July 2012,
212/A4, printed, English, interviews: VAMPYR, MESSERSCHMITT, MAD BUTCHER,
SUCCUBITCH, VENDETTA, POSEIDON, PROTECTOR, ERAZOR, LIVING DEATH, PYRACANDA,
DARKNESS, PARADOX, NOCTURNAL WITCH, VIOLENT FORCE, HARRIS JOHNS, BEER PRESSURE,
HOLY MOSES, DEATHROW, REZET, BACKWATER, DESASTER, IRON ANGEL, SLAUGHTER
COMMAND, TORMENT, POISON, DEATHFIST, DEFENDER, WARDANCE, CRUEL FORCE, WARRANT,
OUTRAGE, UNSCARED, MONUMENTOR, ASSASSIN, BLIZZARD, CHAINSAW, FIRST AID,
NECRONOMICON.
Writing all
the bands out that are heroes of this beast takes me almost pretty much the
same time as writing tens words describing the reading whole. This issue of
Thrash Attack called The 10th
Crusade… 30 Years of German Speed and
Thrash Metal and probably the last such a performance of Florian Grill, is
my first meeting with the subject, however I can compare it to a close
encounter of the third kind. Yes, two hundred and twelve pages in A4 demy make
this monster the biggest one in my paper collection till then. What is more, I
didn’t find here any useless or lame band, as the thrash/speed is the only
thing that counts through the pages. Well, it’s great because I’ve been
thrashing disciple since the ages. This time Florian decided to describe bands
comings from his homeland only, so, to put it briefly, I had to face pure
Teutonic Invasion. And what? I bow to the work Florian did during all those
eighteen months as he stated in introduction. To visualize you the essence,
unplacable is moving into the realm of mathematics. Thus, let’s the numbers
speak for themselves: 38 interviews with 934 asked questions, 236 reviews of
musical and 27 zine forms, 31 live reports + one long report from Finland, 28
short bands introductions (both old forgotten like Sweet Cheater, Airwolf, Pain,
Atlain and newer ones). Ha, of course if I counted well. But I didn’t hearten
to totalize all the pictures, drawings and scans. Florian also included one
article about overlooked records (that are buried in the waves of releases as
he rightly claims), which is absolutely nothing new, yet such rummaging in
metal history gives me a real pleasure every time; what’s more, totally
exciting Neudi (now in Manilla Road behind the drums) and Sigi (Hellish
Crossfire) memories. That’s not the end, we have next jump into the history in Let’s
Thrash! – Thrash Metal in GDR article, as well as in Tribute to the Big 4,
which is in fact several questions on Sodom, Destruction, Kreator and Tankard
activities.
As far as I
am concerned, it took me a dozen or so weeks to get through these thickets of
letters and now it is almost impossible to choose the best conversation. At
least a half of it means absolutely splendid piece of reading showing Florian a
paleontologist that reveals the fossil remains begraved in the deepest layers. He
is perfectly fully-fledged, his questions effectively strike the minds of the
bands members making the whole more than interesting. But I have to indicate
one fly in the ointment which is Nocturnal Witch intie undoubtedly: short,
laconic answers, a real waste of time. Other bands like Vendetta and Living
Death didn’t show off as well. And vice versa, just take a fascinating read of
Poison (exceptionally done by Laurent Ramadier) with seven pages and 85
questions. It’s a fucking reader madness! Another worth-while metal meetings:
definitely with Paradox (with interesting statement “in all other genres of
art, bands like Exodus would be millionaires”), Assassin (I wonder whether the
band managed to visit some label in Brazil…), Protector, Poseidon, Wardance,
Warrant, Mad Butcher… No, it doesn’t have any sense to duplicate the content.
So, are
there any complaints? Yes, I have to point the finger at huge amount of typos,
mistakes and grammatical and spelling errors. Careful proofreading is necessary
when it refers to such a wall of texts. Another thing is the Florian’s English.
He uses it a simple way, it’s readable and fully understandable. I like the
layout very much, it is stylized on the old ancient zines, copy & paste
method with cool drawings decorated by memorable cover art, all in white and
black. The reviews Florian did are given in few sentences, strictly to the
bone, however I like longer ones. And believe me, he can be critical too.
To sum all
the things up: this piece of paper is definitely unique in my press collection.
Not only because of its number of pages making Thrash Attack booklike, but also
for a total dedication to thrashing scene. It’s great that is printed in
English as my German is equal to zero. I met many unknown (old) crews and began
to search for another titles enriching my metal world. I have been enslaved by
the written power of metal for many long weeks, and for sure I’m going to
return to the Thrash Attack kingdom as often as possible. With beer in my hand,
with Teutonic injection spreading over my senses, damn, this is the way I can
feel it. And mind you, I bought my copy in the second half of the last year and
I’ve no idea if it is still available at Florian’s address, but this title is a
moral duty for the souls hot-hammered by Thrash Metal.
Florian Grill
thrashingvictims@gmail.com
9,5/10
- Tlacaxipehualiztli
(written on January, 2015)
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