Review by Felix on July 29, 2019.

Dear friends, 

- get your bicycle, 
- drive to the next record store, 
- see a Repka artwork, 
- buy the album in a matter of seconds, 
- drive home on the shortest way, 
- do not say hello to your parents, 
- put the vinyl on your turntable immediately and 
- start to listen, bang your head and play air guitar. 

You guessed it, this is how the eighties worked. One of these albums was the debut of Vio-lence with the pretty individual vocals of Sean Kilian. While pressing many words in a line, he uses his normal voice and avoids high-pitched screams as well as an absolutely insane approach. Admittedly, he sees no sense in changing the pitch and he sounds less expressive than Paul Baloff or Russ Anderson. Nevertheless, his contribution adds value to the full-length, even though the guitar work is, of course, the crucial factor. Eternal Nightmare sounds as fresh and spontaneous as the first thrash albums that had been released a few years before. Its songs are not overly brutal, and they also do not overemphasize the technical skills of the musicians, but the output is built on a more than stable thrash fundament. This is remarkable, because some parts of the material have a pretty mid-paced approach. However, the guitars add more than just the necessary dose of sharpness.

The dudes from California did not focus on a high degree of catchiness. The great background vocals of "Bodies on Bodies" keep sticking in the ear. The band uses this stylistic device occasionally, but here it appears as a really strong weapon. The staccato shouting of the gang lends the song a special flavour. Yet this catchy element remains an exception. Vio-lence follow the pure rule of thrash metal. They let the riffs do the talking and it is almost needless to mention that these riffs have an impact. The guitars paint a dark and sinister picture, while Kilian tells his stories of death and paranoia. No doubt, this combination works excellently, although the quintet is not immune against a few instrumental parts which are going nowhere. However, usually the band forms strong sequences and the opening title track does not only profit from a triumphant yet evil introduction. This feast of rasping guitars marks a very strong beginning and underlines the rather progressive than primitive approach of the dudes. But don't get me wrong when reading the word progressive - Vio-lence were light years away from formations such as Watchtower. They just did not prefer conventional song patterns while flirting with complexity, sometimes more, sometimes less.

Maybe this is the reason why exactly their shortest track, "Serial Killer" fails to hit the bull's eye. It's no bad song, but compared with the more multi-layered pieces, it lacks dynamic and coarse elegance. On the other end of the quality scale, one finds "Bodies on Bodies" with its impulsive beginning, its meticulously designed configuration and the precisely working background choirs I already mentioned. They ensure the song's great finale. Even the malicious "Phobophobia" cannot fully keep up with this highlight, albeit it benefits from constantly outstanding riffs, leads and lines. By the way, all songs rely on a great production. This is the authentic sound of the sub-genre - and this means among other things that the bass guitar does not play a prominent part, but I don't care. So, what is left to say? People who enjoy the debut of Forbidden are well advised to check this classic that conveys the spirit of thrash successfully. 

Too bad that 
- my bicycle is rusted, 
- the vast majority of record stores has not survived and 
- some medias try to tell us that shit such as Sabaton is great. 

Why the hell did the eighties come to an end?

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by Michael on May 18, 2023.

With Prey the Dutch guys and a gals deliver a pretty cool and very bombastic debut album which came out on Listenable Records. You can tell immediately that they are not some newcomers, but musicians who have been swirling around in the Dutch scene for a long time, among others with God Dethroned, Asagraum or Bleeding Gods.

The intro 'Let The World Burn' alone leaves no doubt about that and the first "real" track 'The Killing Spree' seems just as sublime and majestic. The very varied high lead vocals of Marloes Voskuil and the deep growls of David Gutierrez Rojas, who is also responsible for the keyboards, which are an important feature on Prey, are a very interesting and entertaining symbiosis. Musically, the album has become an epic black metal opera, which (especially through the spoken words and the keyboards) repeatedly reminds of an unholy mixture of old Nocturnus and Cradle Of Filth and could pass as a soundtrack for historical film epics or science fiction. However, the whole thing never drifts into kitschy realms, but always remains on a very high level and very sophisticated. Although the evilness here and there leaves much to be desired, but still, through the use of keyboards often very oppressive but also atmospheric moments are delivered. The rather low tuned guitars complement the songs very well and offer an interesting contrast to the bombastic melodies. Here also a certain death metal component comes into play, but also some classics, reminiscent of Iron Maiden, heavy metal elements can be recognized here and there in the guitar playing. Most of the time the six Dutchmen move in the mid tempo range, but when the tempo is increased, then really: fat blast beats and aggressive guitar leads are then blasted into the ears of the listener and leave no doubt about the musical abilities of the band.

Even though I unfortunately didn't have any lyrics for the album, the words are reasonably well understandable and especially 'Prey' and 'Schizophrenia', the bonus track, are very interesting. These are about inner conflicts and mental problems, which are told very sophisticatedly from the first-person perspective or from the perspective of an outsider ('Schizophrenia'). Thus, the band stands out from many other genre colleagues not only musically, but also lyrically.
The production is also very powerful, well balanced and leaves nothing to be desired.

With so much praise - are there also points of criticism? Well, I have to say that I found the album a bit exhausting to follow during the first two listens, but with each listen the album becomes more interesting and draws me in more. So, anyone who doesn't find the album convincing right away - listen to it several times, because it's worth it!

Rating: 9 out of 10