Thrash Metal is often overlooked in the history of music. Although the four horsemen of the Thrash Metal apocalypse were Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth, there were plenty of other talented musicians out and about, particularly inspired by these four bands, especially during the 1980s. To be fair, not everything in the 1980s was about Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince’s music alone. Many newer musicians were influenced by the ongoing trend of Metal, in particular the notion of shred guitar, perhaps begun by Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen and many others in that vein of style and guitar heroics. Forbidden was one of the frequently overlooked bands of the time, with a fierce and undeniably Thrash Metal sound. Their debut album, 1988’s Forbidden Evil was a moderate commercial and a critical success. This time around, they had a new guitarist, who unlocked some deeper musical exploration as a band. Sadly, this was the last release for decades as their drummer later joined Slayer during a long period of hiatus by Forbidden. Still, this album is regarded as a Thrash Metal classic, just their debut album, to this very day. The album was recorded between 1989 and 1990 in Fantasy Studios in California with Michael Rosen as producer and was originally released on Combat Records on March 30, 1990. Forbidden was at the release of this album: Russ Anderson (lead vocals), Craig Locicero (guitars), Tim Calvert (guitars), Matt Camacho (bass guitar) and Paul Bostaph (drums). Let’s take a retrospective listen to this Thrash Metal album, and we shall hear if it is any good.

Parting Of The Ways – Instrumental begins with some smooth and sweet acoustic fingerpicking away. It sounds instantly great. This is eventually mixed in with some strummed acoustic guitars as well. If Forbidden wanted to make an immediately good impression, then they have done so here. Reminiscent of the instrumental works of Black Sabbath, this is really amazing music to listen to. It leads straight into the next track.

Infinite begins with some crashing drums and loud, distorted guitars that sound awesome. A really great and interesting listen, it launches into an awesome Thrash Metal frenzy. This does sound undeniably awesome, and historically so. It seems that Metallica had some competition from elsewhere, even though arguably their 1988 album …And Justice For All was the peak of their craft in terms of intellectual and intense Thrash Metal. This does sound extremely good, all the same. Some excellent vocals quickly enter, and this is enough to make one smile. The vocals are undeniably awesome, and even though these guys weren’t hot property by many out there, this does sound really fantastic. Obviously, not Christians lyrically, this music is powerful and legitimately awesome throughout. A joy to listen to, this is a more intellectual and progressive-based Thrash Metal musical experience that sounds absolutely wonderful throughout. The vocals, in particular, are iconic in this song. Going from singing to screaming at the drop of a hat, Kurt Cobain would have likely rolled his eyes at this music, unnecessarily so. The guitar solo is warped, magical and different, showcasing a powerful and very unique sound with both melodic playing and shred motives throughout. This does sound truly impressive and amazing and is a testament to the fire and glory of anti-religious Metal Music. Many people who aren’t into the concept of reincarnation or God, in particular, will get this music. Regardless, a fantastic song that deserves more credit than it gets. A truly powerful and awesome listen from start to finish. The outro has some warped whammy bar work, likely with the Floyd Rose tremolo system on the guitar. This is followed by a Deep Purple Ian Gillan-styled vocal, and a crunching finale. Excellent.

Out Of Body (Out Of Mind) may refer to a drug-induced experience, possibly with LSD. It is a heavy, thrashy assault on the senses, but again, sounds really great throughout. A powerful, undeniably fantastic listening experience that is highly enjoyable from the go. The heavy guitar riffing is awesome, along with the screamed vocals and powerful drumming. A really awesome and cool tune, this sounds more supercharged than an energy drink, or a drug-induced night of craziness. This music is extremely lively and powerful and is pure moshpit territory. The guitar riffing is nicely structured as well, looking back to the best of the Metallica riffing of Master Of Puppets (1986) and …And Justice For All (1988). Extremely cool, and genuinely driven in a passionately musical way. There are some vocals sung about demonic things here, so again, religious people should clearly avoid this music. It’s not a big deal, all the same, this is a great song to listen to. A punchy, lively and powerful song to listen to, this sounds absolutely awesome and magical throughout. This is a theatrical and powerful musical statement. These guys were likely using some interesting substances to create such a piece of music. It ends with some acoustic guitars with more Deep Purple-styled vocal screams. Brilliant.

Step By Step begins with some pounding drums and guitars, which sound absolutely glorious. Really really cool, this music is a sensationally wonderful listen. With some of the best vocals of the time in Metal, Forbidden showcases a fresh approach to Thrash Metal that was overlooked at the time. With a multitude of intelligent and powerful musical sections, this is a bit more catchy and Poppy throughout, but with a punch-in-the-face style attitude throughout. A really fantastic and wonderful listen, this music will definitely take you into the realm of satanic and immoral wonders, set to music. Nonetheless, this is absolutely glorious and socially aware as well. This has a wonderful guitar solo throughout and is shredtastic and very tasteful indeed to listen to. A really, really great tune to listen to and to hear, this music is a wonderful and powerful listen that will raise the eyebrows of the average listener. With more Deep Purple vocal-isms, this launches into more fantastic guitar soloing that is absolutely amazing to listen to and enjoy. Don’t be fooled by history, this is one of the most underrated albums made to date. The drumming pounds along this tune throughout, and the intricacies and complexity of this music are impressive. A wonderful song, and something very unique and expressive. A wake-up call to listeners today.

Twisted Into Form begins with a build-up of delayed guitars, and sounds sensational from the start. This guitar riffing is extremely awesome, and this song gets going quickly soon enough. A fantastic and punchy listen, showcasing what a great up-and-coming band could do taking in the best and most logical musical influences of the day. This sounds gloriously good, and this is a rant against religion throughout. Even so, this sounds absolutely awesome and proves that organised religion can suck at times, depending on which gathering you go to. This is wonderfully encapsulated in this song. The chorus is absolutely magical, and the vocals and performances make this a truly uplifting listen. With Yngwie Malmsteen sounding guitar soloing, this is something worthwhile hearing, to this very day. Even if this isn’t the greatest Thrash Metal album ever, it sounds definitely awesome. The lyrics are dark and satanic, but we are human, after all. This is a very memorable song with some intricate drumming and tasty guitar work throughout. The vocals are also very unique, although leaning a bit on Deep Purple, once again. If this doesn’t put a smile on your face, obviously you are not a Metalhead. A truly brilliant track to listen to. Wonderful. The outro is really insane sounding.

R.I.P. is a seven-minute long piece beginning with some intense tom-tom drums and gurgling bass guitar, which sounds fresh and different. Some crunchy overdriven guitars join in the mix, and this piece begins to come alive. It sounds really thunderous throughout and is an interesting musical listening experience. This is extremely enjoyable and powerful, eventually launching into a really fast and intense Thrash Metal Music piece. Vocals enter, and this piece gets going along very nicely. Some glorious and melodic vocal sections in the bridge section sound extremely cool. This may be a seven-minute-long song, but by goodness, it sounds really amazing and direct throughout. The song is intelligent, powerful and articulate throughout and has a very anti-war musical message throughout. The insanity of this record’s sound is absolutely enjoyably powerful and awesome throughout. Predicting the upcoming apocalypse, Forbidden does a really great job of musical proportions here. It launches into a chugging guitar riff-based section that sounds absolutely awesome and powerful throughout, leading into a monstrous and excellent guitar solo section. This sounds absolutely amazing and powerful throughout, just sounding really, really great. Some of the best drumming you will ever hear is present as well. A ferocious, energetic and powerful listen, with some epic sounds and playing, this sounds absolutely awesome to listen to again and again. The screamed vocals articulate the impending doom of humanity, which makes a lot more sense to hear today than it did back in 1990. A really fantastic and wonderful song to listen to, this is absolutely pure brilliance in a musical sense. Really great, and definitely worth listening to. A fast, fantastic and above all powerful tune, this is mind-blowingly good to hear. This is a timeless piece of well-structured, intelligent and well-played music from start to finish. The soloing in the outro is great, followed by some pseudo-Metallica Thrash Metal playing. Really, really great. It ends suddenly.

Spiral Depression – Instrumental begins with some picked acoustic guitar parts, which sound extremely mournful. This is a simple, yet appreciably moody acoustic guitar-based instrumental. The acoustic guitar switches channels and has some electric guitar swells thrown in for good measure. A really interesting and great tune, this sounds rather dark and eerie. In the second half are some additional guitar overdubs that sound quite discordant and freaky. It fades out just before two minutes is up.

Tossed Away begins with some awesome guitars and drumming that chug away nicely. This sounds extremely cool, all the same. Soon enough, this launches into a powerful and melodic song that is really fantastic, edgy and enjoyably powerful. A really top-notch and awesome tune with some really tuneful and multi-octave vocals present. This sounds really awesome, loud and interesting throughout, and is a very decent and fresh-sounding song, to this very day. The chorus in particular is superb and awesome, with more Metal-based Deep Purple singing. The midsection has a stop/start musical change, with some interesting drums to match, before leading into another brilliant guitar solo with some neat shredding throughout. A wonderfully uptempo and energetic song with some really awesome Thrash Metal and other rather heavy great musical influences throughout. A really awesome tune to listen to, this sounds so energised and charged with power throughout. A really great song, just like the rest of the album, and a worthy listen to this very day. The ending is sublime.

One Foot In Hell is the final song on the album and is a six-minute-long piece. It begins with some crashing drums and crunchy palm-muted chugging guitar. It quickly launches into musical mayhem throughout and sounds absolutely awesome to listen to. Really, really cool and very top sounding, this has some powerful singing and playing throughout. It is very anti-religious lyrically and has singing against the hypocrisy of the Christian faith. A really, really cool and interesting listen to hear, this is a soaring feat of the heaviest music that you will hear from a Thrash Metal group. Simply put, if you are a believer in Jesus, stay away from this album. Nonetheless, it sounds really amazing and great throughout. This music is a really great listening experience, with some amazing guitar solo work throughout. A good and descriptive amount of Thrash Metal madness is present in this song, and it sounds absolutely magical throughout. A really, really cool listening experience is present on this track, and it will blow your mind if you love Thrash Metal, in particular. Some dual-tracked and whispered vocals are present in the second half of the track, and it enters into some screaming, “Please lord, help me!” which is very, very emotional and suspenseful. A great song about how religion and in particular, Christianity, can destroy one’s life. You may as well get a pentagram tattooed on your body if you take this music super seriously. In any case, this is a really great listening experience from start to finish. A fantastic tune to hear, and something very, very worthwhile. A solid track with a strange finish.

This album is a solid gold winner, particularly if you love some of the heaviest forms of music out there, especially Thrash Metal. This is a monumental piece of art musically that is definitely worth listening time and time over. It combines a great sense of melodic structure, rhythmic playing and excellent musical sense throughout. This is not a listen for the light-hearted, be warned. Should you hear this album? If you like Metal of any sort, and really fast Thrash Metal at that, this is a no-brainer. If you love Jesus and the Christian faith, however, do stay away.

Gloriously good and powerful music.

9/10