Purgatory (UK) - Demo(n) Days
Another sad story of a band who just barely missed out on a chance of bigger and better things, Purgatory were one of the UK's many bright thrash metal newcomers back in the eighties who just happened to get shouldered out by competing acts. Rubbing shoulders with the British hardcore punk and Crust scene, these lads shared the stage a great many times with now-big names such as Amebix and Onslaught and garned quite a bit of media attention, but ended up splitting just before recording their debut album in 1990. So what we've got here is a compilation of 1988's F.L.T. and 1989's Who Cares? which is as standard as demo compilations come, but is it worthwhile?
It's difficult to see why Purgatory missed the proverbial boat back in the day, because Demo(n) Days boasts some pretty hefty doses of thrash metal instead of just a clever album title. I feel I can be rather lenient with the material here considering the fact that we're dealing with music that was written and recorded in the eighties, and as such, it's got that nostalgic hardcore subtlety to it that most modern thrash lacks; it's honest and angry music made by people who actually have something to be pissed off about, as opposed to today's bands who are just angsty about their mother throwing away their stash of Razzle magazines. Legitimate and honest rage will produce good music, and it shows - especially with the likes of Better Off Dead and Aftermath, which are some truly violent numbers by anyone's reckoning. It's all tied together very nicely and it really does beg the question as to why Purgatory weren't chosen over the likes of Slammer or Deathwish... my guess would be poor management choices or the age-old internal conflicts that ruin so many bands. One thing that does feel a bit odd is that the band had supposedly started writing for their debut album, Sick And Tired, in 1990... yet there's no sign of anything from it on here. You can't complain too much since you're still getting two bloody brilliant (and long out of print) demos on one disc, but a couple of unreleased tracks that were written for the aforementioned full length would have been a fantastic inclusion. Even if it was just two bootleg quality live tracks, it would have been something.
But I'm nitpicking at this point. Demo(n) Days is a glorious little reminder of what the UK thrash metal scene was capable of back when thrash metal still had it's training wheels on, and I love it. So many thrash metal fans pathetically complain about older bands releasing albums that sound nothing like their older works, so this will tide them over nicely, and it'll appease many who have been looking for some new-old thrash for a while too. While Purgatory may not have been granted the success they undoubtedly deserved, success never equals talent; and that's exactly what you'll find here. You can pre-order Purgatory's Demo(n) Days at http://moshtuneage.bigcartel.com/artist/purgatory and I highly recommend that you do so!
It's difficult to see why Purgatory missed the proverbial boat back in the day, because Demo(n) Days boasts some pretty hefty doses of thrash metal instead of just a clever album title. I feel I can be rather lenient with the material here considering the fact that we're dealing with music that was written and recorded in the eighties, and as such, it's got that nostalgic hardcore subtlety to it that most modern thrash lacks; it's honest and angry music made by people who actually have something to be pissed off about, as opposed to today's bands who are just angsty about their mother throwing away their stash of Razzle magazines. Legitimate and honest rage will produce good music, and it shows - especially with the likes of Better Off Dead and Aftermath, which are some truly violent numbers by anyone's reckoning. It's all tied together very nicely and it really does beg the question as to why Purgatory weren't chosen over the likes of Slammer or Deathwish... my guess would be poor management choices or the age-old internal conflicts that ruin so many bands. One thing that does feel a bit odd is that the band had supposedly started writing for their debut album, Sick And Tired, in 1990... yet there's no sign of anything from it on here. You can't complain too much since you're still getting two bloody brilliant (and long out of print) demos on one disc, but a couple of unreleased tracks that were written for the aforementioned full length would have been a fantastic inclusion. Even if it was just two bootleg quality live tracks, it would have been something.
But I'm nitpicking at this point. Demo(n) Days is a glorious little reminder of what the UK thrash metal scene was capable of back when thrash metal still had it's training wheels on, and I love it. So many thrash metal fans pathetically complain about older bands releasing albums that sound nothing like their older works, so this will tide them over nicely, and it'll appease many who have been looking for some new-old thrash for a while too. While Purgatory may not have been granted the success they undoubtedly deserved, success never equals talent; and that's exactly what you'll find here. You can pre-order Purgatory's Demo(n) Days at http://moshtuneage.bigcartel.com/artist/purgatory and I highly recommend that you do so!
1. Aftermath
2. Messenger Of Fear
3. F.L.T.
4. Left For Dead
5. Termination Of Birth
6. Exposure
7. Aftermath
8. Sad Sketches
9. B.O.D.
10. A World's Disease
11. Warring Factions
12. Man On The Tellie
2. Messenger Of Fear
3. F.L.T.
4. Left For Dead
5. Termination Of Birth
6. Exposure
7. Aftermath
8. Sad Sketches
9. B.O.D.
10. A World's Disease
11. Warring Factions
12. Man On The Tellie
