Absolute Power

Earlier this year, I was very happy when I picked up the vinyl for an old thrash classic, Overkill's Under The Influence. I tend to ride that record buying high, and immediately start looking to chase down similar records to add to my collection. I had been looking to get that Overkill album into my collection for a long time, and when I started thinking about other 80's metal records that I've been wanting for a long time, the band Powermad came to mind.

Powermad were a thrash band out of Minneapolis in the late 80's. They came into the scene a little late in the game, so it feels like they are a bit underrated and forgotten, but their EP from 1988 (The Madness Begins...) and their LP from 1989 (Absolute Power) are both killer records that I never get tired of. My hunt for both of these records has been up and down for years and years, but for one reason or another I just never pulled the trigger. Getting that Overkill album into my collection set me on a mission to do the same with other long standing records on my want list. I was done fucking around waiting for the right price.

Thankfully eBay came to the rescue with auctions for both Powermad records. I was a bit surprised to lose out on the EP, but could not be happier to score the Absolute Power LP at a price that put the Discogs sellers to shame. Goddamn. I haven't paid much attention to eBay for a few years, but it might be time to start checking in there regularly again... at least for metal records.

I was very happy to find that the version of Absolute Power that I picked up, contained the promo packet and photo. Little extras like this are very cool.

Metal Thrashin' Powermad

Sometimes, when I have some downtime, and I'm chillin' at the computer listening to music, I'll go back and check some history here on the blog...entertaining myself with where my head was at during certain periods, and reading about what I thought about certain records. Earlier this week, I spent some time reading through old posts from 2010, it quickly became pretty obvious that this blog is a different beast these days. The days of scouring eBay for limited pressings of Hardcore records, and buying one of every colored vinyl for new Hardcore bands is pretty much a thing of the past. I'm sure this bums out a lot of people, but the heart wants what the heart wants...and for a while now, it has been consumed by Metal, and I don't see it letting up any time soon.

It seems like all the old Metal bands are getting back together and releasing new albums. Metal is so strong right now, and I'm loving the resurgence of the old guard. Zetro is back in Exodus...Howe is back with Metal Church...Sanctuary released a new album last year...Armored Saint released a new one this year...Overkill, Death Angel and Testament are still killing it...seriously, I don't think that anything could surprise me at this point. When I saw that Powermad released a new record, I didn't even bat an eye.

Powermad's singer always had a distinct sound, and as soon as you hear him on Infinite, his voice immediately brings you back to those 80's albums. While the new Powermad record doesn't quite stand up to what some of their more well known peers are doing, this is still a pretty solid outing, and I'm happy to see that they are still active. I've been playing Infinite this week, sandwiched in between some underrated mid-90's records, like Forbidden's Distortion, and Overkill's The Killing Kind, and this new Powermad LP fits in nicely with that sound.

I really like the creative packaging for the LP. Great looking gatefold foldout design. Well done.