ALBUM REVIEW: Eternal Nightmare (reissue) – Vio-Lence

If we had a pound for every time we read “pioneering metal band reissues their cult classic debut 34 years after its first release,” we’d be billionaires. Whilst every man and his dog are dishing up out-of-print albums these days, there’s no denying their re-entry into the world is important. As VIO-LENCE’s Eternal Nightmare finds its way back onto vinyl decades after its fake vomit packaging provoked a movement of weird releases, it stakes its claim as a release that is more than deserving of its place in the heavy metal pantheon. 

Alongside DARK ANGEL, SACRED REICH and SEPULTURA, VIO-LENCE were arguably the leaders of the second wave of thrash, led by the second coming of ANTHRAX’s Joey Belladonna in vocalist Sean Killian. Killian’s high-pitched heroics took thrash on an untrodden path, whilst Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn cooked up a cocktail of guitar god wizardry, half a decade before the latter would breakout with MACHINE HEAD’s Burn My Eyes. With bassist Dean Dell and drummer Perry Strickland serving as the pounding heartbeat of the band, machine-gun drumming and battering ram basslines in tow, VIO-LENCE scratched the primal itch plenty of thrash fans coveted when their forefathers shot for mainstream glory.

And Eternal Nightmare’s reissue is a timely reminder that thrash metal is often best served brutally. All seven tracks are given the remastering treatment – deftly executed by HATESPAWN’s Patrick Engel – so they sound deadlier than ever. Serial Killer pumps blood through your veins so fast with its double-bass shotgun blast, whilst six-minute shredder Photophobia puts the potential messers Demmel and Flynn possessed back in the day front and centre. Whereas some remasters let flaws shine like polished surfaces, Eternal Nightmare holds up decades down the line as a key part of the thrash fabric. 

Once you’ve raced through Eternal Nightmare’s 35 minutes of madness, the reissue continues your reintroduction to VIO-LENCE with a 12-track live set from the second show of their first reunion back in 2001. Whilst only four of their debut’s tracks can be heard during the December 14th 2001 set at Slims in San Francisco, the precision and passion that each track is played with proves why they’re not only surviving, but thriving, decades later in their latest reunion, too. 

Whether you were around to witness Eternal Nightmare the first time round, or you’re discovering it for the first time 34 years on, this reissue is a welcome reminder that whilst VIO-LENCE weren’t the first, they were certainly one of thrash’s finest. The fact that a band as iconic to heavy metal history as MACHINE HEAD cut its teeth on this record would be reason enough for its entry into a hall of fame, but cuts like Calling In The Coroner and Kill On Command stand up on their own. 

Rating: 8/10

Eternal Nightmare (reissue) is set for release on October 28th via Metal Blade Records.

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