Various Artists - "Hard & Heavy From Down Under"

Various Artists - Hard & Heavy From Down Under
1996, Rugged

1. Mortification - "Peace in the Galaxy"
2. Cry Mercy - "Time To Go"
3. Cry Mercy - "D.A.M."
4. Metanoia - "Accute Obliteration"
5. Metanoia - "Dimensions of Life"
6. Screams of Chaos - "Fighting For Breath"
7. Screams of Chaos - "The New World"
8. Screams of Chaos - "Destroy the Plague"
9. Embodiment - "Loophole"
10. Embodiment - "Incorporate Body"
11. Callous - "Hate"
12. Callous - "The Mind That Rots"
13. Ethereal Scourge - "Death of Hades"
14. Ethereal Scourge - "Tombthroat"

This is a pretty decent compilation of Austrialian Christian Metal bands. I really liked it when it first came out. In fact this disc is the reason why I bought Metanoia's debut, even though I didn't end up liking it as much as I thought I would. Cry Mercy is a straight forward hard rock band with good riffs but the singer is really, really nasally. Like... almost sounds like Cartman from South Park nasally. They also rap in "D.A.M." and it's the whitest rap I've ever heard. The two Metanoia tracks are amazing, sizzling slices of thrash/death metal. Screams of Chaos are an interesting hybrid of industrial, death metal, and thrash. Their songs aren't really catchy and the music just serves as a vehicle for the story told in the lyrics - but it's interesting nonetheless. Embodiment are a plain ol' death metal band that I never cared for. They're technical and stuff but they don't really hold my interest. Callous is a hardcore/thrash outfit headed by ex-Mortification drummer Phil Gibson. I dig them... they're probably one of my favorite bands on here. Ethereal Scourge ends the disc in style with death metal that is quite breath-taking and amazing. Definitely a highlight. They eventually recorded an album that I was disappointed with originally but now I kind of want to hear it again to see if my opinion would change.

Useless Fact: According to Scott Waters (Ultimatum) the comp was a collaboration between Rowe Productions (who didn't have any distribution in the states) and Rugged Records.