The rebirth of American Power Metal and Thrash all in one bright, bombastic little package called "Embrace Oblivion," that at its most severe sounds like a cross between Hallows Eve and old Annihilator, and at its most subdued, which is to say, stone-ground and slow-see title track for starters, it's a Warrior-like respite.

Well not quite, actually it gets old fast… literally. The first few tunes get ya excited and up in arms-you're picturing in your mind the humble beginnings of pioneering Pit music and all those greats from the past… before you're half over you're listening to the same song over and over.

But hey, it sounds old and I won't reneg on that comment by adding a, "but the sound is so fresh," or "it's old school with a new element…" Nope, none of that nonsensical backpedaling, call a spade a spade and this sounds old-all of it, right down to the echoing vocal effects. And with real Rock n' Roll burning its skid marks across the backs of commercial Rock redundancy, the old school Thrash Metal appeal seems the logical step for nostalgia hungry fans that still appreciate those that were there from the beginning, so why not?

These guys can do it with tunes like "Strike The Enemy" and "Tear It Up," prime examples of yesterday's march to victory fight songs, while "Lash Of The Gash" is prime '80s Dark Metal sadism Barbaric and crude, owing much, or
little, depending on yer view, to an abominable production by today's standards, though perfectly acceptable for 1983, Tearabyte accepts nothing from modern mastering pursuits, a key addition by subtraction to that vintage early sound.

But they've got nothing interesting to offer after a while, it's the same plodding monotony; a dry and colorless
drone with lead vocals that creep and crawl along clumsily and could benefit from better placement within the sometimes shrouded guitars-"Under The Sand" or It's All A Lie" yield perfect examples.

Overall, and this is considering the riotous "Pig Fucker From Hell" and "Pissing Contest," which I don't know where they came from but are hilarious and totally out of context with the predecessor knife-clutching quality Metal lyricism… "Embrace Oblivion" is a demo-quality stab in the dark conjuring up undaunted images of Power Metal's universal past, like an unpleasant, sometimes incomprehensible merging of "Cracked Brain" meets "Speed Freak," and a pointless closing cover of Cash's "Ring Of Fire…" I don't get the joke.

Eighty percent's musically well-intended, and this record will draw hard-core fans, but Tearabyte's going to need a quick personality transfusion if they're going anywhere with this.

Released by Screaming Ferret Wreckords)

Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu]
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METAL STORM PRODUCTIONS
Vinnie Apicella

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