Accu§er - Teutonic Thrash Titans (*NEW 3-CD Box Set, 2023, Brutal Planet) 4x 80's Classic Thrash Albums on 3 CDs! Crunchy 80's Thrash Brilliance!

Accu§er - Teutonic Thrash Titans (*NEW 3-CD Box Set, 2023, Brutal Planet) 4 Classic Thrash Albums on 3 CDs! Crunchy 80's Thrash Metal

• Limited to just 500 copies
• Classic 80's Thrash Metal ala Metallica/Megadeth 3-CD Set of 4 Albums!
• Remastered to perfection by Rob Colwell of Bombworks Sound
• Includes The Conviction (1987) + Experimental Errors (1988) + Double Talk (1991) + Repent (1992)
• Includes O-ring over and 8-panel digipak
• Includes 6 bonus tracks
• Includes one Ltd Accuser Collector Card
• 36 total tracks!
• 16 page booklet with many rare band/collectibles pics

BPCD1588 ACCUSER - TEUTONIC THRASH TITANS 637405141825

ABOUT THE ALBUM
Contemporaries with Sodom, Destruction, and Kreator, German thrash heroes Accuser became a household name in their own country in the late 80's/early 90's with USA fans paying outrageous sums to get the band's thrash metal classics imported into their trembling hands.  Teutonic Thrash Titans is a 3-CD Set that includes the complete albums of The Conviction (1987) + Experimental Errors (1988) + Double Talk (1991) + Repent (1992).  These four albums, along with the critically acclaimed masterpiece Who Dominates Who? are the early Accuser albums that fully embraced crunchy, 80's thrash metal with melodic vocals in the vein of classic Metallica, Megadeth, Dark Angel, and Anthrax. The album is packaged in an 8-panel digipak, with a Ltd Collector Card of Accuser and all albums have been completely remastered by Bombworks Sound (Rob Colwell) - and YES - they sound better than EVER!  Expect pure thrash metal ear candy in every way.  The digipak comes wrapped in a deluxe O-card for added value, protection, and elegance.  Fans are treated to a 16-page booklet, six bonus tracks and 36 total tracks on the 3 discs.  If you like 80's thrash, we can't recommend these classic albums strongly enough!  Limited to just 500 copies.  

Track Listing

Disc 1
The Conviction (1987)
Evil Liar 5:56
Sadistic Terror 3:19
Down By Law 7:18
Law Of War 4:10
Accuser 10:20
The Conviction 6:06
Screaming For Guilt 4:01
Experimental Errors EP (1988)
The Persuasion 1:29
Black Suicide 6:14
Terroristic Violence 6:00
Technical Excess 8:00
F-H-W-C 3:42
'Ratouli' 0:25

Disc 2
Double Talk (1991) + 3 bonus tracks
Double Talk 2:53
The Freeze 5:29
Money 6:59
Flag Waver 8:13
Why Me 5:02
Instinct Articulation 0:32
Revolution 8:05
Alcowhore 7:24
CD Bonus Tracks
Black Suicide 4:54
Master of Disaster 6:45
Symbol of Hate 4:55

Disc 3
Repent (1992) + 3 bonus tracks
Rotting From Within 4:12
Repent 4:58
Get Saved 4:31
Sacrifice Machine 6:28
The Living Dead 4:18
The Drones 4:17
Judgement Gone Blind 5:40
Nosferatu 4:03
Metal Machine Music 5:30
CD Bonus Tracks
Get Saved 4:32
Judgement Gone Blind 4:25
Sacrifice Machine 6:42

Disc 1
The Conviction album
Evil Liar/Sadistic Terror/Down By Law/Law Of War/Accuser/The Conviction/Screaming For Guilt
Experimental Errors EP
The Persuasion/Black Suicide/Terroristic Violence/Technical Excess/F-H-W-C/'Ratouli'

Disc 2
Double Talk (1991) + 3 bonus tracks
Double Talk/The Freeze/Money/Flag Waver/Why Me/Instinct Articulation/Revolution/Alcowhore/Bonus Tracks Black Suicide/Master of Disaster/Symbol of Hate

Disc 3
Repent (1992) + 3 bonus tracks
Rotting From Within/Repent/Get Saved/Sacrifice Machine/The Living Dead/The Drones/Judgement Gone Blind/Nosferatu/Metal Machine Music/CD Bonus Tracks Get Saved/Judgement Gone Blind/Sacrifice Machine

CRITICS REVIEW
Accuser – Teutonic Thrash Titans (1987-1992) [Brutal Planet Records, Limited Edition] 

My, oh my! What we have here are the early albums from the German thrashers before they ventured into groove thrash. It is four Accuser releases remastered for a three-CD set. This collection captures a whole lot of grandiose metal done the way it was meant to be heard.  

The Conviction/Experimental Errors CD:

The debut album The Conviction came out in 1987, still lauded the golden era of thrash. Not far into the first track, Evil Liar, several factors surface: 1) All the instruments can be clearly heard, 2) the drummer is no slouch, 3) the guitar soloing is blistering, and 4) the lyrical content is no nonsense social commentary.  

Sadistic Terror plays as brutal as it sounds, decrying an industry that kills animals for beauty products and the like. Down By Law has crazy-fast riffing, slowing to mid-tempo, then back to speed metal levels after the guitar solos.

Law of War veers back to lightning-speed guitar, strong in its opposition to the corporate war machine:

     “Fight to be free – Fight for ideology,

       Killing’s insane - Just for a damaged brain,

      You got no right - Just have to fight – Law of war”

The next song, titled after the name of the band, is about as good as it gets for a debut release. This is a ten-and-a-half-minute shredder played with varying bridges and interludes. Talk about setting a high bar! Then without losing any momentum, The Conviction tears into more fast shredding, addressing religious fundamentalism that wiped out whole cultures (aka colonization):

     “Wasted land, histories end, walking corpses on infected ground

      The terrible captivity remains of paradise

      Where glory covered blooded grounds, was built on lies

     Dust to dust, souls to hell, no survival, god's revenge

     Lucifer kept watching you for eternal pain

     No mercy for the innocent - or is deafness an excuse?”

The Experimental Errors EP, also on the first CD, begins with a melancholic classical piece, violin heard. Then kicks in the cold, menacing guitars of Black Suicide, an intro to their newly added guitarist, Rene Schutz.  The guitar tonality on this EP is very fine indeed. Much of this is due to the influence of San Bay area metal, as in Exodus, Metallica, Megadeth, Testament, and Death Angel. Technical Excess and F.H.W.C. are both mid to fast tempo pounders, a close resemblance to Sodom. These tracks do not disappoint.

Double Talk CD:

 Right after Accuser toured the amazing Who Dominates Who? release, they followed up with this album, parading eight solid tracks and three live bonus cuts. Bassist Eberhard Weyel is on vocals, doing an admirable job at the hard-hitting screams. Swapping guitarist Rene Schutz for newcomer Milan Peshel, the band journeyed on, taking more calculated chances with the instrumentation.    

The title cut, straight ahead thrash with a catchy chorus, is the only full track to clock in at under three minutes. To be honest, the album could have benefited from more short, punchy cuts of this nature.  The Freeze, another stand-out, kicks in with the velocity and grit reminiscent of Death Angel. Flag Waver is political satire on US nationalism, taking a big chance with a brief funky interlude that conjures up Primus. Does the song work? I will let you decide.       

Next up, Why Me is some great thrash in the same vein as Sodom or Believer. Some spectacular vocals and screams. The guitar soloing at the end is stellar. Indistinct Articulation, a short neo-classical instrumental piece, wets our appetite for the next full length track Revolution. I do wish there was more of the variety and playfulness on Accusers albums as we find with Indistinct Articulation. Having said that, Revolution is an eight-minute barn burner, the kind you might find on a follow up to Metallica’s …And Justice For All.  

I would have been satisfied had the album finished off at this point. But for God-knows-what reason, the band decided to finish off with a track called Alcowhore. Every band deserves at least one regrettable song. This is Accusers,’ and it sure as shit should have stayed on the chopping block. BUT … all is not loss. This album made a recovery with three stellar live tracks tacked at the end, all stand-out songs from previous albums.  Accuser performs very well live, and this album goes out with a bang in a classy way.     

What makes Double Talk an album worth hearing is the clean and crisp production. Most all of the songs are exemplary thrash with some experimental components that keep it from becoming the next Exodus or Slayer album. This is an enjoyable listen.

 Repent CD:

I will tell you, with no snake oil pretense, this is my pick of the early Accuser albums. Who Dominates Who? Is their best, period.  But amongst their early years, this one is the band as a raw, explosive force that does what it does without giving a single solitary fuck about what the critics think. As far as I can comprehend, it worked!

Starting with Rotting From Within, this is not your Pacific NW grunge-friendly variety … No ma’am, this is sweaty balls to the wall, take no prisoner, bass heavy in the mix, full throttle thrash metal. The title  track and Get Saved both carry forward this chug-a-chug form, with guitarist Frank Thoms back on vocals. One thing that comes to mind is the Sepultura era that gave rise to these deep guttural vocals. Accuser wore them well, even while speed metal was the predominant force.   In Get Saved you get a bit on the message they are on about:

     “Open wide the gates of heaven,

       We await your reservation

       Don't forget your donation

      We'll save, The chosen Few,

      You don't think that this applies to you

     We can save, Your soul From hell

     But only if you're heterosexual”

These are indicting lines from a band that has long-held a scrutiny on religious piousness and abuse. Interesting that the mixing guy on this album is the one and only Paul Krueger, the same guy that mixed, produced, and engineered on the Christian metal albums of Armageddon, Believer, Haven, Rage of Angels and Sacrament. Not sure how he ended up working with this Teutonic band, but I like the mix.   

The Drones, a song addressing the cold at-your-door missionary approach, Jehovah Witnesses referencing perhaps, is another cut with all the heavy componentry. Next, Judgment Gone Blind is another wrecking ball song, is cold and mechanical. This is one-part Sepultura and the other part Machine Head.  

The album Repent moves into industrial territory with a cover of Die Krupp’s (also from Germany) Metal Machine Music. Whether it fits the circumference of this album, I simply accept this was Accuser playing their hand at a time when metal was sharing mattress space with industrial, an infusion of fun and transformation. Pretty sure they accomplished that.

This CD also includes three instrumental versions of some cuts off this album. It is above and beyond what we could ask for, and that is just fine.  

--Doug Peterson, music enthusiast and critic