Protected Illusion

This one is a ripper and it constantly melts my face off with a mix of technical thrash and hardcore from Finland. More nowadays hardcore bands should take a history lesson from Protected Illusion. This is their full length from 1990 it's so chock full of energy I can't help but smile when I play this. Their homeland has produced some quality bands over the years and if you haven't heard these guys yet you are in for a treat. Their entire discography is now available online for free downloads so if you like this go and seek out the rest. I'll be banging my head and trying not to crash my car.

Word

Steel for an Age

This band is called Crom and they were from Spain. This album is called Steel for an Age and it came out in 1987. This album is one of my favorite albums ever mainly because of its charm. Make no mistake, the production on this is horrible. The drum sound is akin to someone banging on the side of a metal box in a junkyard. The vocals are cringe-worthy on first listen and are sung in English (I have a soft spot for foreign bands that do this). Despite these shortcomings the band comes off as sincere with its effort and the songwriting really manages to shine through. Somehow it all works...and it works very well. They are pegged as a thrash band but I'd definitely place them in the melodic speed metal category. The guitar work on this release is quite memorable. After hearing the album opener 'Covered by Glory' I couldn't get the song out of my head for days. I hope you can appreciate this as much as I do. I come back to this album again and again and am never disappointed.

Enjoy

Toxic Waste

This is Anarcho punk from Ireland. Toxic Waste originally formed in 1982 drawing inspiration from the music of Crass and existed for a 4 year stint before certain members went on to form the band Bleeding Rectum. The production on this LP is pretty shoddy but it's Anarcho punk what do you expect? The male/female vocals tradeoffs on this album are fantastic and the song writing is pretty top shelf for the genre - imho this is what punk music is all about. This is a band that stood for something.

Enjoy