Speedway / The Day After
(Mausoleum Records)
59:13min
Mausoleum are really back – maybe stronger than ever! To celebrate their 20th anniversary, they’ve decided to reissue most of their back catalogue, releasing two albums on one CD most of the time. BLACKLACE, OSTROGOTH, KILLER, CROSSFIRE and most of all WARHEAD got that treatment. While WARHEAD were certainly the less well known act out of the bunch I mentioned, they were definitively the fastest / heaviest and best act out of them all and Mausoleum best signing ever! I mean CROSSFIRE, OSTROGOTH and the likes don’t stand a chance against the ravaging fury WARHEAD delivered. Didier Capelle was a dream guitar player for any band around considering the ability he had to write sharp / catchy / devastating riffs all the way. While their sheer brilliance wasn’t yet that evident on "Speedway" as there was some immature arrangements at times and Patrick De Vidts vocals weren’t that hot (don’t take me wrong most of this album still shreds!), "The Day After" is another story as it’s nothing but sheer brilliance all the way (except ‘Last Night’ which sounds somewhat like a filler and is too long) as the riffing is simply untouchable here and as never been equalled again in Europe when it comes to Power / Speed Metal bands. I mean you can’t go wrong with songs such as ‘Evil Night’, ‘Legions Of Hell’, ‘Devil’s Church’ and the totally awesome title track (well I agree the song titles can make you laugh but it was ’86!), godly Speed Metal. Get that right away, put your headphones on and enjoy this at maximum volume and then try to tell me that CROSSFIRE and the likes were superior haha (by the way, trivia fans will be interested to know that Patrick sung with CROSSFIRE after Peter De Wint left them in the late ’80s and Patrick is back in the reformed CROSSFIRE now!). GODS!
Laurent Ramadier