Forbidden Evil

Forbidden were students of the Exodus school of maximum crunch with minimal melody. And while the uninitiated may find their sound rather one-dimensional, this debut was considered quite impressive upon its release during the heyday of Bay Area-bred thrash metal. The band explodes out of the gate with "Chalice of Blood," "Off the Edge," and "Through Eyes of Glass" -- a 1-2-3 punch of mind-blowing speed and tight precision. In fact, the first of these remains a minor thrash metal classic along with the equally memorable "March into Fire." Other highlights include the title track and the start-stop pounding of "Feel No Pain." Casual fans are almost guaranteed not to "get it," but thrash metal completists will want to begin their discovery of Forbidden with this release.