Okay, so before we get started I'll give some background info on the band.
Line-up:
Scott Carlson - Vocals/Bass
Matt Olivo - Guitar
Aaron Freeman - Guitar
Dave 'Grave' Hollingshead - Drums
Repulsion was formed in 1984 under the name Genocide. They recorded three demos under this name, and then changed their name to Repulsion before breaking up sometime afterward. Then, in 1989 Jeff Walker of none other than Carcass, contacted the band, wishing to release an album of theirs on his label, Necrosis Records (which was a subsidiary of Earache Records). The end result of this was 1989's
Horrified, which was a remixed version of a demo they recorded in 1986 originally titled
Slaughter of The Innocent but never released.
Words cannot describe how intense this album is. From the fuzzy power chords that open 'The Stench of Burning Death' to the closing "F
uck!" of the title track, this album never lets up its chaotic assault on the senses. This album is a milestone in Extreme Music, and has been cited as a huge influence by legends such as
Napalm Death,
Carcass and
Entombed. And make no mistake, this album is f
ucking fast.
Reign In Blood, eat your heart out.
The riffs on this album are simple, thrashy and very raw. The rhythm guitar of Olivo and Freeman is well done, and they also throw in a number of guitar solos, which are very much in the vein of
Slayer. They are a mess, but it works astoundingly well and I couldn't think of a better suited option, really. The guitar tone is very raw, with a touch of fuzz.
At first, the bass seems to be almost non-existent, until you realise the aforementioned fuzz is not purely from the lo-fi production. The bass on this album was recorded through a distortion pedal straight into a (probably very cheap) recorder. The result is a pulsating, fuzzy Bass sound unlike anything I've heard before. This works wonderfully as a compliment to the grinding guitars over the top. Sure, you can't really hear
exactly what he is playing, but f
uck, it sounds great!
Dave Grave's drumming on this album is very fast, and contains mostly your standard Thrash drumming, or a primitive sounding Blast Beat. Dave plays the classic style blasts, with only one kick drum and let me tell you, he sounds like an absolute maniac. Yeah, he can sound pretty sloppy at times, but it suits this album perfectly and I wouldn't have it any other way. Oh, and if some of you had been wondering about his nickname, it actually came about because around 1986, Repulsion had been trying Drummer after Drummer, and were having no luck finding one. However, when Repulsion heard about Dave being convicted of desecrating graves and that he was apparently a maniac behind the kit, so they tracked him down at once and invited him to join.
Scott Carlson's vocals are very raw and raspy, and he is one of my favourite vocalists. Think
Massacre's Kam Lee, but not as deep, and that pretty much describes Scott's vocals. They are the perfect vehicle for the gory lyrical subject matter that Repulsion has. Song titles such as Maggots In Your Coffin, Splattered Cadavers, Festering Boils and Slaughter Of The Innocent speak for themselves, really. Along with
Death and
Carcass, Repulsion pioneered the lyrical styles which would be made famous by bands such as
Cannibal Corpse and
Autopsy.
To sum up,
Horrified is essential for any fans of extreme music. A true classic.
