I still haven't figured out what makes this so fucking great. Pretty much straightforward death/retro-thrash all the way through - standard guitar riffs, average drumming, and decent production, with very few exceptions or stylistic changes. Occasionally there are some notable shifts in speed, ranging from a sluggish to rapid pace, although the same stalwart feel always remains. One certainly isn't going to buy this if they're looking for instrumental brilliance or a musically impressive display of technicality. There are no prominent or innovative aspects, no underlying depth sequences, and there's absolutely no complexity.

Yet, I'm Going to Hell is fucking great. Maybe it's the vocals that do it for me - or maybe it's that incredible and unexplainable overall feeling of power - whatever the case, I can't stop playing it. Despite being an album that screams mediocrity in all possible forms, there's something so undeniably original here that I find it ending way too quickly every time. Another example of how the whole does not equal the sum of its parts. Why the fuck are people so infatuated with this masturbatory wanking anyway? Scepter play metal the way metal should be played, picking up right where Hellhammer and Celtic Frost left off.

As I said before, if I had to choose individual attribute that really stood out, it would be the vocals - completely decipherable, stunningly dominant, and spewing forth great lyrics every step of the way. Highlights of the release include "Ready to Rape", "Payback's a Bitch", "Yakub's Mistake," and my personal favorite, "Deathspell," although there are no weak songs. Why change a winning formula?

Another killer for Merciless. For the life of me, I can't figure out why I like it so much; but then again, I'm Going to Hell anyway, and I'm inviting all of you to join me.

© 2000 hando