Forbidden are another legend out of the "Bay Area" thrash scene of the late 80's/early 90's.
Forbidden-Forbidden Evil
(Combat) 1988
1."Chalice
of Blood" (4:32)
2."Off the Edge" (4:16)
3."Through Eyes of Glass" (6:24)
4."Forbidden Evil" (5:39)
5."March into Fire" (5:17)
6."Feel No Pain" (5:11)
7."As Good as Dead" (4:16)
8."Follow Me" (7:03)
Forbidden Evil was actually the original name of the band, thus the title of the album. Forbidden's debut is chock full of semi-melodic thrash metal that still sounds good even now that this music is not "cool" any longer. Stands the test of time sounding as aggressive and angry as it did when I first heard it. Cool album cover art as well.
Forbidden-Raw Evil: Live at the Dynamo (Combat) 1989
1. "Victim
of Changes" (7:20)
2. "Forbidden Evil" (5:34)
3. "Chalice of Blood" (5:40)
4. "Though Eyes of Glass" (6:18)
Essential for the
killer rendition of Judas Priest's "Victim of Changes." Only four
songs in all, which is a bit disappointing, but for an EP at 26 minutes in length,
I guess I can't complain. Got this one in a trade on the PM Board.
Forbidden-Twisted into Form (Combat)
1990
1."Parting of the Ways"-instrumental
(1:03)
2."Infinite" (5:46)
3."Out of Body (Out of Mind)" (4:39)
4."Step by Step" (4:49)
5."Twisted into Form" (4:23)
6."R.I.P." (7:33)
7."Spiral Depression"-instrumental (1:47)
8."Tossed Away" (4:34)
9."One Foot in Hell" (6:13)
This is a KILLER melodic thrash metal disc! Unlike many in the second tier of thrash metal to come out of California, Forbidden were able to avoid the thrash metal blur. In other words there is plenty of speed and aggression but the riffs are also distinquishable and the songwriting is solid. The fast riffing is accentuated by Russ Anderson's voice which is a mix of melodic power metal singing and a more sinister sneer. Of course there is also the fast paced drumming of Paul Bostaph who went on to be with Slayer. (replacing Dave Lombardo). The disc plays well from beginning to end. I'm not sure if I would even be able to pick out stand out songs as I almost always listen to this disc all the way through and enjoy every minute of it. I found this original Combat pressing in the used bins for $3.99 some years ago. This disc was re-issued on Century Media with two live bonus tracks from the "Ultimate Revenge 2" soundtrack. Since I already own that compilation cd, I won't be getting rid of this pressing.
Forbidden-Distortion (Mayhem) 1997
1. "Distortion" (5:59)
2. "Hypnotized by the Rhythm" (4:56)
3. "Rape" (5:22)
4. "No Reason" (6:27)
5. "Feed the Hand" (6:38)
6. "Wake Up!" (4:08)
7. "Mind's 'I'" (4:21)
8. "All That Is" (4:16)
9. "Under Taker" (6:23)
10. "21st Century Schizoid Man" (7:09)
11. (unlisted psychadelic instrumental -- end of track #10) (2:00)
You know it's funny how the early 90's thrash bands went into totally opposite directions. Some like Metallica and Megadeth went on to more radio friendly formulas, while others like Testament, Slayer, and Forbidden continued to get heavier but never really reaching the plateau of popularity of the others. Still, these bands held onto their respect and have continued to give their fans what they wanted, pure blistering thrash metal. Forbidden's "Distortion" is an album that builds on the strengths of the first two while adding a bit more turbo charged fury into the mix. "21st Century Schizoid Man" is a cool interpretation of King Crimson's masterpiece.
Forbidden-Green (Pavement) 1997
1."What is the Last Time?"
(2:33)
2."Green" (3:17)
3."pHat" (3:32)
4."Turns to Rage" (5:47)
5."Face Down Heroes" (3:43)
6."Over the Middle" (3:19)
7."Kanaworms" (3:21)
8."Noncent$" (3:53)
9."Blank" (5:54)
10."Focus" (5:28)
11.(unlisted, backwards track--end of track #14) (1:11)
This album sounds NOTHING like the melodic thrash of Twisted. Oh well, it's still quite good, pushing the bounds of thrash with hints of death metal and even industrial at times. I got this disc as one of those free "get 11 free" deals from BMG. Can't say that I listen to it anywhere near as much as the first two.
Long time guitarist Tim Calvert went on to be with Nevermore. Forbidden also released another disc called "Trapped" as well, which is on my "want list."