Poltergeist "Depression" CD

Poltergeists… invisible and hypothetical… quite annoying and tangible sometimes as well, mind you… overall not very easily noticed as I’m pretty much the only scribe here that has attuned his radar to detect them. Not due to some uncontrollable passion for them although I do love the sophomore “Behind the Mask” to bits. My writing spree thrown their way is rather a sign of respect as I do think that they deserve more attention and recognition from the metal fanbase…
and not only because they released one of the first genuine thrash metal recordings (“Evil is There!”) on Swiss soil in the distant 1986. Back then they were called Carrion, but shortly after this first stint they decided to carrion… sorry, carry on under the Poltergeist moniker, predating Tobe Hooper’s blockbuster by whole six years. Music-wise there’s very little to complain about as those who had already fallen for the Carrion opus will rejoice all over. In other words, brace yourselves for the good old thrash only that this time the hyper-active bash has been polished and tweaked around, the guys moshing more confidently but with obvious restraint as well… well, compared to the first instalment at least as there’s nothing wrong with wayward headbangers like “Three Hills” and “Inner Space”, with the title-track and “Writing on the Wall” nodding in the direction of Paradox’s “Heresy”, released the same year, with their more intricate veneer. A sure precursor to the more technical flair of the sophomore, these pieces don’t exactly set an example to follow the thrashing immediacy of short bullets like “You've Learned Your Lesson” and “Prophet” violating the more officiant setting although the guys wrap it on with the more intricately-woven roller-coaster “Ziila” and the more diversely-executed speed/thrashterpiece “Shooting Star”, the highlight here, an aural carnival of intense skirmishes and melodic embellishments.
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t left impressed by the performance of Andre Grieder here, the vocalist whom I later liked quite a bit and still view as one of the most convincing performers within a thrash metal context. At this early stage the man prefers to recite in a not very attached semi-clean fashion, spitting the lyrics with vehement velocity, trying to keep up with the fast-paced histrionics of his comrades. He surely achieves that but compared to his more melodic antics on subsequent efforts this particular delivery simply holds no water. Anyway, he’s just an accompaniment here leaving the others to do most of the talking, and also the shredding as again it wouldn’t be too hard for one to detect less ordinary nuances which later grew into something more impressive two years later. Not as distinctive and visionary as Coroner’s “No More Color”, and not as varied and memorable as, say, Drifter’s “Reality Turns to Dust “ or Apocalypse’s self-titled, this slab of impetuous speed/thrashisms by all means stood its ground with its not very flashy, non-fussy aura.
It was surpassed by the sophomore, for the umpteenth time, but it still remains a perfectly acceptable entry into the band’s discography, especially when the guys never repeated this straight-ahead speed/thrashing heroism. They never rehash their previous feats note-by-note, always adding something new and fresh to keep the audience guessing, including on the comeback saga “Back to Haunt” which does wink at this “depression” here on a couple of more direct moments. It’s good to have the good old poltergeists around making the old school thrash noise… but please, bring the noise on more regular bases… I don’t know how else to scare away the vultures and hyenas gathering around this ever-fresh carrion.

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