I've always felt that Heathen were one of the most overlooked and underrated bands of the 80's Bay Area thrash scene. 1987's Breaking the Silence was a blistering release of precision riffing, blinding solos, and strong vocals, and the band upped the ante on 1991's Victim of Deception, here getting the royal remaster treatment from Poland's Metal Mind Productions. Heathen could hand out the speedy & crunchy riff-o-rama just as good as Testament, Exodus, Megadeth, and Metallica back in the day, and if you don't believe me, just give this sucker a spin.
Kicking off with "Hypnotized", the boys get right down to business, with the massive guitar riffs of Doug Piercy and Lee Atlus adding plenty of crunch while David White Godfrey's soaring clean vocals add the perfect amount of melody. In a way, Heathen's music is somewhat a cross between Testament's wall of guitar thunder and the accessibility and mosh mentality of Anthrax, evident in songs like :Opiate of the Masses", "Fear of the Unknown", and "Morbid Curiosity". However, there's also another side to the band, which you can hear on the progressive and atmospheric anthem "Heathen's Song", or the remake of the Rainbow classic "Kill the King", which shows just how melodic these guys could get but still be heavy as hell. There's even a neat instrumental called "Guitarmony" which sees Piercy and Atlus really ripping it up and creating lots of, ahem, "harmony guitar" magic. If your passion though is brutal pedal to the metal thrash, look no further than "Mercy Is No Virtue", perhaps the most furious piece on the album complete with raging rhythms, pummeling riffs, and Godfrey's snarling vocals.
Encased in a gorgeous digipack with full lyrics, band history, and photos, this great sounding remaster of a solid metal album is a must have if you have any appreciation of the San Francisco thrash scene of the 80's and early 90's.
Track Listing
1. Hypnotized
2. Opiate Of The Masses
3. Heathen's Song
4. Kill The King
5. Fear Of The Unknown
6. Prisoners Of Fate
7. Morbid Curiosity
8. Guitarmony (Instrumental)
9. Mercy Is No Virtue
10. Timeless Cell Of Prophecy
11. Hellbound (Bonus Track)
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