Formed in ’87 and hailing from Boston, this is the band’s first album surprisingly on a major label (Epic) and released the following year in ’88. Obviously inspired by NWOBHM as they do not sound American at all. Their main claim to fame is that Godsmack’s Sully Erna was their drummer on 2002 ‘s Unfinished Business.
Opening track, Beginning Of The End, could have been written 10 years earlier as it has a very strong NWOBHM influence. Second track in, Bates Motel, is a pretty standard metal by numbers track. Third track is the band’s name check track, Meliah Rage, and sees the band moving more into the Bay Area sound – its the best track on the album. Total rifferama! As metal instrumentals go, it’s a good one. Last track on Side 1, Deadly Existence, leans heavily on the early Metallica sound and is a great thrash track.
Flipping over to Side 2 with opener, Enter The Darkness, that speeds in with fat riff city and a killer bass line – it’s back to that NWOBHM vibe. Next up is Impaling Doom and the band are trying to break the world land speed record. This track is fast until the fat chugga riff kicks in, which I presume is to save the drummer from imminent death – and then we’re back to the sprint. Last track, The Pack, changes gears pretty quickly. It has a hint of math metal with some off time chord patterns – it’s a really good song to end on.
I think the band are still around as they last released an album in 2018. A quite enjoyable metal romp.
8/10 from The Grooveman.
