...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI


..::OPIS::..

Re-issue of the 2nd full-length album '92 + EP "Solitude" '94 by Italian Technical Thrash Metal band.
This is the kind of clean, semi-technical melodic thrash metal that was prevalent at the time, reminding of a mixture of Powermad, Xentrix, Watchtower, Realm, Target, Toxik and Ignorance.
CD includes 3 live-video bonuses.
All fans of thrash metal with clear elements of traditional metal should check this out!!!



I became aware of Broken Glazz when digging through the more than obscure Italian thrash scene of the old days. It seems that the band, based in Turin, had amassed a solid following, without however being able to make more of their career. Part of the 'blame' can arguably be traced back to their genre of choice: arriving to the scene in the very late '80s and sticking to a half-clean, refined style of thrash, with a quasi-technical edge at times, was pretty much equivalent to heading your car towards a concrete wall and slamming on the throttle instead of the brakes. Nevertheless, they at least managed to complete two full-lengths before dissolving, of which Withdraw from Reality (1992) is the last.

Now, in that year you had the odd Sodom or Demolition Hammer stubbornly refusing to acknowledge what was going on around them and acting like the '80s never really ended, but for the most part, bands around the world were not indifferent to the changing of the times. Broken Glazz was no exception, and although the band's sound was always far from being that extreme, they still ended up conforming to the time's paradigms. Countdown to Extinction was already out, I mean. The comparison is relatively easy thanks to guitarist Ivan Appino's almost copycat Mustaine-esque snarl (which, funnily enough, was also almost identical to his predecessor James Wynnie), not to mention the occasional guitar-less verses, the balladic segments appearing every now and then, and the overall restrained average tempo.

Despite all of this, Withdraw from Reality was a rather dignified way of dealing with this hostile landscape. I'm not forgetting the aforementioned faults, especially the second mentioned – 'Empty' is a 2-min acoustic interlude more than anything else, and 'Neverworld' a failed experiment at a half-ballad – yet Broken Glazz throws enough ideas at you to make you overlook those. It helps that almost every refrain might stick in your head, '7.7.2' being the clearest example of doing more with less, case in point its extremely straightforward, yet infectious, almost hard rock structure. It also helps that Appino and one-album wonder Luca Balducci delivered a performance they're still extremely proud of today, I bet, and steal the spotlight from the busy, occasionally slapped bass and far from outrageous, yet spot-on drumming. 'Colours from Grey' or the unfortunately subpar 'The Legion' show more than above average technique, as well as melodic gusto, closer to something like Annihilator or Mekong Delta would write at their least weird, and 'Starry Sky' confirms all of this, being the absolute highlight of the whole album. I had to double-check it wasn't an outtake from The Principle of Doubt, as those continuous harmonies and creative riffing did their best to fool me, and that chorus was just as catchy as thrash can be. In a righteous world, easily among the all-time classics of Italian thrash. Bravo.

All in all, Withdraw from Reality is much more than yet another '90s trainwreck, not only respectable for a time frame that was hardly the most creative phase of thrash metal (even if judging from Game Over's latest, I think it still has its estimators – hopefully we are not approaching again that era), but pretty much enjoyable even nowadays, forgiving the more outdated elements, wannabe-funny cover song at the end above all. Broken Glazz appeared inevitably doomed from the very start, but made sure to leave another mark before disappearing. A small relic from a difficult period.

TheBurningOfSodom



..::TRACK-LIST::..

1. Lady War 4:16
2. 7.7.2 3:30
3. A Foot In The Grave 4:23
4. Colours In Grey 4:55
5. The Legion 4:31
6. Starry Sky 5:12
7. Neverworld 4:44
8. Still Life 5:05
9. Empty 1:51
10. I've Been Betrayed 3:56

Bonus Tracks (From Last EP 'Solitude'):
11. Solitude 3:34
12. Game Over (Accoustic Version) 5:36

Live Video Recorded Dracma Metal Fest 28 June 2008 Torino:
1. 7 7 2
2. Faces On The Floor
3. Solitude



..::OBSADA::..

James Paul Wynne (guitar, vocals, 1989-92)
Ivan Appino (guitar, vocals)
Andry Verga (drums)
Pier Querio (bass)
Luca Balducci (guitar, 1992-94)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Os83uz2C6A



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