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░ ██ ██ Artist: Chemical Breath ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Values █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 1994 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-11-10 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Thrash Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Crypta Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Belgian thrash. Is there such a thing actually? █
█ Yes, there is, actually, and not only that, but █
█ the Belgians should be very proud for producing █
█ the first extreme (understand speed/proto-thrash) █
█ metal band in European metal history, alongside █
█ Venom; the name is almost as venomous: Acid. █
█ Building their style around ScorpionsÆ more █
█ aggressive, speed/thrash precursor material (ôHeÆs █
█ a Woman, SheÆs a Manö, ôAnother Piece of Meatö, █
█ ôDonÆt Make no Promisesö; ôSteamrock Feverö, █
█ etc.), the band released their highly energetic █
█ self-titled debut in 1982 also taking another █
█ award home: for the first female-fronted metal act █
█ ever. And, of course, there were the guys from █
█ Crossfire who persevered through the █
█ early/mid-80's with three albums of decent "happy █
█ go lucky" power/speed metal not surprisingly █
█ moulded after the exploits of their German █
█ neighbours. █
█ The beginning was really promising, but later on █
█ in terms of productivity the Belgian thrash metal █
█ scene sank to the bottom of the list. The sound █
█ inaugurated by Acid proved contagious for Warhead █
█ who were quick to capitalize on it with two good █
█ albums. Cyclone took the early Germanic sound as a █
█ model for their debut ôBrutal Destructionö before █
█ hitting the top with the excellent, more serious █
█ and complex, sophomore effort ôInferior to Noneö. █
█ Then Mekong Delta's Ralph Hubert discovered this █
█ "diamond" of a band named Target whose brilliant █
█ mathematical thrash remains one of the finest █
█ moments on the whole European metal scene, █
█ especially the triumphant "Master Project Genesis" █
█ (1988). With the culmination of the scene's █
█ development reached on the aforementioned album, █
█ what followed was a string of second rate bands █
█ who released a solitary effort in the late-80Æs █
█ before disappearing: Black Shepherd, Asphyxia, █
█ Decadence, Evil Sinner, not leaving any lasting █
█ trace on the circuit. From this group only Drakkar █
█ are really worth mentioning with their inspired █
█ speed/thrashing effort ôX-Ratedö. █
█ When Chemical Breath appeared in the early-90's, █
█ the second wave of Belgian thrash started to form, █
█ and it started churning out higher quality albums: █
█ Patriarch did a good job with their Americanized █
█ power/thrash for a number of efforts; Channel Zero █
█ ôchanneledö the Bay-Area through their inspired █
█ self-titled debut before losing it for a █
█ succession of bland groovy albums; Yosh produced a █
█ cool speed/thrashing debut (ô1991ö) before █
█ elaborating it quite a bit on the very cool moody █
█ follow-up ôMetaphorsö (1995). And there were Exoto █
█ who already had their eye on the up-and-coming █
█ death metal hardly putting a foot wrong during █
█ their several demos and two full-lengths. █
█ Of the aforementioned group, it was only Exoto who █
█ could possibly match Chemical Breath in terms of █
█ aggression. The guys entered the scene ôbrutallyö █
█ with the ôBrutal Violationö demo which was just █
█ raw direct bash without much sense. However, just █
█ a few months later the band already showed their █
█ penchant for the less ordinary and technical with █
█ their other demo ôBeyond Realityö which was █
█ quickly followed by the brilliant debut ôFatal █
█ Exposureö which combined the style and ferocity of █
█ PestilenceÆs ôTestimony of the Ancientsö, Assorted █
█ HeapÆs öThe Experience of Horrorö, SadusÆ █
█ ôSwallowed in Blackö, and InvocatorÆs ôExcursion █
█ Demiseö. It converted this concoction into a more █
█ exuberantly technical ôbeastö, with more twists █
█ and turns, and with more blistering lead sections █
█ the latter close to overriding the riff-patterns █
█ at times even. █
█ Two years later the guys are back and if we █
█ exclude the gruff, unpolished shouty vocals, all █
█ the rest has been taken to new heights the █
█ rhythm-section now being more intense with a more █
█ accentuated edge as evident from the cutting █
█ opener ôInexplicable Beingö. More atmospheric █
█ progressiveness will one come across on ôReduce █
█ Your Valueö which will make you ôincrease your █
█ valueö towards the progressive side of the genre. █
█ The swirling technical riffs on ôWaiting the █
█ Miraclesö will throw you towards DeathÆs ôHumanö █
█ and the Dutch Polluted InheritanceÆs debut █
█ ôEcocideö, but expect your fillings to drop on the █
█ fast-paced passage near the end. ôMessage to the █
█ Mysticö will be a ômessageö to all past, present █
█ and future technical practitioners informing them █
█ that all they have a lot to learn before they █
█ catch up with those experts here; and I donÆt even █
█ have to mention the great overlapping leads. █
█ The latter number a technicaller second to none, █
█ the other material tries to catch up, ôA Core █
█ Undesiredö with a portion of twisting speedy █
█ arrangements, ôThe Open Fieldö with dramatic █
█ build-ups on a pile of superbly-puzzling lashing █
█ technical riffs; ôI Persist My Opinionö with a █
█ nice atmospheric break in the middle, among the █
█ raging head-spinning technicality surrounding it; █
█ the closing ôAdmiring Your Opponentö with a doze █
█ of spinning vortex-like guitars and a surprising █
█ memorable chorus which the hoarse vocals manage to █
█ pull out admirably. █
█ And thatÆs it; just over half an hour of some of █
█ the most stunning displays of musical genius from █
█ the 90Æs, the way Atheist used to do it not far █
█ back, both length and music-wise. To these ears █
█ Belgium has never produced anything as █
█ compulsively masterful and inspiring as these over █
█ 30-min of pure musical magick. ItÆs not the most █
█ original creation by any stretch, it actually █
█ recalls quite a few past exploits, but the █
█ effortless execution and the impeccable command of █
█ the musical instruments (those leads will haunt █
█ you, I promise) make it a ôbreathö of its own its █
█ ôvalueö even bigger in consideration of the time █
█ when it was released: the scene was barren, █
█ sparkles of classic genius were quickly █
█ extinguished with piles of angry groovisms. Even █
█ the mention of something technical or progressive █
█ caused waves of resentment by the new vogues which █
█ were ready to obliterate those attempts in their █
█ very spawning stage. Apparently they werenÆt █
█ looking at Belgium at the time, the least likely █
█ place of all for something like that to spring up, █
█ and the guys were let to strike hard twice █
█ shattering the foundations of the established █
█ music laws, the cracks left later used by new █
█ forces to emerge (Unleashed Power, Mind-Ashes, █
█ Droys, Psycho Symphony, etc.). █
█ What are these masters doing now? ItÆs hard to █
█ tell, but the band leader Rene Rokx was determined █
█ to carry on, and he moved to Holland where he was █
█ seen for a short time with the death/thrashers █
█ Retribution, before joining the death metal █
█ stalwarts Callenish Circle, and later their █
█ ôoffspringö State: Chaos. He also had another █
█ short spell, with the power/thrash metal formation █
█ Form whose more complex style could have grown █
█ into something even more interesting if they █
█ hadnÆt epitomized an angrier and groovier approach █
█ for their sophomore effort. █
█ In the end, after all has been said and done, the █
█ conclusion is that nothing beats a ôbreathö of █
█ ôchemicalsö, especially when they come from a █
█ ôcontaminatedö place like Belgium. The radiation █
█ hasnÆt spread very far yet, but some youngsters █
█ (Evil Shepherd (too many ôshepherdsö there; too █
█ many ôsheepö as well probablyà), Gae Bolga, In █
█ Chains, the brilliant technical thrashers From █
█ Beyond, the technical death metal wizards █
█ Prejudice, etc.) have shown their mutated teeth, █
█ more or less widely, and it would be interesting █
█ to see how far their ongoing metamorphosis will █
█ reachà █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Inexplicable Being 3:36 ░
░ 2. Reduce Your Value 5:13 ░
░ 3. Awaiting the Miracles 4:01 ░
░ 4. Message to the Mystic 4:24 ░
░ 5. A Core Undesired 4:41 ░
░ 6. The Open Field 4:17 ░
░ 7. I Persist My Opinion 3:01 ░
░ 8. Admiring Your Opponent 3:07 ░
░ 32:20 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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