One of the great things about metal is that if one gets tired of the more successful and/or known bands, there is the occasional gem that gets unearthed every once in a while. See, there are plenty of bands out there that had the great songwriting proficiency and very original ideas, but lacked some other element such as business smarts or perhaps the right nationality that would have helped them become more successful at the time. The Danes of Artillery form one such band, and their album By Inheritance is a gem worthy of high regard in the metal community.
With their previous two releases, Artillery had already established themselves as capable of composing quite technical riffs. Fear of Tomorrow and Terror Squad oozed with youthful energy and derangedness. Admirable as that is, a band needs to incorporate something more in its music in order to be remembered. By Inheritance succeeds because, besides the highly challenging and technical playing that it showcases, there are the catchy melodies and exotic undertones that suffuse the album. This is additionally enhanced by a much more mature degree of cohesion than what was found in their prior products. Where songs in Fear of Tomorrow and Terror Squad were simply sequences of quickly written and strung-together riffs, those in By Inheritance are definitely much more carefully planned and arranged. At the same time, that essential primitive thrasher spirit is retained, thus preventing the compositions from crossing into pedantism and overwroughtness. The famed Flemming Rasmussen produced this record, and it is evident that his guidance truly helped the band transform that mess of a sound they used to have into something grand.
An additional element that bolsters this record's impact is its music's detachment from everything else that was taking place in the thrash scene at that time. You see, taking a look at what was going on with the major thrash spheres in the mid-80s, it seems like a lot of bands were trapped in a competition of who would be the fastest, most aggressive, most satanic, most depraved, most brutal, et cetera. In the early 90s, this shifted to who would earn the most mainstream success. Artillery, being from Denmark, did not have the opportunity to share experience and be directly influenced by the bands from the SF bay area, or from those of the East Coast, or from the Teutonic bands; and this ultimately worked to their advantage, as they created something that was abstracted from these petty competitions, and instead bet on original effort.
Indeed, there are several defining core qualities that elevate this album above the rest of the second-tier thrash competition. The most obvious one is the overwhelmingly melodic sound of many of the songs. The intro, 7.00 from Tashkent, although not a particularly elaborate composition, serves the important purpose of setting the tone of the album. It is a very adventurous and, sometimes exotic tone that eschews the chromatic riffs of many other thrash acts at the time, and instead opts for melody and depth. The main riff in Khomaniac, the band's best known song, is simply earth-shattering. It is of such calibre that can easily compete with some of the immortal riffs that some of the Big Four bands put out, making it stick in your head for days after hearing the song. Meanwhile, the overwhelming, if melancholic, melodies of Bombfood are bound to get you to sing along. Make no mistake, though – despite what I said about the album being very melodic, By Inheritance is still very much thrash metal. Its full grit is demonstrated in moments such as the pummelling opening blasts of Beneath the Clay, as well as the main break in Back in the Trash and the frantic verses of Life in Bondage and the title track. The tempo and intensity of the songs is so unrelenting that they bound your ears from start to finish.
The second quality is the album's depth and memorability. I already praised the riffs found here, but good riffs alone are not sufficient. What is also important is how they are arranged and composed into a meaningful whole. Well, Artillery have done that exceptionally well. It really feels like, whenever a good riffing section comes along, it stays for just the correct amount of time: neither too short, nor too long. And then, a solo or a break/interlude will appear at just the right time to bump that adrenaline spike you're experiencing as a listener even more. It is evident that a lot of thought went into devising these songs, thus granting By Inheritance a high degree of replayability, and preventing it from being a shortlived wonder that would quickly lose its glamour. This is an album that you could never truly get tired of.
One thing worth mentioning is the vocals. Typically thrash metal vocalists take a snarling, shouting approach, which is why Flemming Rønsdorf's more dramatic and theatric style may be a bit hard to assimilate at first. However, denying his immense singing talent when it comes to hitting those high notes is folly, and I can guarantee that once the listener gets more acquainted with the album's feel, the vocal work will eventually be accepted.
Since I realise that I am sounding a bit like a raving fanboy, let me just say, for the sake of objectivity, that Equal at First is a somewhat weaker song. It's definitely not bad, but it is not up to scratch with the standard that the rest of the songs set. Razamanaz is also a point of contention, but it does its job, providing some lightening-up, as the latter half of the album can be a bit dreary.
Overall this is an album which succeeds thanks to its striking a great balance between technicality and catchiness. Additionally, the proficient interplay between the band members is enhanced by a production which highlights it quite well. Unfortunately, Artillery went on a near decade-long hiatus soon after the album came out, leaving us wondering if they would have produced another high-class album had they kept on the pace they achieved in By Inheritance.
Notes:
- In 1989, the band had three consecutive shows at the "House of Human Friendship" in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Apparently, they were received so well, that they named the intro track to this album as a token of gratitude towards their fans in the Soviet Union.
- Looking at a live show that the band played after this album came out, the solos in Khomaniac seem like a wild improvisation that doesn't resemble what was heard on the album. My theory is that the band used the services of a guest guitarist for the solos in that song. And, considering that the album was produced by Flemming Rasmussen, who also produced a very well known band during the 80s, it doesn't take much effort to connect the dots. ;]
