Intruder - A Higher Form of Killing (1989)

Tennessee's own thrash combatant entered the gladiatorial games with their 1987 album Live to Die, a decent enough debut which fell under the radar in such an explosive year for the genre. Their sophomore album A Higher Form of Killing was released under Metal Blade two years later to slightly better response and recognition, and justly so. It's a better album in almost all respects.

Intruder's sound is a mixture of thrash metal with some speed and 80s power metal aesthetics, blazing solos, and most notably the wild vocals of Jimmy Hamilton which can range from a mid-ranged Bay Area thrash style to an air raid wail within seconds. I'd say he was comparable to Overkill's Bobby Blitz or Vio-Lence's Sean Killian with an obvious difference in accent. At any rate, his voice acts as jet fuel propulsion for the bands riffing.

After the clever newscast intro of "Time of Trouble", the album's most memorable track "The Martyr" breaks forth with its frenetic thrashing pace and catchy chorus: I'm a martyr and I'll die for the cause! The rest of the album is pretty similar in style, with gang choruses and a flurry of riffs supporting Hamilton's weaving vocals as they range up and down the scale. Genetic genocide! Who will live and who will die? Unfortunately few of the songs are quite as catchy as these first two, but they suffice. "The Sentence is Death" and the silly "Mr. Death" have some decent riffs and energy, but there are some other songs which feel more or less filler. The band also covers "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" by the Monkees, a bizarre choice but it doesn't actually suck as much as you'd think.

The album doesn't hold up as well as I'd like, but I still consider it a 'good' thrash metal album, as several of the songs are fun and "The Martyr" at least would be something I'd include on an 80s thrash/speed compilation. The sound feels uneven in places, I'm not huge into the drums, but the guitars and bass are mixed fairly well. The band perform their instruments well, the solos are often quite good. Their third and final album, Psycho Savant was reined in a little tighter, but then the songs weren't as good as these, so I consider A Higher Form of Killing their best album if you want to check them out. The band reformed a few years back but I'm not sure of their activity level at present.

Verdict: Win [7/10] (so with a smile and a prayer to my Lord, I push this button and go to my reward)

http://www.myspace.com/intrudermetal