Dave Rotten, main man behind the Spanish label Xtreem Music, seems to be one of the busiest guys around right now. Once again, he dug out a forgotten band. This time it’s Spanish Thrash Metal pioneers FUCK OFF, who released two albums ("Another Sacrifice" and "Hell On Earth") and an untitled 7" in their first period of existence from 1986 to 1990. They reunited in 2010, but haven’t released anything new yet. This CD is a compilation of all the songs from their first album "Another Sacrifice", leaving out a cover version of SLAYER’s ‘Black Magic’, and their 7", both released in 1988. On the label page I read, that the versions found here are different from the original releases, alternative takes with a better sound. But they still sound like old school Thrash anyway… FUCK OFF might have had a strong stand in the Spanish scene back then, but the rest of the world hardly recognized them. And it’s not hard to understand why. The majority of the songs were too tame and quite a little uninspired, like the whole Thrash scene around that time. Songs like ‘No Return’ or ‘Born To Die’ weren’t that bad, but they miss the final kick in the face. Just two songs really gained my attention. ‘Sueño Maldito’ is the only one sung in Spanish language, giving the song its own special character. The single B-side ‘Fuck Off’, so to say the band anthem, is the only song here that doesn’t sound like Bay Area Thrash Metal, but has a touch of NUCLEAR ASSAULT and a punky attitude as well. But two nice songs don’t make a great record, and even though the idea is laudable, I fear this record will never be a classic which belongs in every household. Those of you who still listen to bands like ACROPHET or ATROPHY should give them a chance anyway and check: www.facebook.com/grupo.fukkoff?fref=ts or www.xtreemmusic.com

I still can remember when I got the debut album by Spanish Thrashers FUCK OFF in the late 80s on vinyl. It was always a bit difficult to get hold of records from Spain either due bad distribution of the bands’ labels, rather limited quantities or being sold just locally. This Barcelona based outfit was without any doubts one of the pioneers when it comes to a more extreme kind of music from Spain. Along with hordes like LEGION or MURO this squad gave the hungry Thrashers from the Iberian peninsula some delicious stuff to headbang to. The first album "Another Sacrifice" is a well sought vinyl these days and not that easy to find. So it was quite overdue that these recordings were finally banned on CD. As you have probably noticed the album title differs from the original one. That’s because the original mastertape is still under copyright so for the re-release another take from the recording sessions had to used for it. Surprisingly (and lucky for us) this other take sounds much heavier and more powerful then the take which was used for the release of "Another Sacrifice" which seemed a little bit too polished in the final mix. The guitars sound much more aggressive and violent here and I ask myself why these recordings haven’t been used before as the production is much better. The disc contains eight tracks from "Another Sacrifice" from 1988 (the cover version from SLAYER’S ‘Black Magic’ was left out here) and the two tunes from their 1987 7" simply titled "Fuck Off". The music is a nice blend of 80s Thrash Metal with some Speed Metal influences. Excellent craftmanship in the guitar department (great leads, sharp riffing) with solid drum work. The vocal performance of frontman Joe is also much better on this release compared to the actual album which seemed to be a little bit without balls. The voice is even stronger on ‘Suenos Maldito’ the only track sung in Spanish which is a cool and catchy tune. The booklet comes with plenty of photos, interviews and flyers from the good old days and also features liner notes by Pep Casas. Really a nice package and essential for all old school Thrashers who would like to indulge themselves into the Spanish history of Thrash. Tracks like ‘Maniac’, ‘No Return’ , ‘Born To Die’ or ‘The Last Flight’ deserve to be heard again… very enjoyable, lost gems and timeless. By the way: the band was reformed in 2010 and some new material can be expected soon. So watch out for it! For further info or ordering details check out www.myspace.com/pionerosdelthrash or www.xtreemmusic.com.