Swedish thrashers Mezzrow managed to release two demos prior to their debut album 'Then Came the Killing', plus one last demo after this before splitting up. I don't know about the demos, but this album is pure fuckin' thrash metal.

Pure thrash metal pretty much in North American way, with some bits of German trash [sic] thrown in. On the photos, the guys are wearing Exodus, Forbidden and Testament shirts. That's a good starting point when thinking about the bands that must have influenced these five young Swedes. Testament is closest to Mezzrow's style, just check out 'Ancient Terror'! There's also recognizable Sodom style piledriving going on at times. As a whole, the songs do not differ much from each other. Every song has its thing, so to speak, and thrash heads should easily be able to listen the album on one go. None of the song is under par. Mezzrow sounds heavier than many a thrash band from their era and the performance captured here is also energetic from every fella. Great. But if someone's seeking something unique here, they are pretty much left empty-handed after the album's over.

Harsh, mid-ranged vocals are good and they are actually the only individual element of the band. And nothing big in it. There's also some screams and grunts plus of course those gang backing vocals. The lyrics are also good and serve their purpose well enough. Tales about supernatural things, zombies, serial killers and nuclear war are okay, but it's clear they weren't written by a person who handles English well. However, the Swedish roots do not shine through in pronunciation. The sound is heavy but quite typical for album recorded in 1989, a bit unclean. Only the snare drum is too fluttering.

CD's bonus track is as good as any other song, so hunt the album down in CD format, if you are seeking for pure old thrash metal and originality is totally of minor importance. This has balls, energy and good songs, unlike many of today's boring thrash metal bands.

Rating: 7 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
08/14/2005 20:35