Customer Reviews

Retaliation

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is the perfect showcase of Pete Steele's sick sense of humor coupled with the band's ability to thrash out high-test, super-aggressive metal in a form that is both powerful and hilarious. From the orchestrated insults against Catholic school and a repressed childhood in "Angry Neurotic Catholics" to the primal energy (and incredible bass work) in "Sex and Violence", every song on this album is of the type you want to crank up to eleven when you have neighbors you want to aggrivate. The song "Jesus Hitler", the story of a reincarnation of the Nazi leader and the Christian messiah, is so hilarious that I had to listen to it about 863 times the summer I first got this tape. Pete Steele can SCREAM, too. His "NOTHING CAN STOP THE PAIN" in "Inner Conflict" is amazing.

The new CD version is good, with three demo tracks and some old photos I'd never seen with my original tape. I like the Type O Negative stuff a lot too, but I would not have minded another album or two in this direction. Still, this is great stuff and a must-have.

I can still remember the first time my friend let me borrow this tape ... I was 16 and it had just come out. I made the mistake of listening to this right before going to bed, and I listen to it over and over all night until the morning.

In my humble opinion, this is one of metals perfect albums, one of the few where everything just comes together oh so right. It's up there with Black Sabbath Paranoid and Slayer Reign in Blood. I've had a thousand metal albums go through my head these past 25 years or so and only a handful of albums stand out like this one does. You know how it is ... you hear 20 albums, maybe 1 you like enough to listen to a few times. Of those, how many do you still listen to after 5 years? 10 years? I'll still be listening to this one when I'm 90.

Through my two little brothers, I've helped introduced this album to the following two generations of teenagers ... it was hard for a while since it had been out of print for so long, but I had it on a combo CD from '91 ... and I wore out 3 or 4 copies of it on cassette when I could find it. "Oh, so you like Type O? Well check this out ..." It's amazing how well it holds up, and how many people like this better than Type O Negative's stuff. To be honest, I probably wouldn't like Type O at all if it hadn't been for Carni and I can still here Carni occasionally lifting it's beautifully ugly head every once in a while in Type O songs.

I went to a Type O / Cradle of Filth concert the other day with some friends and friends of friends. One young girl, CoF fan of perhaps 19, thought Type O was "boring". Later on I played her some Carni ... she loved it and asked me who it was thinking it was a new band. "Oh, this is Pete Steele's old band from the 80's."

Ya gotta love it.

Vegetarians beware!

The door crashes open, there are running footsteps, sounds of heaving and coughing, the contents of a stomach splatter into a toilet bowl. After a bit more coughing, puking and spitting, the toilet is flushed. This is the greatest introduction to an album this side of Slayer's "Hell Awaits".

Then the music kicks in. Not just a light tap with the foot, but an almighty great steel capped heave to the groin, off a 10-yard run up! Who knows what Carnivore were railing against on "Retaliation", but it's sure to have been mortally wounded. In the year or so that passed between the self-titled debut and the second album, Pete Steele and co. sent their sound to the gym. The faster parts are faster, heavier parts are heavier, it's vocally more brutal, and lyrically more focused.

The band really stepped on the accelerator in all departments right from the opening track of the album, the wonderfully titled "Angry Neurotic Catholics", which sees Pete fighting with inner demons, contemplating suicide to escape sin-induced guilt. This is thrash the way it should be played- heavy, unstoppable, uncompromising, with proto-blast beats, shouty choruses, intense riffing, all with just a hint of melody to hook the listener. These are just downright catchy headbanging tunes. Pete had been pondering religion, the reasons behind world conflicts, and examining the human psyche, which he expressed in his own blunt politically incorrect way. The vocals are delivered with more venom than on the previous album. Steele had developed a more hardcore vocal delivery, and included spoken word rants in several tracks.

There was something spookily prophetic about this album too. Two tracks in particular, "Ground Zero Brooklyn" and "USA for USA" both have taken on a new significance since the events of September 11th. "All the bulls**t countries who think they'll beat the giant, World peace in upheaval, We'll nuke 'em to the Stone Age, send the message clear, Ya don't f**k with the eagle!" Sound familiar?

This is music with balls. Great big hairy tattooed leather-clad ones.

this was Pete Steele's band in the 80's before Type O Negative were around. as a matter of fact, their first album Slow Deep And Hard unofficially, was actually supposed to be Carnivore's third album. anyway, Carnivore only put out 2 albums. their self-titled debut was ok, but this 2nd album was far superior. in fact, I think Retaliation is probably one of the most under-rated albums that came out on Roadrunner records in the late-80's. pure early crossover NYC thrash/punk. its right up there with albums by The Accused, Crumbsuckers, DRI, and Gang Green.

Pure anger and hatred! I like it!

Compared to bands like Slayer, Anthrax, Dark Angel, and Sodom, Carnivore somehow was ignored and got lost in the mid-80's thrash scene. This was probably due to the extremely offensive lyrical content the band always displayed. Thank God Roadrunner got the idea that Type O Negative and thrash metal fans wanted to hear Carnivore's music and decided to re-release these 2 classic thrash metal albums. Carnivore's debut "Carnivore" was a close mix of thrash and death metal. While it may be a good album to introduce anyone who isn't familiar with the band, it isn't the best of the 2. This time around on "Retaliation," Peter didn't let the band hold back at all. The entire album is based on pure speed with super fast riffs and quick paced drumming. Peter loses his distored growling voice for a more traditional hardcore delivery. The production by Alex Perialis is stellar. Especially if you are a fan of double bass drumming. A majority of the tracks on this album are excellent. Some highlights include "Race War, Inner Conflict, S.M.D., Jesus Hitler, And Sex & Violence." All fans of the late 80's and early 90's thrash metal scene and Type O Negative's debut album "Slow, Deep, & Hard" should definately pick this album up. It is surely not to be missed.

I loved this CD - I didnt listen to them when they came out- REALLY GOOD

The long-awaited return of the mighty, misunderstood Carnivore. Pete Steele's pre-Type O Negative outfit was a thrashing, smashing, downright UGLY smack of true Hardcore. Peter's lyrics are controversial yet witty; the songs are all catchy as hell. This reissue includes demo versions of several songs. If you like Type O or NYHC, I would recommend it. HAIL SUBZERO!

Ok, why compare it at all to "Reign in Blood?" I'll tell you why...Carnivore's second album "Retaliation" was released on the heels of Slayer's undisputed classic in 1987. while the material here sounds nothing like Slayer's razor sharp, hyper speed riffage, it equals its brutality in the way it just GETS TO YOU! Carnivore have always meddled in the genre once known as "crossover" which basically marries hardcore with thrash metal. And even though Carnivore was affiliated with the NYHC ( New York Hardcore ) scene they tended to be more metal sounding but not just any metal, POUNDING, LOUD, HEAD SPLITTINGLY LOVELY BROOKLYN NOO YAWK METAL! I can honestly say that when I first heard this album, shortly after it came out, it was the only album up until that point and probably still that gave me the same feeling that "Reign" did. Again, this is more stripped down and hardcore sounding but nobody and I mean NOBODY can equal the pain and anguish in Pete Steeles's voice, not even Tom Araya kiddies. I recall seeing this on cassette in NY's J&R Records and just looking at the cover art, YES this I must own! I didn't know squat about Carnivore at that time, having never heard of them or their music. But truly, it was one of the best blind choices I ever made in buying music! Taking it home and being obliterated with "Jack Daniels and Pizza" is a thrill I will always remember! Seeing the re-united Carnivore this year was awesome( R.I.P. Keith Alexander aka Bonnano ) but nothing will ever come close to 1986-88 era Carnivore. They epitomized anger and release to me, they still rock, but seriously will Slayer, Sepultura, or Bad Brains ever retain their heyday glory? I higly doubt that. And again, they were not officially "NYHC" but this album just Doc Marten stomps over just about every NYHC album, with the exception of "The Age of Quarrel" by Cro-Mags and maybe "Victim in Pain" by Agnsotic Front. There is not a bad cut on this album, and I can recommend this to die hard fans of Slayer, Agnostic Front, Biohazard (early), Sepultura, Napalm Death and Cro Mags. chances are, if you listen to any of those bands this is already in your collection. but if not, trust me, it gets no harder, no angrier no BETTER than this. I can truly use the saying "they don't make em like this anymore!!" I haven't been interested in "metal" in over 12 years at least. Why? It all SUCKS!! Metal today, don't get me started! I'd like to see 6'6 Pete Steele slap up any poser who thinks they "shred." And of course, Carnivore went on to become the excellant Type O Negative who still record and gig, but those were the days!!! Carnivore's 1985 self titled debut is amazing as well, but for the real Brooklyn meat and potatoes don't think Biohazard, think a Wilkensen razor, I think!! So all in all, though I abhor labels, this must go in the top 10 metal albums of all time...and that includes the classics from Black
Sabbath, Metallica and Slayer!!!

Yeah I think I like the first CARNIVORE a little better, MORE DOOM!!

But this is still no slouch..infact you could say this is THE hardcore and or CROSS OVER album ,make's D.R.I. sound like madona!!

The lyric's are funny because..well hey they all came true, which is why you may be a tad worried..because the WORLD may end as well soon!!

JESUS HITLER..man they are all here!!!

SING ALONG to them naughty wordzz my brotherzz!!! enjoy it while ya can!!