Review Summary: Cyclone’s second album is a technical thrash ripper that mixes Bay Area attitude with European flavor.
Cyclone is a little known Belgian thrash band from the 1980s that released two albums back in thrash’s heyday. After releasing their debut, Brutal Destruction, Cyclone improved their songwriting to feature exceptional technical thrash riffs, dynamic soloing, aggressive clean vocals, and a fiery rhythmic performance. Inferior to None isn’t a groundbreaking record by any means, but boy, does it offer quite a blistering thrash experience.
Musically, Inferior to None is driven by a never-ending barrage of intense tech-thrash riffing and soloing. Aggressive, thick sounding guitars are immediately heard on the record’s first full track (following a brief instrumental intro), ‘Neurotic.’ Just listen to that insane blazing intro riff; it’s the sound of a pile driver pulverizing concrete relentlessly for almost seven minutes. ‘Neurotic,’ as is the case with most of the tracks on Inferior to None, is littered with riff changes and stop-start moments that induce chronic headbanging. One of the albums most iconic riffs is the bridge riff before the second solo on ‘Throw the First Stone.’ The syncopated stop that leads right into this monstrous riff destroys planets. Guitarists Didier Capelle and Stefan Daamen did a fantastic job of pushing the envelope throughout Inferior to None, weaving in varied riffs with a plethora of melodic solos.
Rhythmically, the record offers enough to keep the pace intense and driving. The drums are fast, pounding, and include several time signature changes to extenuate the visceral guitars. Especially noteworthy is drummer Giancarlo Langhendries’ performance on ‘So Be It.’ Langhendries mixes his drum parts very nicely, oscillating between lashing snare rolls and groovy sections that allow the slower guitar passages room to breathe. The drums maintain this style throughout the record, complementing the record’s outstanding guitar performances. Geert Vanoverloop’s bass performance is average, as he largely follows the rhythm guitars. As is the case with many tech-thrash records from the late 1980s/early 1990s, the bass on Inferior to None is practically inaudible. This isn’t exactly a weakness, but the bass doesn’t add much value to the overall listening experience. The vocals are excellent for this style of thrash, as Guido Gevels’s belts out Bay Area influenced sing-screams throughout the record. His best vocal performance is found on ‘Slavery,’ which closes out the record with an array of barked cleans and frantic energy.
Inferior to None’s primary weakness is limited to the inclusion of the instrumental track, “Crown of Thorns.” This track is Cyclone’s attempt at creating their iteration of a classic thrash metal instrumental, but fails to execute because of lackluster songwriting. The riffs sound fine, but the pace is tepid, there are very few memorable moments, and the track fails to develop in any meaningful way. Frankly, “Crown of Thorns” should have been left off of the final product, as it feels like pure filler. Its exclusion would have made Inferior to None a leaner record, but it is a minor complaint. Inferior to None was produced by the great Eric Greif, who also recorded Morbid Saint’s Spectrum of Eternity. Sonically, Inferior to None captures some of the sterile production styles found on Metallica’s …And Justice for All, but is thicker sounding and easier on the ears. The instrumentation is beefy and immediate, providing an “in your face” thrash experience. Inferior to None’s production style is akin to that of Heathen’s Victims of Deception, one of the best produced thrash albums ever.
If you dig old school technical thrash metal, look no further than Cyclone’s Inferior to None. This record is an overlooked classic that should be appreciated by thrash junkies. Pick this up. m/
Recommended Tracks:
Neurotic
So Be It
Throw the First Stone
I Am the Plague
