▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Asphyxia ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Exit: Reality █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 1991 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-01-03 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Thrash Metal ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Rumble Records ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ Belgian thrashers Asphyxia fell victims of a fate █ █ congruent to many European acts purporting the █ █ same style. They formed a hair too late to make █ █ much of an impact after their demos hit █ █ circulation, so out squeaks Exit: Reality in 1991 █ █ to minimal fanfare both then and now. As I've gone █ █ back to re-appraise some of these more obscure █ █ thrash acts I can't help but notice a bevy of █ █ trends and patterns. There was little to no █ █ incremental advancement being made in the thrash █ █ formula by this point sans pushing the envelope █ █ even further toward what was becoming death metal █ █ proper. Dark Angel were busy suffocating the █ █ listener via swampy, lugubrious mid-paced riffs, █ █ and it appears as if Asphyxia took a page from █ █ their book when they finally got around to █ █ recording Exit: Reality. █ █ First impressions definitely count, and boasting █ █ one of the better '80s airbrush-styled cover arts █ █ I've come across, Exit: Reality set the scene with █ █ a contrast between the lush expanse of nature and █ █ what appears to be an imposing nuclear firefall █ █ not unlike the iconic representations of Game Over █ █ and Survive. The music itself is worthy of at █ █ least a few sore necks, with a muscular, █ █ belligerent mid-paced jaunt defining the lion's █ █ share of the record, with a few swampy churns █ █ diffusing into the choppier, mosh-oriented rhythm █ █ guitar lines. Definitely some Sepultura in here as █ █ well, with parts of "Health for Sale" sounding █ █ straight out of Arise. Of course, it helps (at █ █ least in this context) that Ramos' madcap rants █ █ are delivered in a bark redolent of Cavalera █ █ himself. █ █ It is certainly a storm of well-constructed riffs, █ █ but just like Time Does Not Heal, something is █ █ lost in the translation for whatever reason. █ █ Asphyxia get away with more because their songs █ █ are more concise and snappy, but take "The One Who █ █ Minds the Worm" for example; between some solid █ █ fret abuse we are left with a lot of space filler █ █ that easily eludes the memory. "One Big Family" █ █ feels like some of Anthrax's heavier fare, what █ █ with the more mosh-conducive construction and █ █ endearing over-reliance on gang shouts. "Where the █ █ Shadows Are Dark" (no shit...) sounds like it was █ █ influenced from Exodus, with that staccato-driven █ █ main riff and Ramos' more nasal, sneering █ █ inflection. Again, the album feels more faceless █ █ than deficient in any one sector. █ █ Well played, standard Slayer-inspired fare just █ █ wasn't going to get many looks by the time of █ █ release, but I can't say that many will regret █ █ passing this one up. The musicianship is █ █ consistently above average, ballistic and █ █ appreciably begrimed with its intense focus on █ █ cranking the riffing dial, but to what end? █ █ Certainly not all memorable songs, because all I █ █ have ever taken away from Exit: Reality is that █ █ opener "Capital Punishment" sounds like "South of █ █ Heaven" and I keep waiting for that iconic █ █ Lombardo drum fill that never comes. It leaves one █ █ wanting, but there was definitely some potential █ █ here. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Capital Punishment 5:07 ░ ░ 2. Violence First 3:51 ░ ░ 3. Slice of Death 4:09 ░ ░ 4. Health for Sale 6:14 ░ ░ 5. Paranoia Time 3:46 ░ ░ 6. The One Who Minds the Worm 4:13 ░ ░ 7. One Big Family 4:35 ░ ░ 8. Where Shadows are Dark 4:07 ░ ░ 9. Mr. Pain 3:18 ░ ░ 10. No Thanks 4:35 ░ ░ 43:55 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░