“Supernatural Addiction” isn’t your typical thrash affair. For starters, it’s a concept album. Each song featured here is based upon a famous story, whether it be from a show like the Twilight Zone or a short story by Richard Matheson, and on top of that, no other band even remotely sounds like what
Deceased created here. In thrash, there’s almost never a mix of technicality, melody, speed, and heaviness, but here they blend together perfectly.
Originally,
Deceased was a death metal band, but as time went on they progressed into thrash. They did, however, keep some of their old traits. This is evident by King’s vocals right off the bat, as they're very reminiscent of old-school death metal; tight, throaty-rasps envelope his lyrics, giving off a desperate atmosphere. Mixed in with Mike and Mark’s melodic leads and palm-mute driven rhythm sections, it’s a marvelous sound to behold. The first track, “The Premonition”, features one of the most phenomenal leads in thrash history before King’s shrill voice breaks the calm and the guys start to shred all over the place.
One of the best parts of this album is that there are so many riffs per song, so nothing feels overused. The shortest song on the album, “The Hanging Soldier”, is only 4:20, with the longest being “Chambers of the Waiting Blind” at 7:50. In those times, however, Mark and Mike throw out riff after riff that keeps each song fresh. Whether it is the constant tempo and fluctuation of “Dark Chilling Heartbeat” or the frantic thrasher “Doll With the Hideous Spirit”, Mark and Mike keep it alive. Their solos, as well, are just as sharp. Most of them have a rather progressive feel to them, such as “The Premonition”, as they throw in melody here and there to keep the listener hooked.
Every song on “Supernatural Addiction” is just as enjoyable as the one before it. Listening to this album from start to finish is pure bliss, as you’ll be hard pressed to press the “skip” button. To top it off, nearly every song has its jaw-dropping moments. The chopped-melodic riff with King complementing the guitars with shriek yells during the post-verse on “A Very Familiar Stranger” and the New Wave of British Metal-esque fills during the chorus to “Chambers of the Waiting Blind” are definite highlights, as you’ll be on constantly smiling and head-banging the whole way.
Since this is a concept album, the lyrics stick close to the source material from which they were derived. “Doll With the Hideous Spirit” immediately caught my attention, since I’m a fan of Richard Matheson. I already knew it was conceived from his work when King shouted out “
Around its neck a guarding chain is said to stop its life, So with a smile and a laugh she sets the doll aside. Other topics include the famous story “The Hitchhiker” by Oscar Brand (A Very Familiar Stranger) and "The Blair Witch Project" by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez (Elly's Denentia). Not only does King do all the vocal work on this album, but he also laid down all the drum tracks. You won’t find any Dave Lombardo insane fills here or anything, but it’s a more than solid job. He never really branches out of the basic drum roll or anything, but he makes use of different drum patterns to keep it crisp.
The only real gripe about this album is the song “Elly's Denentia”. Unlike the other 7 songs on this album, it constantly reverts back to the same slow-plodding start-stop riff with a haunting fill in-between. To be honest, it’s a good song, but it doesn’t pack as much punch as the other 7 tracks did. It has its moments, mainly the infused-melody near the end, but for the most part, it doesn’t stack up as well with the others. The bass, just like most thrash, is basically non-existant. Not once did I ever hear it (save for the slow intro to "Doll With the Hideous Spirit"), which is quite frustrating seeing as how it could’ve branched-off on its own during songs like “Frozen Screams” and it would’ve fit in fine.
“Supernatural Addiction” is something that any fan of metal should experience. The melody and technicality featured here could put any thrash-haters at bay, but its heavy enough that even the most die-hard thrashers would throw up the horns. Songs like “The Premonition” and “A Very Familiar Stranger” are easily two of the most intriguing songs I’ve heard in awhile. Not only that, but these songs have enough of a hook that’ll keep you in their grasps for days to come. If you like metal in general, do yourself a favor and check this out right now.
Overall Rating – 4.5/5
Recommended Tracks
The Premonition
A Very Familiar Stranger
Doll With the Hideous Spirit
The Hanging Soldier
