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a very different Blind L - 79%

Rael, June 11th, 2007

Most people familiar with 'The Sane Asylum' probably wouldn't recognize this as Blind Illusion until second song, "Glass Guillotine", kicks in with some manic proto-thrash weirdness. This is largely due to the vocals, by Heathen's David Godfrey, which are of an airier, more melodic variety, while the music of opener "Banshee" is very much in traditional heavy metal mode. If you want to get even more particular, lots of this demo sounds like lost Angel Witch songs from 1980, both in terms of riffs and Godfrey's melodic choices.

The Angel Witch comparisons continue throughout "Glass Guillotine", though it's faster and a little more involved/evolved (no slight to Angel Witch, who recorded one of the best-ever metal albums in 1980). "Destroyer" continues the faster pace, but is less memorable than the first two tracks.

Would've been interesting to hear the band travel down this route even further, although it's probably best that they veered in a thrashier direction on future recordings, because a world without 'The Sane Asylum' is no place I want to live. Curious fans of Blind Illusion and of melodic U.S. trad-metal (Heathen, early Hexx, Culprit, etc.) should seek this out.

Blind Illusion - Trilogy of Terror - 80%

casino, September 27th, 2005

Trilogy of Terror consists only of three songs and lasts just under twelve minutes, but that's okay because it's all quality. The riffs are solid and well constructed, the drums are always fitting, and the band plays tight. Most people probably won't go crazy over the vocals, but they're good enough - definitely not annoying in any sense. Even if you can't stand them, they're usually buried deep enough behind the other instruments to be blocked out. The sound quality is bad, but that's to be expected from a demo, and I'm not one to whine about that sort of thing.

Banshee starts with some animal sounds and heavy breathing, but that only lasts for about thirty seconds and then the first riff kicks in. Solid thrash continues until just under three minutes in, and then there is a short but cool guitar solo and a slow break, and then right back into the thrashing which continues until the end. Glass Guillotine is next, beginning with a cool intro, and continuing on just as thrashy as the song before it. Destroyer is the last track, wrapping everything up and keeping consistent with the quality of the music before it.

This is a very short but very fun listen, and I recommend it to any fan of metal. Definitely worth checking out.