UMUR "Oppressing the Masses" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US, San Francisco based thrash metal act Vio-Lence. The album was released through Atlantic Records in July 1990. The original CD pressing of the album featured the track "Torture Tactics", but Atlantic Records refused to release "Oppressing the Masses" with "Torture Tactics" on the tracklist (because of the lyrical content) and decided to destroy all copies featuring the track (which is said to have been in the 5-digit thousands). "Torture Tactics" was later released on the 1991 same-titled EP.

Stylistically the music on "Oppressing the Masses" is a continuation of the aggressive and hard-edged thrash metal of "Eternal Nightmare (1988)". It´s raw, it´s both fast-paced and heavy, and it´s above all really aggressive. The technical level of playing is high and the music is delivered with both technical precision and great conviction. Lead vocalist Sean Killian has a distinct sounding voice and delivery, which often turns off potential new fans, but his singing style is actually a bit more thrash metal "mainstream" here than it was on "Eternal Nightmare (1988)". The instrumental part of the music is fairly technical thrash metal, featuring tempo changes, sharp riffs, and powerful well played solos.

The material on the 8 track, 41:23 minutes long album is well written and effective. It´s slightly one-dimensional because of the vocals and does take quite a few spins before becoming memorable, but there are several great tracks featured on the album. The fast-paced and aggressive "World in a World" and the heavy "Mentally Afflicted" could be mentioned among the highlights, but there are no sub par material featured on the album.

As mentioned above Killian´s distinct sounding vocals can be just a bit grating on the ears, and he doesn´t vary his raw staccato thrash metal delivery much throughout the album, so that part of the album could have been more interesting. Personally I´m not bothered too much by it, but I can see it being an issue to others. Mentioning the vocals as a potential issue is something I need to do, but ultimately Vio-Lence wouldn´t be Vio-Lence without them. Killian´s voice and vocal style is one of the things, which make Vio-Lence stand out on the US thrash metal scene of the 80s/early 90s.

The sound prodcution is raw, powerful, and well sounding, suiting the material well. So upon conclusion "Oppressing the Masses" is a quality sophomore release by Vio-Lence. It´s not terribly different sounding from "Eternal Nightmare (1988)", but it´s obvious the guys in the band have honed their skills, and with the addition of a better quality sound production too, "Oppressing the Masses" is at least on par with the debut. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

Kingcrimsonprog Vio-lence aren’t really a band that you just up and discover anymore, there are realistically two main reasons for getting into them nowadays. Firstly; because you are a fan of Machine Head and are curious to hear the band that featured Phil Demmel and Rob Flynn back before Machine Head formed, or secondly because you have gotten in to several other Thrash Metal bands and simply want some more.

If you do like Bay Area Thrash as a rule, then of course you should give Vio-lence a try and this album certainly is a strong effort by Vio-lence that is worth exploring.

Their first album Eternal Nightmare was a faster and more hammering example of the second wave Bay Area Thrash bands like Heathen and Forbidden, only without as many of the progressive tendencies of those bands, and their third album Nothing To Gain started to incorporate slower speeds and groove metal elements like a lot of Thrash Bands did when the musical climate shifted in the nineties.

Oppressing The Masses, Vio-lence’s second studio album sits in between the two, still squatting on speedy and aggressive territory like all good classic Thrash albums should, but is also more considered, varied and mature than their debut.

Tracks like the prison themed ‘World Within A World’ or the album opener ‘I Profit’ display what Vio-lence are all about; lots of chugging, lots of double-kicks, fast but not particularly melodic guitar solos, gang-chanting backing vocals and Sean Killian’s polarizing nasal lead singing.

How much you will enjoy the record depends entirely on what you wanted to get out of it in the first place. Some listeners hate certain stylistic elements such as gang-chanting, some only like melodic guitar solos and many people hate Sean’s voice, so be aware of each of these factors before hand.

If you wanted tracks that sound like Machine Head, or if you want tracks that fit in with a specific vision of how Thrash should sound, be it like blistering fast Reign In Blood clones or indeed echoey, poorly produced demo recordings with high nostalgia factor then you may wish to try before you buy, as you probably won’t be getting what you hoped for.

Musically however, the album is of a very high standard and there are no complaints to be made in terms of talent or quality. This is a brilliantly constructed Thrash album and if you are listening to it on its own merits you will likely find it to be a fine addition to your collection.