The Only Safe Place

Abattoir | Format: Audio Cassette

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Combat
• ASIN: B001GNNH82
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,484,352 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

12 tracks.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overlooked Bay Area Metal, September 21, 2008

By 

Melkor "Librarian, Reviewer" (Orlando, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Only Safe Place (Audio CD)

Abattoir switch vocalists after the raw debut album "Vicious Attack" and ultimately slow things down. Ex-Heretic vocalist Mike Towers enters the fray (same band that produced Metal Church vocalist Mike Howe)and brings more of a "Joey Belladona" feel to the Bay Area thrash sound with actual vocals and slower songs. Neither of these qualities are a bad thing, as Abattoir up the production levels and the melody to achieve a mid-paced metal album. Towers had a bit of an ego and insisted the band cater to his talents, thus the album is not a thrash assault but more akin to a power metal album, with traces of NWOBHM and choruses galore.

After a brief instrumental intro, "Bring On The Damn" kicks things off and rocks solidly before delving into the driving and effective title track, arguably the best song on the album. Abattoir's mid-paced tempo is never more evident than on the fourth track "Nothing Sacred", which features some great guitar work along with cliche keyboards, yet effective mood changes.

The overall consistent quality of side one ends with "Hammer of the Gods", a metal track if there ever was one. Side two bogs down somewhat with traces of W.A.S.P. in "Temptations of The Flesh" but "Back To Hell" and "Night of The Knife" end on a decidedly power metal note. The guitar solos are delivered with a high quality of workmanship through the entire album, yet somehow feel a bit contrived. In the end, "The Only Safe Place" is an album full of talent and potential, but ultimately hampered by a lack of ferocious and ambitious attitude. It played it a bit too safe to garner the attention of the underground thrash fans, while being a bit too hard for the more polished radio friendly glam fans. Thus it languished in metal limbo, forcing the band to break up and form the equally unsuccessful "Evil Dead".