Debiut album Amerykańskiego Zoetrope z roku 1985 + 9 bonus tracków demo 83-85

Let me start with the only negative point of Zoetrope´s debut: It´s almost 30 years ago that I bought this album. I therefore feel as old as Methuselah. But the more I think about it, the more I have to admit that this is not the fault of "Amnesty"... Thus, I am talking about an almost flawless output of a band whose career ended much too early.

To use their own words, Zoetrope played hardcore street metal. This uncommon description led one to expect a punk-like proceeding and the music of the group really had some punk vibes due to its straightforwardness and the reduction to the essential. But luckily, thrash and speed metal were the main ingredients of the band´s sound. Death metal did not matter although Zoetrope proclaimed on the back cover that this one was "for speed and death metal addicts". The lyrics dealt with military and social issues so that they fitted the thrash metal framework. Especially "Kill the Enemy" reflected the zeitgeist due to the fact that the lyrics were about the Third Reich. Just remember, for instance, "Der Führer" of Flotsam And Jetsam or "The Enemy" (Anthrax). It seemed like you needed a song about Hitler and his entourage to be en vogue. All in all, Zoetrope shone with a consistent concept - and the song material was coherent. The vigorous vocals, the unrelenting pressure of the guitars and the mostly fast-paced drums were the most prominent aspects of the record. Not to forget the extremely powerful riffs that showed only one slight weakness. Therefore, the last song of the A side did not meet the self-defined benchmark. To be honest, that was no big deal in view of the remaining thrashers.

As mentioned above, the band members were children of their time. While being convinced representatives of the exploding genre, they obviously had a lot of fun to spread their music. If you do not get energized by their very lively performance, you probably have died yesterday. Be sure that I feel sorry for you, but I have to focus again on the album. The opener provided a good example for the harsh songwriting approach of the band. It delivered a catchy chorus after the powerful verse, although the band had reduced melodic elements to a minimum. The song, in particular the voice of the drumming lead singer, offered a slightly unsocial aura. Indeed, hardcore street metal of the finest kind. The stomping "Mercenary" followed an other song pattern. I internalized immediately its howling guitars at the beginning and enjoyed that vocalist Barry Stern spread again an atmosphere of discomfort. However, it is almost senseless to work out the best tracks of the record. In terms of quality, there were only minimal differences between the single pieces. But under no circumstances should you miss the fantastic openers of both sides and the title track. Quite apart from their musical quality, these tunes perfectly embodied the spirit of the band.

The production showed no weaknesses. The aggressive guitar sound was more or less perfect, but no instrument came off badly. The same went for the vocals. To keep it very simple, this was just a very good record. While crashing straight in your face, it offered rough metal without technical gimmicks, but with an amazing amount of enthusiasm.