Review: DR. SHRINKER “Archive I” + “Archive II”

DR. SHRINKER “Archive I” + “Archive II”
Nuclear War Now! Productions

I had a great pleasure to review last times albums of Slovak and Chilean scenes legends. So now the time has come for American one who I know since beginning of 90’s thanx to compilation released by one of the first Polish labels dedicated only to Metal – CARNAGE RECORDS. Anyhow, contrary to DEHYDRATED or DEATH YELL band I’m talking about at the moment is dead since last year. There’s also another difference between releases of mentioned above bands and DR. SHRINKER – as you surely deducted after reading titles, we haven’t to do with premiere stuff here.

These two CDs contain more than two hours of music. It means practically all songs guys ever released (mostly independently). Anyway, guys play in middle tempo and technically for sure. Jim and Chad play intensively and seemingly quite easy riffs but they change them often. Besides the fact that you haven’t here some super, hyper sophisticated solos and stuff like that means anything. Anyhow, guys play in characteristic broken style, of course. Also drumming is very energetic and full of piquancies. There’re faster and slower parts, passages and stuff like that. Bass is mostly hidden in background of course, but there’re moments when you’re able to hear this instrument very well.

Rich presents us Thrash Metal vocalizations and this is very easy to connote them with some German school. I mean especially some band from Gelsenkirchen, but also another one from Essen. I know that I’m not very objective, but everything sounds very fresh even today in my opinion. It’ll be real titbit for people in less or more my age and here I don’t have to explain the reasons. We all know what it is about. But younger fans of Death Metal also should grab this anthology! And since many people (and I’m sure in States, too) know nothing about bands from northern states and their contribution in building especially American scene it’ll be great opportunity to get to know one of them. By the way, except DR. SHRINKER there existed (some still exist) other bands in Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, etc.