Vio-lence were one of the second wave Bay Area Thrash Metal bands that came out in the late 80s, and are perhaps most famous these days for having had both Rob Flynn and Phil Demmel together in a band before Machine Head. Not that you could really tell if you hadn’t been told beforehand; this isn’t really an album to go out and buy on the Flynn/Demmel virtue alone however, this is a serious piece of classic Thrash Metal very much in the style of the time.

Eternal Nightmare, their seven track long debut studio album was released in 1988, one of the most celebrate years amongst Thrash enthusiasts, and has went on to become something of a cult classic and fan favourite. Today the album still remains arguable the go-to record for potential Vio-lence converts.

The production is solid, there are a lot of great riffs and guitar solos and the music is often ludicrously fast, this album is a serious contender for the “fastest album that still sounds musical” crown. At seven tracks, the record is strong, lean and there is no filler or weak material to spoil you enjoyment.

Not everybody will love every single facet of the album however; Sean Killian’s vocals are famously in the “love them or hate them” category and the lyrics and gang-style backing vocals are of their time, which is either part of the main appeal or a slight obstacle.

If this sort of thing isn’t going to put you off then Eternal Nightmare is definitely an album you will want to give a try, this is a prime example of Bay Area Thrash at its finest and I highly recommend it to fans of this particular musical niche.

***If you can try and get the recent reissue, which comes with a bonus disc featuring the twelve track live concert from 2001 called ‘Live At Slims,’ which is of a very high quality for bonus content.***