#alan tecchio

Alan Tecchio never hit it big, but he also kept himself in steady rotation by working with an array of bands.  And even if several of these acts didn’t last very long, Tecchio was able to keep his name out there in some capacity.  Power was one of his one-offs, with Justice of Fire largely being driven by guitarist and fellow Jersey native Daniel Dalley.  “Hands Over Time” was a fine slice of American power metal, defiantly out of fashion in 1995 but also full of the trademarks that have drawn generations of fans into metal over the decades. Dalley’s shredding and noodling was fairly tasteful, Mike Watt’s overplaying on drums was just right, and Tecchio soared with the same style that made him one of metal’s premiere underground vocalists.  Power dissolved after Justice of Fire, which wasn’t surprising given the market, but both it and “Hands Over Time” kept their players engaged and remain ripe for discovery.

Pawn and Prophecy by Mike LePond's Silent Assassins from the album Pawn and Prophecy

Alan Tecchio and Dan Lorenzo deserve some credit both for recognizing that the world wasn’t really in the mood for the brand of thrash they were delivering with Hades, as well as being smart enough to not use the Hades name when switching gears and going for more of a Soundgarden vibe on their next albums and instead recording and releasing records as Non-Fiction.  “I Hate to Tell You” was the second track on Preface, setting up the band’s general approach and ethos.  Tecchio and Lorenzo both seemed perfectly at home delivering this kind of grunge metal, and that went a long way toward selling the track as something more organic than opportunistic.  Still, the energy and fun of their previous band was missed, and Non-Fiction ultimately sounded more dated than the ‘80s thrash that everyone felt was played out.  And apparently Tecchio and Lorenzo felt the same way, since they reformed Hades after Non-Fiction’s three albums failed to garner much traction.

The bands that ultimately constituted thrash metal’s Big Four clearly and immediately stood out from everyone else, earning their legendary status without caveat.  The same largely holds for the handful of thrash acts on the second rung.  And then there were groups like Hades, which couldn’t reach even Sodom levels of notoriety but are still thought of in hallowed terms by a loyal handful.  At the very least, the New Jersey outfit seeded future Watchtower frontman Alan Tecchio, whose vocals on “On to Iliad” quickly defined him as a major talent.  That song came early on the inadvertently aptly titled Resisting Success, and played to Hades’ strengths, with strong riffing from Dan Lorenzo and driving percussion by Tom Coombs.  This wasn’t revolutionary in its writing and execution, but it was more than simply well-made thrash metal: “On to Iliad” had personality and verve to go with the speed and aggression, and was simply a cool banger.  Hades turned out to be one of the more formidable Combat signings, even if they didn’t ascend to the same heights as some of their colleagues.

Thrash'em All  #5

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