Scourge - Transgression (2004)

Well now, anyone feel like headbanging?

Right from the first moments this CD hooks you like an anchor up your arse, and it doesn't let you escape because that cold steel hook is wedged in your kidney. Throw away your cores, your sub-genres and your nu-metal - and while you are at it, your pants - because it's "rock out, cock out" time. This is thrash, full of oldschool purity and simple sinfulness, and it pretends to be nothing else.

With a flavour sort of like early Annihilator and Overkill, Scourge's "Trangression" alternates between thrash and speedmetal, but seems to flirt with the edges of groove, delivering a very catchy mix of styles without deviating from their true Thrashmetal heritage. the sound is reminiscent of "State of Euphoria" era Anthrax's in that the heaviness is created by the speed and nuttiness of the riffing rather than the sound, which sounds very clear and mid-heavy to my ears in the same way that Pantera does on "Cowboys from Hell". There are moments of such retro thrashmetal purity that they could have been taken straight from "Kill 'em All" or "Killing is my Business and business is good" even though they share little else in common that the tempo and general mood. On "Transgression" the sound of early thrash has been captured with stunning success. Scourge remind me of what we loved about Metallica in the 80's before they all bluesy and lame, it is good hard drinking metal with a twist of fuck yeah and a chaser of what the fuck? It is metal to listen to with a grin on your face at the 80's style lyrics and to marvel at Scourge's ability to make music simultaneously cliched, retro, funny, moshy, invigorating, and yet somehow fresh and completely unpretentious.

"Transgression" is not particularly heavy, I compare this album in heaviness to Propain or maybe Megadeth during the "Countdown to Extinction" era, but don't let this put you off. This is fast and energy-infused music, switching between slick little riffs and runs played at the casual speed of a armour-piecing round, and passages of clean melodic structuring far beyond the level of musicianship one expects of 5 kids in a thrash band. Chemistry is just one of those things, when it is right everyone lifts their game, and it is hard to find a fault here.
Ash and Ainsley on Drums and Bass bang out like men on a mission, belting along like Cerebus himself has their nuts in his sight and a napkin around his neck. The drums are really cool, staying true to the thrash style, plenty of kick going on but written more with galloping triplets rather than the more intense and constant kicking of newer genres. It really works, and the drum mix is perfect too, you pick up everything he is doing clear as day. "A Cold Taste of Steel" and "Transgression" are prime examples of this clever work. The guitars are particularly well written, particularly when they are used together in harmonised melodic runs. Simon and Paul just kick the asses out of their guitars here, the frenetic and blistering speedmetal lead on "When the Scourge Strikes" is a particular highlight, in fact that whole song is just going berko from go to whoa. Simone the ranga firebrand was still young and unseasoned on the album, and yet she never sounded better, and never looked happier than she did up there thrashing out with Scourge.

And then on the 8th day God created Smitty. Some would suggest this was a fundamental judgement error, but let's forget that for the moment. The ideal frontman, shameless and always having a ball, and blessed - or cursed - with a voice that is ideal for Thrash. He uses it to its full potential here, jumbling high and low notes together with abandon, and singing these catchy lines with an eagerness and pleasure that is rare in the scene at the moment. Although he is a good guy and a master at working the crowd, my main memory of Smitty with Scourge will always be his munted "Forchas a Dare" delivery of their crowd favourite "Fortress of Death", and I wonder if I will ever shake that priceless image.

This is yelling at the top of your lungs until you black out metal.
This is grabbing the mike and howling the wrong words metal.
This is slamming your head into the foldback and spilling your beer all over your girlfriend metal. But don't worry, she is too mersmerised by the leather pants to even notice...metal.

With the breakup of Scourge, the Perth metal scene got a lot more serious and a lot less silly, and it is tragic really. At least they left us "Trangression", and I am fortunate enough to have a copy of this local classic.
If you haven't got it, let me just say simply "Naaa naaa na naaa naaaaaa" to you.

Review by Jez.