Customer Reviews

Convicted

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

During the thrash metal/hardcore punk explosion of the 80's, playing as fast as you could was a number one priority on most bands' agendas. L.A.'s CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER pushed the speed envelope with the release of their debut, "Convicted" in 1986, signaling what many consider the birth of the "grindcore" subgenre (NAPALM DEATH practically defined that genre). Though sloppy in many places and with a thin sounding guitar, the band won legions of fans for their extreme speed and socio-political lyrics (another standard of punk bands in the Reagan era). This is very far removed from the catchy pop punk of BLINK 182, and even the unbridled fury of SLAYER and it's not an easy album to listen if you are not a fan of extreme music, but the conviction and sheer power of the music herein are worth the listen.

A long time ago, in dark aeons of 1986, Cryptic Slaughter become the first truly extreme band i ever heard. There were Venom, SOD, Slayer, Metallica and Celtic Frost. And no Napalm Death records was released yet. "Convicted" was a real shock to the sound system. It was 100 times more intense, frenetic and angry than anyone else.
And now, 18 years later, it's still sounds fresh and exciting! Their next LP "Money Talks" offered a slightly better songwriting, but now "Money Talks" sounds a little too outdated. "Convicted" stood the test of time more effectively. This classic hardcore album still able to devastate any speakers with most impressive wall of sound since Discharge's "Why".
All thumbs up!
P.S. Also i can recommend 3rd Cryptic Slaughter album "Stream Of Consciousness" - it's the really great piece of raw hardcore action. Unfortunately, it now very difficult to find, 'cause it out of print for about ten years.

Cryptic Slaughter is one of the most underrated bands in the history of music. These guys were revolutionary. They were on of the first truly extreme bands. These guys were talented too. To give you an idea of how talented they were Rob Nicholson, their bass player, is now playing for OZZY OSBOURNE! CS play so fast that it is almost a blurr, you can't even keep up if you have the lyrics in front of you. Along with S.T., D.R.I. AND C.O.C. CS were one of the first bands to combine metal and punk and they did it terrificly. This release also comes with the Life in a Grave demo which might even be better than Convicted! There are also a ton of live tracks. Everyone must buy this CD right now!

Oh this brings back memories. One of my favorite tapes from when I was in high school. Awesome album.

Very fast crossover metalcore. Superior to Cro-Mags, Crumbsuckers, even Corrision of Comformity.

As a bonus, cd contains their demo and 4 live tracks. Very highly recommended.

incredible album from CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER,i remember listening to this when it first came out..WOW..the only down side is it is all a bit one dimentional...all very similar thats why i gave it 4stars and MONEY TALKS 5stars

This is a wonderful example of the mid-80s crossover sub-genre. Earlier, metal and punk were binary opposites, but all of a sudden, bands that mixed the genres with rather noisy results began to surface. Compared to other renowned albums from the time, such as Corrosion of Conformity's 'Animosity' and D.R.I.'s 'Dealing with It', 'Convicted' comes across somewhat punkier. In my opinion, this is hardcore punk - ok, so they do have some guitar solos - but both in terms of the lyrical universe and the intense, yet simple riffing, this album belongs in the punk corner. It's blisteringly fast - I can't imagine that anybody else played at that insane pace in 1986. If you like your music loud and fast, 'Convicted' is probably the most fun you'll have this year.

If you are a super-sonic speed freak, look no further than CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER! Imagine standing under an F-18 as it rips by, inches above your head. Now, put that experience on CD! I heard these guys back in '86 and never forgot their intensity and rapidity. They took a book's worth of lyrics and about ten hours of music, and compressed it all into a blistering collection of nearly incomprehensible ear-scorchers! There are points on this CD where I wondered how they could possibly play so fast without bursting into flames! Buy this one for your next kareoke party and watch your friends melt...

Listening to people these days, they make it sound like Cryptic Slaughter was a major deal back in the mid-80s. "Legions of fans"? I've been in the L.A. area my entire life, and I was going to hardcore shows constantly from around 1983 to 1990. I saw Cryptic Slaughter several times. They had an enthusiastic little crew that went ape for them, but they were nothing to write home about. I and everyone I knew seemed to regard them the same way: a bunch of poseurs who didn't have the talent or the chops to stand next to the real speed masters of the day, i.e. DRI, COC, Slayer, etc. The rhythm section was a joke, playing material that was clearly beyond their abilities. Their riffs were just... what's the opposite of catchy? Forgettable? Unappealing? Not many people took them seriously. The one thing I did like about them was Bill Crooks' singing. That guy had a scream that was like a sand blaster going straight into your brain via your ear canals. I dunno, maybe they found "legions of fans" when they went on tour? Odd that I never knew about it until 20 years later. I have to admit, listening to Convicted and Money Talks now, they're not quite as awful as I remembered. The only record of theirs that I liked (or at least didn't hate as much as the others) was their third album Stream of Consciousness. Ironically, the incredibly bad production values actually made the songs seem better. Far less sterile than Money Talks, anyway. Just as ironic if not more so, it's the only one of their albums that isn't available on CD today. Figures.