TERRIFIC VERDICT "Wheel of Fortune"

TERRIFIC VERDICT

"Wheel of Fortune"

It's hard to hate this crude chunk of Finnish thrash. There's a goofy charm about this that warms the metal heart. But never would I call this an outstanding epic of musical genius...

TERRIFIC VERDICT is kind of a whacky name and the mediocre cover art of "Wheel of Fortune" does them no favors either. Apparently this band was active all the way back in 1987, but this is their debut album!!! All indications were that this would be painful, but the TV dudes put so much rough energy into what they are doing, it smooths over a lot of rough spots. A lot of this really does sound like it came from back in the glory days of thrash, with a lot of Slayer/Exodus inspired chugging riffs. It's basic stuff...sometimes too basic...but it has an honest sound to it.

Singer Pete Korpi is gonna make or break this band for most folks. To say he has an amateurish approach to his vocals is a real understatement. It's kind of a monotone mush mouthed angry shout that often mangles English pronunciation to an amusing degree. In the song "Sleep Paralysis", he pronounces "paralysis" as "pair-a-lysis" with a long i . Funny, but the song is actually one of the best thrashers here. Songs like "Lazy Jack", "No Return" and "Big C" have a raw, crude energy that reaches out and drags you in.

At no point does the musicianship blow you away, but this is kind of fun and better than what a lot of younger "retro thrash" bands are doing. If you can stomach Pete's vocals, chances are you might get the same kick out of Terrific Verdict that I did.

INVERSE RECORDS

TERRIFIC VERDICT