Hard and Heavy from Down Under

Description

Hard and Heavy from Down Under is a multi-artist compilation featuring tracks by six Australian metal bands, released on Rugged Records in 1996, in co-operation with Rowe Productions, distributed in the US by The Benson Group.

Who said heavy metal was dead? ‘Hard And Heavy From Down Under’ is more than heavy, it’s superdense. If you are into loud aggressive music then this is the album for you: certainly your mother wouldn’t like it. This excellent compilation showcases seven Australian hard rock outfits (Mortification, Cry Mercy, Metanoia, Screams Of Chaos, Embodiment, Callous and Ethereal Scourge) in a variety of styles from metal punk to thrash/hardcore. Fortunately the lyrics are provided as most tracks are unintelligible, guttural and aggressive – just the way I like ’em. The lyrics are powerfully Christian, not always explicit, although some are. Words and music should always complement each other; many songs of victory are gutless because the music is banal. The thrash/hard rock medium really sets off songs on the subject of judgment or victory: sample the two tracks from Ethereal Scourge. Tracks that made the earth move for me were «Don’t Ask Me» by Cry Mercy and the three part concept piece «The Plague» by Screams Of Chaos, but the whole album has an exciting buzz about it and would complement the collection of any white metalhead. [George Russell, Cross Rhythms, October 1996]

CD tracklist:

01. Mortification – Peace In The Galaxy – 4:49
02. Cry Mercy – Time To Go – 2:56
03. Cry Mercy – D.A.M. – 5:01
04. Metanoia – Accute Obliteration – 4:27
05. Metanoia – Dimensions Of Life – 5:03
06. Screams of Chaos – Fighting For Breath – 3:06
07. Screams of Chaos – The New World – 2:58
08. Screams of Chaos – Destroy The Plague – 2:20
09. Embodiment – Loophole – 3:23
10. Embodiment – Incorporate Body – 3:08
11. Callous – Hate – 3:23
12. Callous – The Mind That Rots – 3:35
13. Ethereal Scourge – Death Of Hades – 4:52
14. Ethereal Scourge – Tomb Throat – 4:49

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Rugged Records.