Massacra: Enjoy the Violence (1991)
France's Massacra substantiated the extreme metal credentials hinted at by 1990's Final Holocaust debut with their second LP, '91's Enjoy the Violence, which obviously took a swipe at electro-pop gods Depeche Mode to boot.
In fact, they grabbed that nasty sophomore slump fellow by the throat and beat him to a bloody pulp!
Although they hardly deviated from their ferocious sonic trademark -- thrashy death metal laden with apocalyptic themes -- and true originality would never be their forte, Massacra showed improvement in almost every quarter here, backed by cleaner production values.
Their musicianship also stood out in the telepathic interplay between guitarists Fred Duval and Jean-Marc Tristani, the tireless, steamrolling energy of drummer Chris Palengat, and the inhuman growls and steady bottom-end held down by vocalist/bassist Pascal JΓΌrgensen.
Most important of all, standout offerings like the blistering title cut, the gloriously profane "Ultimate Antichrist," and the deliberate, foreboding "Near Death Experience" were far more complex and dynamic than their generally one-dimensional predecessors.
This enhanced diversity was also reflected on the clean-picked intro to "Revealing Cruelty," frantic tempo changes of "Atrocious Crimes," and surprisingly doom-paced "Full of Hatred," all of which suggested that, slowly but surely, broader creative horizons beckoned Massacra.
Whether they actually delivered on that promise with the following year's unfortunately named Signs of Decline LP is a matter of debate (I say "not quite"), but Massacra firmly established themselves among France's best death metal exports (along with the excellent Loudblast) here.
In fact, while it was nowhere near as accomplished as a Sepultura or Entombed record, Enjoy the Silence, was something of a French metal landmark, given that country's very patchy metallic track record, up to that time.
However, much like their once underperforming football team, French heavy metal has sure come a long way in the 21st Century!
More Massacra: Final Holocaust.
