EXCITER: Violence and Force

Released: 1984

Exciter's second album appeared just as the metal world was feeling the impact of the thrash boom and the band was astute enough to adapt to the change. Switching from the shred label they'd been on to Metallica's label Megaforce certainly helped even if the awful, awful cover illustration really does the album nothing but harm.

While often lumped in with the thrash bands, Exciter's style on Violence and Force isn't really thrash although they were certainly fast enough to keep up with the new breed and doubtless influenced a few of them with this release. It's clear that the band is paying a huge debt to both Motorhead and Judas Priest here; if you can imagine the simplistic barrage of the former crossed with the malevolence of Stained Class-era Priest then a good picture of Violence and Force can be imagined.

"Oblivion/Violence and Force" and "Scream in the Night" are the perfect way to begin an album, driven by a relentless speed that dominates Exciter's sound and featuring drummer Dan Beehler's tunelessly screamed vocals. John Ricci's shred-like playing doesn't so much contain riffs as an endless series of steaming guitar runs played at a lightning speed, but he does find a couple of solid figures to put together in "Saxons of the Fire" and complements them with a blazing solo. Blazing solos are indeed Ricci's forte, which is why these guys were originally signed to Shrapnel for their first album.

Side two begins equally as impressively with "Destructor" and "Swords of Darkness" but it must be said that Exciter's speed-for-speed's-sake approach results in an album that in the end is a bit repetitive and samey sounding. The production is that notoriously paper-thin early 80s metal kind too which makes everything raw and nasty, although in this case it's accidentally something of an asset and while they fail to write really catchy riffs the choruses are massive.

Violence and Force is a good album without being spectacular but there's no doubt the energy and spontaneity apparent rubbed off onto many of the bands that sprang up around the time it was released.

1. Oblivion


2. Violence and Force


3. Scream in the Night


4. Pounding Metal


5. Evil Sinner


6. Destructor


7. Swords of Darkness


8. Delivering to the Master


9. Saxons of the Fire


10. War is Hell

Rating: 63%