ATROPHY (AZ) — Socialized Hate (review)

ATROPHY (AZ) — Socialized Hate album cover

Album · 1988 · Thrash Metal

3.5/5 · 2017-09-20
Kingcrimsonprog

This album won't be for everyone, but if you like the following sentence, I'd recommend giving it a square go: 20% Coma Of Souls, 20% Forbidden Evil, 10% Handle With Care, 50% The Legacy. ...Interested? If so, read on.

Atrophy were one of many late '80s bands pumping out Thrash Metal. They were sometimes associated with Sacred Reich and Flotsam & Jetsam due to geography, although they had more of a Bay Area sound (and specifically, Testament worship) with some Teutonic Thrash tinges and the tiniest wee bit of a crossover Thrash influence.

Now, if you know your Thrash, you'll know that there's several tiers of both quality and when-you-should-check-em-out that most fans can broadly agree on. Individual preference and media exposure in your territory may make you disagree on some placements but the overall theme is usually agreed upon. There's of course the very Top tier of Thrash, the stuff you usually get into first, is probably objectively the best and the stuff that makes you fall in love with the subgenre. Stuff like Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Overkill, Exodus, Testament and Kreator. The definition of Thrash for many.

There's then the second-highest tier, the stuff that you bought purposefully because it was Thrash and that is still fairly successful and famous but not just as much; stuff like Annihilator, Forbidden, Heathen, Vio-lence, Death Angel, Dark Angel, Sodom, Destruction, Early Sepultura, Sacred Reich, Nuclear Assault. The real guts of Thrash fandom for many.

There's a third that only real Thrash fans love, you'll find it in list of best Thrash albums ever, but not in the general lists as much. When major outlets cover Thrash this stuff is ignored but when people in the know really nerd out on Thrash this stuff comes up. Stuff like Whiplash, Razor, Onslaught, Paradox, Devastation, Rigor Mortis, Morbid Saint, Toxik, Xentrix and Hirax. And; of course, Atrophy. Then there's a tier or three below that of diminishing fame (and some say diminishing quality, others vehemently deny that however) but you get my jist by now.

I bring this up really to illustrate where Atrophy fit in and in so doing also how likely you are to enjoy them. If you like Thrash enough to get into multiple bands from the third tier then this is worth serious investigation. If you only want the absolute best or most famous stuff this may seem a bit too derivative for you. If you don't like Thrash at all then never worry your pretty head about Atrophy because I don't think they'll be your cup of tea anyway. How could they be really? They are basically one of the purest distillations of the Thrash formula ever to form a band.

Atrophy don't play the kind of Thrash that's closer to NWOBHM in sound, nor the kind that is a direct close precursor to Death or Black Metal, nor even the kind that's Punky and ramshackle. They aren't a progressive variation on Thrash. They don't have any happy melodic Power Metal tendencies. Its pretty straight down the line Thrash with no thrills and little diversity (but done perfectly!).

What it lacks in a unique sales pitch (hey check out the band with the funk influence or the orchestra etc.) it makes up in consistency, quality and ferocity. All the compliments you can level at Testament's debut album The Legacy all work for Atrophy's Socialized Hate. The razor-sharp riffs, the creative and powerful guitar leads, the intros, the barked hard low vocals, the relentless drumming. Atrophy also specialize in really good lyrics (well, except the silly one off joke song Beer Pong, but you can let that slide as the rest is so good).

Songs like the Title Track, the opener 'Chemical Dependency' and the fabulous three-song run of 'Product Of The Past' 'Rest In Pieces' and 'Urban Decay' are just really strong, really entertaining and really pure Thrash Metal, and if that's your bag then Socialized Hate is worth adding to your collection. Sure, it might not be your first Metal album or your first Thrash album (or even your fifteenth) but if you love this stuff and want more, but more that is still great and not just more for the sake of it, then... y'know... Socialized Hate, innit.