UMUR "Corpus Christi" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US crossover/industrial thrash metal act Angkor Wat. The album was released through the Metal Blade Records subsidiary label Death Records in May 1990. Angkor Wat formed in 1986 and was originally a hardcore punk act playing cover tunes, but slowly moved towards a crossover thrash metal sound before the release of their debut full-length studio album "When Obscenity Becomes the Norm... Awake! (1989)".

While "Corpus Christi" (which is named after the band´s Texas placed hometown) was released only a year after "When Obscenity Becomes the Norm... Awake! (1989)", there´s been quite a bit of development of the band´s sound and style in that year. "When Obscenity Becomes the Norm... Awake! (1989)" is characterized by an incohesive crossover thrash metal style. The tracks sound like they were written over a couple of years and then crammed into the album, because that´s the material the band had at that point (which is of course not unusual for debut albums). "Corpus Christi" on the other hand is a very cohesive release with a relatively defined sound and the tracks sound like they were written with an album flow in mind.

Stylistically Angkor Wat have started using industrial metal elements like repetitive rhythms and samples in their crossover thrash metal style and this is the first taste of what Adam Grossman (Guitars, Bass, Vocals, Samples) and Danny Lohner (Guitars, Bass, Samples) would develop further in their next band Skrew. "Corpus Christi" is more industrial metal influenced than it is pure industrial metal though (although the opening track "Indestructible: Innocence 1990" could have fooled me) and there is still a strong crossover thrash metal dominance featured in the music.

While the material is both well played and relatively well produced, and as I mentioned above also cohesive (which means most tracks feature a similar sound and style), it´s ultimately not the most intriguing nor the most memorable music. It´s obvious that Angkor Wat have learnt a few tricks since the debut album, but they still sound undecided on which musical direction they want to pursue. They have one foot in industrial metal and the other in crossover thrash metal, and the outcome is only partially successful to my ears. A 3 star (60%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "When Obscenity Becomes the Norm... Awake!" is the debut full-length studio album by US crossover thrash metal act Angkor Wat. The album was released through the Metal Blade Records subsidiary label Death Records in April 1989. Angkor Wat formed in 1986 and was originally a hardcore punk act playing cover tunes, but slowly moved towards a crossover thrash metal sound before the release of "When Obscenity Becomes the Norm... Awake!".

And the music on the album indeed is a marriage between hardcore punk and thrash metal. Angkor Wat are not terribly unique sounding, but deliver their aggressive and predominantly fast-paced tracks with conviction. David Brinkman is a raw and aggressive sounding frontman, but his vocal style is slightly one-dimensional and the intensity of his delivery varies a bit from track to track. Sometimes he sounds really dedicated to the project and other times he sounds a bit tired.

While Angkor Wat is a Corpus Christi, Texas based act it´s actually the early output by artists like Lawnmower Deth and Cerebral Fix (both British acts) that I´m mostly reminded of. But when Angkor Wat are in hardcore punk mode more than thrash mode it´s Dead Kennedys I hear references to. Angkor Wat are a relatively well playing band so they pull off both styles with conviction.

"When Obscenity Becomes the Norm... Awake!" is not the most well produced album out there and that´s a minor issue, but if I have to mention an issue that´s a bit of a show stopper it´s that the material aren´t that memorable. One song is followed unnoticed by the next and even though there are often a stylistic change happening, it´s not like you´ll be able to remember the tracks anyway. It´s still somewhat a solid release by Angkor Wat though and a 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.