'Annihilation Absolute' is the only album by New Yorkers heavy metallers Cities. Drummer A.J. Pero is better known from Twisted Sister fame. However, this fact should not definitely be the main reason why you should try to find this album, if mid-1980s North American heavy metal is your stuff. The task might be "a bit" tough to be completed. Originally released as a six-song version by Metal Masters, later re-recorded with more polished sound and first released by the same label. Later, the re-recorded album was kindly re-released by Metal Blade with three additional songs. Second hand shops and auction sites are your only changes, my friends... Even the bootleg versions are hard as fuck to get, I've heard, even though there are quite some of them.

Cities played North american heavy metal with a touch of hard rock. Gladly they stayed off the glam rock. Darker, deeper songs remind me of Jag Panzer (eg. 'Stop the Race' and 'Burn Forever') and King Diamond ('Not Alone in the Dark' and 'In The Still of the Night'), but still quite distantly. Blazing guitar solos are totally faceless, and one after (the song ends, the solo begins) 'Shades of Black' is just meaningless. Most of the material is fast, but it feels ballsless and not many riffs stand up from these songs. Therefore slower and more varying songs are the best of the bunch (good opener 'Stop the Race', 'Cruel Sea' and 'Deceiver').

Sound is too polished and very traditional for Yankee metal. The band's demos are said to be very energetic, but this re-recording misses punch. Typical heavy metal vocals aren't for my liking, even though they do not ruin a thing. There's some gang vocals and annoying "helium" shrieks to liven them up.

Hey, you fan of mid-1980s North American heavy metal, you might find this some kind of a gem. I wouldn't pay much for this, thanks to the monotonous nature of the music. Pretty average in my opinion.

Rating: 5- (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
07/29/2006 12:25