American
thrash metal!
Atrophy - Socialized Hate (Roadracer Records) 1988
1. "Chemical Dependency" (4:07)
2. "Killing Machine" (3:47)
3. "Matter Of Attitude" (3:25)
4. "Preacher, Preacher" (4:17)
5. "Beer Bong" (2:06)
6. "Socialized Hate" (5:03)
7. "Best Defense" (3:49)
8. "Product Of The Past" (3:50)
9. "Rest In Pieces" (4:40)
10. "Urban Decay" (3:31)
At one time, Roadracer had the king's portion of the speed and thrash metal bands in the 80's. Atrophy were one of those bands. While many people seem to think they were just one of a generic bunch, I think that Atrophy had some slight differences that made them different and also quite good. Atrophy knew how to write good, solid thrash metal riffs. On this, their debut, they crank out some straightforward thrash metal, moving along at break neck speed. Ocassionally the guitar work is reminiscent of Exodus, particularly on "Rust in Pieces". I suppose, since thrash is my forté, that I may be a bit biased, but I really can't see how any fan of aggressive, heavy metal and thrash could not enjoy this thrash feast.
Like Realm, Toxik, Believer and several other Roadrunner/Roadracer bands, this CD is out of print and rare. It occassionally shows up on Ebay, and usually sells in the $40 range. (ouch!) I got my copy in a generous trade. (Thanks Jeremy Rose, Buffalo, NY)
Atrophy - Violent by Nature (Roadrunner) 1990
1. "Puppies
and Friends" (3:32)
2. "Violent by Nature" (3:54)
3. "In Their Eyes" (5:02)
4. "Too Late To Change" (5:29)
5. "Slipped Through the Cracks" (5:28)
6. "Forgotten But Not Gone" (5:00)
7. "Process of Elimination" (4:46)
8. "Right To Die" (4:00)
9. "Things Change" (4:05)
This was actually the first Atrophy I had heard. I got it in a trade. It was one of those CDs I took a gamble on that payed off rather well. I had this CD for years before I finally could secure a copy of Socialized Hate. Personally I think this CD is a vast improvement over that one. While Socialized Hate had some excellent riffs and was fast and aggressive, this CD has more memorable songwriting. I have a hard time deciding if Atrophy are speed metal or thrash, as they really border the two very similar styles. "Puppies and Friends" is one of the best tracks here, not only because it so fast, heavy, and aggressive, but because of the ironic title. "In their Eyes", "Too Late to Change" and the title track are also excellent songs that are fast and aggressive as well, yet have some touches of melody as well. It is because of this melodic element that I think this band straddles of fence between speed metal and thrash.