• Voto:
Il 1986 fu l'anno del Thrash Metal. Uscivano contemporaneamente negli Stati Uniti capolavori che avrebbero fatto la storia di questo genere. I Metallica diedero alle stampe quel capolavoro che fu "Master of Puppets", gli Slayer "Reign in Blood". I Megadeth di Dave Mustaine rispondevano ai "cugini" Metallica con "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?". L'Inghilterra non era da meno. Gli Iron Maiden, che godevano già di ottima fama uscirono con "Somewhere in Time", mentre i Motorhead e i Venom impazzavano. Unica nota dolente nel mondo metal furono i Judas Priest che uscirono in quell'anno con un album a dir poco deludente.
Ma il 1986 fu anche l'anno del secondo album della "Chiesa Metallica", band che si era fatta notare con il primo, ottimo disco omonimo, datato 1984. I Metal Church furono e sono tuttora una band abbastanza trascurata nell'ambito metal. Conosciuti forse perché band di supporto per qualche anno dei Metallica o perché il chitarrista John Marshall (entrato però nel 1989) fu il chitarrista di supporto dei Metallica e suonò anche live quando James Hetfield si fece male. Sicuramente un gruppo noto solo ai veri appassionati.
La copertina, secondo me bellissima ed azzeccatissima ci fa immaginare un album duro ma soprattutto oscuro. E così è!
"Ton of Bricks", che diventerà una delle canzoni più riproposte in sede live come opener apre il disco con un ritmo incalzante e una batteria martellante (quasi sempre in doppia cassa) e sempre protagonista nell'intero album (dietro le pelli Kirk Arrington). Kurdt Vanderhoof, compositore di quasi tutti i testi dei Metal Church, nonché fondatore del gruppo ci delizia con riffs taglienti e assoli iperveloci in puro stile trash che delizieranno sicuramente un vero amante del Metallo, e liriche oscure e riguardanti la morte.
"Star the Fire" è secondo me uno dei pezzi migliori dell'album. Ritornello che coinvolge e stimola a cantare, sarà sicuramente un altro cavallo di battaglia live. Inoltre energico e diretto quasi in stile Judas Priest. La title-track impone uno sfrenato head-banging. Degna di nota è anche la semi-ballad "Watch the children pray" con una grandissima prestazione vocale di David Wayne. Forse qui si puo' riscontrare una certa influenza power metal. Proprio nello stile di canto di David Wayne si riscontra un'influenza di Rob Halford (Judas Priest), che egli stesso dichiarerà suo "ispiratore".
David Wayne registrò tre album in studio e un live con i Metal Church prima di abbandonarci a causa di un incidente stradale (2005). Alcuni hanno indiziato i Metal Church come precursori del power metal, ma secondo me la loro carriera ha poco a che fare con il power e molto con il thrash.
Sebbene consideri l'album un buon album, il mio voto sarebbe potuto essere superiore (un quattro stelle) ma dato che in quell'anno uscivano capolavori assoluti già menzionati, il paragone sarebbe troppo azzardato e quindi credo che questo sia il voto più giusto.
- Ton of Bricks - 3:00
- Start the Fire - 3:50
- Method To Your Madness - 4:52
- Watch The Children Pray - 5:57
- Over My Dead Body" - 03:36
- The Dark - 4:11
- Psycho - 3:32
- Line Of Death - 4:42
- Burial At Sea - 4:58
- Western Alliance - 3:18
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Ton of Bricks (03:04)
Rip it up, kick it out.
Blood begins to flow.
Taking chances,
The only way I know.
Sacrificed everything.
I'm the grinding stone.
Ripping flesh, drawing blood.
I'de love to eat your bones.
My world will not cave in.
I will dare so I will win.
Hear the timebombs begin to tick.
I'll hit you like a ton of bricks.
Hammer or anvil,
You must pay the price.
Thunder, lightning,
Yes, it does strike twice.
Vice grips hold me,
Keep me in control.
And if you think I'm kidding you,
You will feel the fatal blow.
My world will not cave in.
I will dare so I will win.
Hear the timebombs begin to tick.
I'll hit you like a ton of bricks, ton of bricks.
Oh yeah, you!
I know that it's true
Do you have a clue
To what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna
Rip it up, kick it out
Blood begins to flow
Taking chances
The only way I know
Sacrificed everything
I'm the grinding stone
Ripping flesh and drawing blood
I;de love to eat your bones
My world will not cave in
I will dare so I will win
Hear the timebombs begin to tick
I'll hit you like a ton of bricks
Ton of bricks, ton of bricks
Oh yeah, you!
I know that it's true
Do you have a clue
To what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna stop.
02 Start the Fire (03:45)
Break down the walls of forever.
Pull down hard on the lever.
Let them know that you can turn the key.
Though they try to hold us down.
Turn it up, that chainsaw sound.
I just love to see my parents flee.
So you see that they're all going nowhere.
Everybody's staring into space.
Start the fire.
Bring down the hammer.
Start start the fire.
Burning on forever.
Now I see the storm clouds a coming.
Can you feel the juice, it's a hummin'.
Feed the power cables into me.
Like a ship that's built for destruction.
I'm a metal man of construction.
And I'll fire my cannons, one by one.
So you see that they're all going nowhere.
Everybody's staring into space.
Start the fire.
Bring down the hammer.
Start start the fire.
Burning on forever.
So you see that they're all going nowhere.
Everybody's staring into space.
Start the fire.
Bring down the hammer.
Start start the fire.
Burning on forever.
06 The Dark (04:12)
It's way past midnight
There's a howling wind
Oh God what can it be?
Something out there evil
And it's coming straight for me
The house is dark and very cold
I know there's no one here
Why am I scared to death
Just petrified with fear
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the house
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the dark
The dark
When I opened up the door
And snapped on the switch
The room was filled with light
Then something black and very fast
Fled upon my sight
What I feared most as a child
Was the coming of the night
Now my horrors have become quite real
My nightmares breathe new life
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the house
Yes, I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the dark
Dark!
What is it in the house
That the darkness brings to life?
I sense their eyes upon me
As I grab a butcher knife
Whatever it is that waits for me
It hides beneath my bed
If I try to sleep tonight
By morning I'll be dead!
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the house
Yes, I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the dark
07 Psycho (03:34)
Stick your fingers in the eyes of night
Rip open the Belly of Death
Now you'll see
What is real
Tear down the image of youth all around
Steal the dreams from their minds
And you'll be
All their lies
Can it be what you're taught to believe
It's nothing more than your mind can conceive
He's out there waiting, he's waiting for you
The psycho is ready to kill
Well you're a mean one, a bloody bastard son
You don't care what they say or what they do
It matters not to you
You've been warned not to set foot after dark
You think it's all just for fun
But there's no setting sun
Can it be what you're taught to believe
It's nothing more than your mind can conceive
He's out there waiting, he's waiting for you
The psycho is ready to kill
One way all the time
You can't seem to get it right
You never see the tunnel
Or the light
Spend a million just to say
You're hip
You got to find a way
To get the thrill of your life
Trip the lights
Trip the light fantastic
Party and you'll die
Someday you will die
3 am and you feel that twitch again
For a walk in the park
It's getting late
Slip through the gate
The psycho jumps out from behind
Sticks his knife in your throat
And you die
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