Kev Rowland When people refer to Vio-lence these days, it is normally to say this was the band Rob Flynn was in before he formed Machine Head, and that it was where he and Phil Demmell started working together. What is generally missed is that this was an important band in its own right in the Bay Area thrash scene, with their debut album being a milestone in that area’s musical history. The band originally formed as Death Penalty in 1985 with Jerry Birr (vocals), Phil Demmel (guitar), Troy Fua (guitar), Eddie Billy (bass) and Perry Strickland (drums). They soon changed their name first to Violence and then Vio-lence, and after some demo recordings Demmell and Strickland were soon joined by Sean Killian (vocals), Robb Flynn (guitar) and Deen Dell (bass). This line-up recorded three albums before breaking up, of which this is the debut and widely regarded as their finest work. It has now been remastered by Patrick Engel and contains the same additional tracks as the 2005 Megaforce reissue – a live recording taken from their set at the Thrash of the Titans benefit in 2001 where they reformed to raise money for Chuck Billy and Chuck Schuldiner with early guitarist Ray Vegas replacing Robb Flynn for the night.

I did not hear this album when it was first released, so am coming to it quite new, which probably means I have a very different view to what those who grew up with it do. To me this is heavily influenced by Anthrax in particular, and while there are many who feel Killian is a wonderful singer due to his different approach to many others within the thrash scene, I actually find his vocals quite annoying and not up to the standard of what is going on beneath him. Already there is incredible understanding between Demmell and Flynn, something they continued in their lengthy partnership in Machine Head (15 years until Demmell left, who has now reformed Vio-lence with Killian). Strickland and Dell have a very solid platform indeed, with Dell providing a key interface to the guitars which are often locked as one, with fast interplay of complex riffs and styles. They were doing far more with their guitars and interaction with each other than many other thrash bands, having much more of a band feel as opposed to someone going out on their own and having what at times is almost a soloist and a backing band.

This band certainly deserve to be much more than just a footnote in Flynn’s history, and it is nice to see this being made more widely available again. If you want to catch the band in concert then they are undertaking a heavy touring schedule and these days even include Christian Olde Wolbers (Fear Factory) in the line-up, so would be well worth checking out.

UMUR "Let the World Burn" is an EP release by US, California based thrash metal act Vio-Lence. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in March 2022. Vio-Lence originally formed in 1985 and released three full-length studio albums before calling it quits in 1993. By the time "Nothing to Gain" (1993) came out guitarist Robb Flynn had already moved on and formed Machine Head, and second guitarist Phil Demmel would join Machine Head in 2003, after his post-Vio-Lence act Torque failed to take off (a band which also featured other late lineup Vio-Lence members). Demmel however chose to leave Machine Head in 2018 as he and Flynn no longer agreed on the musical direction or general business of the band, and he subsequently asked former Vio-Lence lead vocalist Sean Killian and drummer Perry Strickland to join him in a new version of Vio-Lence. Former Overkill guitarist Bobby Gustafson was brought in as well as former Fear Factory bassist Christian Olde Wolbers to complete the new quintet lineup.

Stylistically the material on this comeback EP is hard edged, punchy, and aggressive thrash metal done the Bay Area Vio-Lence way. Killian was always a "water divider" type vocalist, and while his voice and vocal style are a little less unique (to some less grating on the ears would probably be a more valid description) on the five tracks on the 24:47 minutes long EP, they are still probably an aquired taste. The riffs are sharp, thrashy, and raw, and the rhythm section are tight and deliver a powerful attack. It´s audible that these guys are seasoned veterans of the scene. Not in the sense that this sounds like grandpa playing, but because everything is delivered with thight precision and an understanding for the right balance between catchiness and rawness. It´s Exodus I think about first, when I listen to Vio-Lence (artists like Forbidden and the related Demonica could also be mentioned as valid references), but the latter are generally faster, more aggressive, and intense.

"Let the World Burn" features a powerful, clear, and sharp sounding production, which suits the material perfectly. The bass is audible, the drums sound sharp, and the guitars are aggressive and punchy. Overall this EP is a good quality comeback for Vio-Lence and for fans of late 80s/early 90s Bay Area thrash metal it´s mandatory listening material. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

siLLy puPPy VIO-LENCE of course is recognized as one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s premiere thrash metal bands of the 1980s having been one of the one of the first bands to follow in the footsteps of Metallica and Exodus. The band under its original lineup released a mere three albums in its existence from 1985-93 with its debut “Eternal Nightmare” reaching classic status over the ensuing decades but i don’t think that that anybody really expected this band to ever reemerge from the past considering Robert Flynn found commercial success in his next project Machine Head however whoever owns the rights to the name can carry on the trademark band name in any desired way and that’s exactly what has happened some 29 years after the last VIO-LENCE album was released.

This is a classic band that was never expected to be heard from again but with the continued popularity of thrash metal and the profitable comeback albums of bands from Possessed and the continued success of bands like Exodus, VIO-LENCE’s classic status would surely be wasted if not followed up by some modern visitation of all that came before and lo and behold here we are in the calendar date of 2022 with a new product from one of the Bay Area’s most celebrated “underground” thrash metal acts! Not confident enough to release a full-length follow-up to the 1993 release “Nothing To Gain,” the new lineup of VIO-LENCE opted for the EP option. The new noisemakers include the original members of vocalist Sean Killian, guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Perry Strickland but welcomes newbies Bobby Gustafson (guitars) and Christian Olde Wolbers (bass) into the family.

OK, so what we have here is a tribute to the thrash metal archives, that which pays perfect tribute to the music from the band’s classic era without moving on in any way shape or form. Is that bad? Well, of course, that resides in the classic adage of “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” OK, just a factual check here. We ARE in the year 2022 and the thrash metal that VIO-LENCE launched in its classic 80s heyday is roughly four decades old at this point. Yeah, sad but true. Speed is not shocking any longer and tones and timbres are the wave of the future. LET THE WORLD BEGIN offers nothing new under the sun but DOES offer a competent modern take on classic 80s thrash metal music. How are we supposed to take a modern interpretation of classic thrash metal in the modern age? I dunno. That’s for you to decide.

Overall i like this. Not in an OMG this is fucking cool beyond comprehension level of mentality but rather that “WOW, i’m so glad that a classic band is so capable of keeping their shit together after all this time” sorta way. Yeah, this is a band that saw its heyday in the 80s and 90s but for a seemingly impromptu release that comes from nowhere i can’t deny that this is a thoroughly enjoyable EP from start to finish. Yeah, not evolving the thrash metal sound in any conceivable form but as far as enjoyable is concerned, i gotta admit that this is an excellent retro comeback that i really wasn’t expecting! Is it bad for band of decades ago to pretend that decades haven’t elapsed? I dunno, but i can say that these core band members haven’t lost their vision in any way.

UMUR "Nothing to Gain" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US, California based thrash metal act Vio-Lence. The album was released through Bleeding Hearts Records in November 1993. It´s the successor to "Oppressing the Masses" from 1990 and features the same lineup who recorded the predecessor. While there are three years between the two albums, "Nothing to Gain" was actually already recorded in August 1990 but not released until three years later. While guitarist Robb Flynn is part of the lineup, who recorded the album, he had already left Vio-Lence in 1991 to form Machine Head. The remaining members of Vio-Lence recorded a demo in 1993 and then disbanded. Guitarist Phil Demmel and bassist Dean Dell formed the relatively short lived Torque, who released one eponymously titled album in 1996 before disbanding. So all was not well in the Vio-Lence camp when "Nothing to Gain" was released.

When the album was recorded in 1990 the band already had some problems with labels and issues with distribution of their music, but "Nothing to Gain" was recorded while the band members still believed in a future for their band. Unfortunately that´s not audible when listening to the material on the 9 track, 45:08 minutes long album, which generally sounds a bit tired and uninspired. Considering the ferocity and power of their first two albums, this sounds quite tame in comparison. Stylistically the core of the music is still thrash metal, but the band incorporate alternative metal elements, and Sean Killian makes several attempts at singing instead of performing his usual staccato shouting vocal style, and that is not a good idea. His voice and the melody lines aren´t strong enough and it all comes off a bit half-hearted and amaturish. Vio-Lence deserves some credit for trying new things instead of just making the same album twice, but unfortunately the new ideas don´t work. Instead of the material being more intriguing and varied, the alternative elements just result in a watered down and tedious thrash metal release.

The worst issue here though is that the band don´t sound like they believe in the material. Vio-Lence are a skilled band and they perform their parts in a professional fashion, but it all just comes off a bit powerless. Things aren´t helped along by the sound production, which is decent but not really great. The most positive feature on "Nothing to Gain" are the many melodic guitar leads. They are a great asset to the band´s music, and heightens the quality of the material whenever they appear.

So upon conclusion it´s hard not to think of "Nothing to Gain" as a step down in quality from the band´s previous releases. Although the album features a couple of critical bad moments, which don´t work at all (who´s idea was it for example to open the album with "Atrocity", which is one of the weakest tracks on the album?), it´s not a full blown terrible release by any means. There are redeeming elements here and there, and overall I think a 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is fair enough. I´d listen to any other Vio-Lence release before visiting this one though.

UMUR "Torture Tactics" is an EP release by US, California based thrash metal act Vio-Lence. The EP was released through Megaforce Records/Caroline Records in 1991 and bridges the gap between the band´s second and third full-length studio albums "Oppressing the Masses (1990)" and "Nothing to Gain (1993)". The title track has a bit of a history, as it was originally written and recorded to be included on the band´s debut full-length studio album "Eternal Nightmare (1988)" and later on the sophomore studio album "Oppressing the Masses (1990)" (the Japanese version of the album features the track). Both times the track was left off the albums as a consequence of record label pressure, because the label felt the lyrical content was too offensive.

Today it´s a bit hard to understand why the lyrics to "Torture Tactics" was deemed so offensive, when in retrospect there have been a lot of songs both before and since, which have been far more offensive, but sometimes artists are just unlucky enough to be caught up in label politics or outside pressure on labels, and I guess that´s what happened to Vio-Lence back then. It´s a bit of a shame really, because "Torture Tactics" is a high quality thrash metal track in the trademark aggressive and technically well played Vio-Lence style, which could easily have been included on any of the band´s album releases.

In addition to the title track the EP features three other tracks in "Office Nice (Live)", "Gutterslut", and "Dicks of Death". The first is a "fake" live track, which features a live intro from an August 1988 show, and then a live in the studio version of the track. You wouldn´t be able to hear it if you didn´t know it though, so this sounds 100% like it was recorded live in concert. It´s a fairly good quality track and the sound quality is decent without being outstanding. Both "Gutterslut", and "Dicks of Death" are re-recorded tracks from the band´s demo days (which is also the case with the title track). Both are pretty nasty, naughty, and sexually subject oriented (and quite humourous...of course depending on what you find funny). As an example here is a lyric line from "Dicks of Death": "I got loads of jizz... you can suck me all night, You can swallow my children alright". Pure poetry...

The EP features a relatively well sounding production, which suits the material well, and upon conclusion "Torture Tactics" is a nice little release bridging the gap between two full-length studio albums. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.