S.F.D. - The Complete Works

June 17, 2015, 8 years ago

(Into The Pit)

Greg Pratt

Rating: 6.5

review heavy metal s.f.d.

S.F.D. - The Complete Works

A double CD called The Complete Works by an Australian thrash band I've never heard of? Some would call it torture, but it's a task I jump into quite willingly. Not sure how I'm feeling coming out dazed and confused the other end, though: the reason you've never heard of S.F.D. until now is because their thrash, while adeptly played, is firmly second-tier... and this is a whole lot of it. I'm a completist, I'm an archivist, I'm all kinds of lonely things, so I understand the sentiment and appreciate it, big time. It's just that listening to S.F.D.'s take on thrash, which takes a heavy and forgettable American approach like, say, Cyclone Temple, while utilizing some Germanic riff tactics (earlier material, cool) and solemn-guy groove (later material, avoid), isn't always a lot of fun, at least not in this high of a dosage.

But let's take it one song at a time: (closing eyes, pointing at a random tune) "Eightfold", for example, shows chops, skill, and precision; there are dynamics, there's even a song there. S.F.D. knew what they were doing at points, although much of this album shows the hallmarks of second-tier '80s thrash: a meandering song here, no-fun melodies there, a bit of aping-Metallica desperation back over there. When they're on, it ain't half bad, it's just that diving into The Complete Works is not a good starting point. Two hours and twenty-two minutes later I'm aching for a very concise full-length or even an EP for my next S.F.D. experience (and only if it avoids the no-fun groove stuff), because this was just way too much of an only marginally good thing.



Featured Video

KELEVRA - "The Distance"

KELEVRA - "The Distance"

Latest Reviews