#forbidden evil

𝔉𝔬𝔯𝔟𝔦𝔡𝔡𝔢𝔫 - 𝔄𝔰 𝔊𝔬𝔬𝔡 𝔞𝔰 𝔇𝔢𝔞𝔡

Forbidden - Forbidden Evil

Cover art by Kent Mathieu Forbidden - Forbidden Evil (1988) Thrash Metal

For someone whose most notable band was so focused in its approach, Hank Shermann has been surprisingly adrift outside the confines of Mercyful Fate.  It would be one thing for the legendary guitarist to want to explore and try new things, but Shermann frequently seemed aimless, as if he was just looking for something to do that week (hell, he even toured with Volbeat as a guest musician for a stretch).  Perhaps it was notable that Demonica was by far the heaviest and thrashiest of his many post-Fate detours, and Demonstrous also found Shermann teamed up with perhaps his most formidable non-Michael Denner guitar partner in Forbidden shredder Craig Locicero, but it didn’t matter much since the semi-supergroup didn’t last beyond the one record anyway. That said, “Ghost Hunt” gave both Shermann and Locicero plenty of room to strut, and both impressed, though it was weird to hear the occasional Fate-esque flourish over the Araya-like shouting of Klaus Hansen.  But while the song didn’t really go anywhere over the course of about 6 minutes, it was still packed with awesome riffing and showed that even if Hank Shermann was in need of some direction, he still had the fire and chops.

Forbidden  - Feel No Pain

“One Foot in Hell” closed Twisted into Form and capped off the first run of Forbidden’s discography, coming in just as thrash was beginning to peter out. But the song also proved that Forbidden was the right thrash band at the wrong time, because it was aggressive and technical in equal measure, and with a thicker sound thanks to Michael Rosen’s production, didn’t wed itself to standard-issue Bay Area thrash conventions.  Craig Locicero and Tim Calvert were a formidable guitar tandem, their riffing and shredding sounding something like a predecessor to what Nevermore (who Calvert briefly joined after Forbidden broke up) ended up doing a few years later.  Meanwhile, Russ Anderson was perhaps the most underrated singer in thrash: sure, he could venture into melodrama at times, but he also infused his Halford-esque wailing with a refreshing griminess.  And Paul Bostaph actually sounded much more forceful and dynamic here than on any of his Slayer records- he might be content to mostly play along to Kerry King’s riffs, but on “One Foot in Hell” his drumming proved integral to the musical narrative.  Audiences in 1990 may not have been ready for this type of metal, but “One Foot in Hell” was exactly what the scene actually needed.

By the time Manmade God released their self-titled debut full-length in 2003, the band was a long way from the thrash roots of their seemingly impossible to find 1998 EP, as well as down a few members: by 2003, ex-guitarist Ahrue Luster had already joined and left Machine Head, while two of the three ex-Forbidden members that founded the band were gone.  As a result, Manmade God wasn’t a thrash album at all, but instead a largely mid-paced alternative metal record somewhat behind the times.  “Pulp” was mostly representative of the album, if a bit faster: Pann’s vocals felt more 1995 than 2003, but that was actually a bit refreshing considering the state of rock early in the millennium.  And even if Craig Locicero was really underplaying, his riffing showed a more groove-oriented side to his playing.  Here’s something funny: Manmade God was actually released by a major label (American), something that feels absolutely inconceivable today.