Morbid Saint

Originally released in '88, Spectrum of Death is the debut album from Morbid Saint. It's also a long-lost relic of thrash metal's peak in the U.S. during the late '80s as one of the fastest, aggressive and most skilled periods in metal. The band's history is typically low-key: a group of pals playing covers in Sheboygan, Wisconsin start writing their own tracks and black magic is born. From Judas Priest and Metallica covers, the band went on to create a masterpiece on this debut LP, now re-issued by Relapse. Morbid Saint's Spectrum of Death is a full expression of thrash metal in its purest form ― to call the album "majestic" would not be, for anyone who appreciates thrash, speed or death metal, an exaggeration. This is one of those albums whose obscurity defies reason; it's little known in most metal circles, even though it shreds on par with anything ever produced by the Big Four. What can you expect on Spectrum of Death? Essentially, every track reaches the intensity, speed and frenzy of "Reign in Blood." That's right ― every track. One can only assume that after years of covering the "hits" from thrash's biggest bands, Morbid Saint managed a divine, or unholy, synthesis that produced these tracks, jettisoning everything that wasn't unhinged fury.