Deathrow Raging Steel

Deathrow ‘Raging Steel’ (Cobra, 1987)

Winter is looming so it’s time to get back to Blipsville. I just spent a wonderful weekend in Hamburg and Hannover enjoying some Germanic beers, football and record shopping in the company of Dunconian Spunconian and Da Caradoc which made me realise I had a Teutonic thrash record to listen to upon my return home.

I’ve been in discussion with various people, Gorgoroth and Kaius Maximus in particular, about how to approach the Deathrow Blip and many set pieces were suggested. My favourite was probably Kauis’ idea that I have a member of the queue at Javits, the local takeaway purveyor, holding the record. Erring on the side of caution, fearing I may be the one who ended up on Deathrow, I settled for the much safer juxtaposition of Oz box sets, featuring many characters on Death Row, with ‘Raging Steel’.

Why I had such a case of Blipper’s block with this LP I really don’t know, I have bought at least 50 records since my last Blip and not many of them are as enjoyable as this very good example of German thrash. Yes, Deathrow are in the thrall of Kreator, but it’s top class nonetheless.

If you’re going to rip off your compatriots you might as well pick the best of the bunch and Deathrow nail the manic mayhem of ‘Pleasure to Kill’, the cover is done by the same artist, Phil Lawvere, and even the intro ‘The Dawn’ is a homage to ‘Choir of the Damned’. I may be entering into the realms of hyperbole, just because I am so happy that ‘Raging Steel’ isn’t a horrible third rate effort, but I’d also say the production job is one of the legendary Harris Johns' finest; crisp, separated and bright, managing to capture the razor sharp riffs as well as the beefy bass and Bay Area solos.

There is the occasional clanger like the cliché riddled ‘Dragon’s Blood’, but even that has some consummate thrashing and Mille Petrozza approved screeching. Yes, I’m pretty chuffed with this one.

Added to the bonus of unearthing a long forgotten gem I have also reminded myself of the pure awesomeness of Oz. The first three seasons are unbeatable; literally the pinnacle of televisual entertainment. I used to watch it avidly with my sister on my return home from University, then again with Ricardo Pitoddrie, Shawshank Redemption and Henk ‘The tutting christinsane one’, then again with Lu on DVD. It’s time to go back to it once more I think. All Breaking Bad acolytes need a good dose of inmates being crucified in gyms rather than Jesse (has there ever been a more apt name for a character in history?) greeting for five seasons.

Peace