The Drought

The Organization
Savor the Flavor
1995

Death Angel were trying to distance themselves from the gorier, darker images of thrash metal almost from the get-go. I saw an interview some time ago on youtube (which I just tried to find again to no avail) with frontman Mark Osequeda where he's practically still a teenager and he talks about how the name isn't intended to be as dark or scary as people make it out to be. By the time "A Room With a View" from Act III (which, slight forays into funk-rock territory notwithstanding, is a thrash masterpiece that no collection should be without) was in Headbanger's Ball rotation, they were calling themselves D.A. So it's on surprise that after the band dissolved in the late 80s, their reformation took on a totally different tone.

The Organization is Death Angel minus Osequeda. Just look at that cover up there. Pretty shitty, isn't it? But even with the stupid album title and terrible cover, this record isn't nearly as bad as you're expecting. While it doesn't sound like the mighty thrash of our Filipino friends' hey-day, it still offers some solid heavy alt-metal, 90s style. Not unlike Anthrax's early John Bush material, this record is a bit of a mish-mash of melodic rock, metal, alternative, and grunge (do people still use that term?), and it isn't quite sure what it wants to be, but when the grooving is kept to a minimum and they focus on straight-ahead rocking, the results are mostly positive. The production is really nice, too, offering a good 90s sheen without sounding too dated.

The Organization released 2 record (I think), and this is the second. I haven't heard the first.

Savor the Flavor