Around 1986, Thrash Metal was not only still fresh and fairly new, but also at its creative peak. Every week, a new band appeared on the scene with its first release and fed the need for speed. Some bands became huge, others remained an insider tip and over the years, those bands were forgotten or received a certain cult status. AT WAR were among the latter. The band hailed from Virginia, an area that never was even suspected to be a hot spot for Metal in general, and unleashed their first offering in 1985 in the form of a two-song demo tape. Very soon, the three piece got a record deal with the just started company New Renaissance Records who signed every Speed and Thrash Metal band that was not nailed down. The first AT WAR album “Ordered To Kill”, released in 1986, was the first result of this collaboration. It was an album that blew up some dust back in the days, as it was quite controversial. The cover photo already caused second-hand embarrassment, as the band posed in a forest just like some wannabe Rambo clones with rifles and dressed in camouflage. The NRA might have been amused, a lot of people were not and still are. It was in conjunction with the album’s title also a hint on some of the lyrics that were not really politically correct. The song ‘Ilsa (She-Wolf Of The S.S.)’ didn’t help either, yet the lyrics of this song were definitely not a glorification of the Nazi era in Germany. Musically, this album did not nearly gain that much attention, as AT WAR played a very simple kind of Speed / Thrash Metal. For those who aren’t familiar with the band, imagine a mix of early VENOM and early SLAYER, done with no frills or technical aspiration. With nearly four decades on its back, “Ordered To Kill” sounds a little bit outdated. For me, on the other hand, listening to songs like ‘Dawn Of Death’ or ‘Capitulation’ is a nice journey back into my youth. But I fear that this won’t help any AT WAR newbie to become a fan of the band. If you are too young to remember the band and dig simple, powerful and old fashioned Speed and Thrash Metal with a touch of MOTÖRHEAD (whose classic ‘The Hammer’ was covered quite competently on “Ordered To Kill”), you might still enjoy this first AT WAR album. Original pressings are of course sold out for ages, but the mighty High Roller Records have re-released “Ordered To Kill”, its successor “Retaliatory Strike” from 1988 and the already fifteen years old comeback album “Infidel” in their typical worthy way. For lack of more possible extras, this new edition features only the bonus song ‘Fuckadafi’ that was originally exclusively featured on the tape version of the album. To me, this is definitely enough of an extra, especially as the album was newly mastered by Patrick W. Engel at his Temple Of Disharmony studios, making the album sounding a punch more powerful. Moreover, the CD version comes with an additional slipcase and a one-sided album cover poster, for those who love bad pictures. For more, go to www.facebook.com/atwartheband or www.facebook.com/hrrecords