#helstar

At this point Bruce will start saying that Tim is a bad influence on his younger brothers. Why are so many of his children hooking up with a super? What the hell is going on?

Wednesday, August 9: Helstar, "Burning Star"

Abattoir: The Only Safe Place (1986)

Little more than a year elapsed between Abattoir’s first and second LPs but, remarkably, only two out of five musicians responsible for 1985’s half-hour, speed metal blazer, Vicious Attack -- guitarist Mark Caro and bassist Mel Sanchez -- returned for its ‘86 sequel, The Only Safe Place.

Out went singer Steve Gaines, guitarist Juan Garcia (off to join Agent Steel, which was fronted by Abattoir’s original frontman John Cyriis *) and drummer Robert Wayne; in came their respective replacements, Mike Towers, Danny Oliverio and Danny Anaya, and the end results weren’t pretty.

I’m sure all of their names ring a bell ... NOT!

Nevertheless, the reshuffled Abattoir did their best to mature and diversify on this sophomore LP, even easing off the gas pedal now and then (see “Nothing Sacred”), but I think they inadvertently became a more ordinary, interchangeable heavy metal band in the process.

Also, taking a little more time to assemble and road-test their new material (not least amidst such drastic personnel changes) might have helped, because there are way too many formulaic, instantly forgettable head-bangers here -- e.g. “Back to Hell,” “S.B.D. (Feel The Fire)” and “Hammer of the Gods.” (**)

Only the title track really satisfied, with its blistering but tasteful lead runs perfectly complementing their underlying riffs and melodies, but let’s give honorable mentions to the rather infectious “Temptations of the Flesh” and twin thrashers “Bring on the Damned” and “Night of the Knife.”

Still, I can’t in good conscience encourage you to run out and track down a copy of this increasingly rare LP -- certainly not at premium vinyl prices -- when there’s so much better, overlooked ‘80s speed metal and thrash out there, begging to be revisited and collected. 

Oh, and what WAS The Only Safe Place? 

Beats me, but judging from the gigantic, studded door pictured on the album’s cover, it kind of looks like Gene Simmons’ castle in Music from ‘The Elder’, so that visit probably didn’t end well for those poor kids.

* Most recently, the well-traveled Garcia has been a regular member of Ice T’s rap-metal crew, Body Count!

** Disclaimer: no members of Led Zeppelin were harmed in the making of this song ... unless they heard it.