband (but that's truly ANOTHER story).

Anyone sampling this exquisite Thrash stew will gradually get lost in discovering its various nuances and aftertastes and, in the end, can only compliment the "chefs" who, with such skill, managed to offer a rich, flavorful, and complex meal.

Too bad (really) for the scarcity of tips.