I remember when I first heard the song "Different Breed" by DEAD ON. It was on the soundtrack for Wes Craven's movie - "Shocker", which also featured MEGADETH attempting an ALICE COOPER cover of "No More Mr. Nice Guy". There was also this one time super group known as THE DUDES OF WRATH who recorded the title track and featured such amazing talent as: Paul Stanley,Rudy Sarzo, Vivian Campbell, and Tommy Lee.

It took a while before I could actually track down the self-titled CD from this New York Power / Thrash outfit, but once I did, I was quite impressed. Speaking of the dudes in WRATH, when I first heard the album, I was instantly reminded of what the Chicago act did with their amazing"Nothing To Fear" 1987 album on Medusa Records. Other bands who came to mind when I first played this were: FIFTH ANGEL, BLACKSMITH, and FORBIDDEN; especially, on the song "Escape" which had the same chorus as"Off The Edge" from "Forbidden Evil".

Now, once again thanks to the wonderful two CD re-issue on Divebomb Records, we are treated to an awesome re-master of this lost at sea classic plus extras which include the "All For You" (EP) released on Mausoleum Records in 1991, and some other rare bonus cuts such as the cool cover of "Turning Japanese" - a classic '80s one hit wonder originally performed by THE VAPORS.

On this (EP), and the subsequent cuts, apparently Carl Frazzitta assumes vocal responsibilities, replacing Mike Raptis who had been with the band since 1986, and who sang with those eerie and mean vocals on the debut similar to what Dave Mustaine sounded like early on, mixed with that Gary Golwitzer's STYGIAN scorn. If you have not heard "Planetary Destruction" or how Golwitzer sounded on those early WRATH albums, you are truly missing out on the full mood and mind blowing releases! When I hear Raptis's rapturous screech, I am also reminded of the vocal style thatFrank Tyson embodies on those two KRANK albums; especially, "Hideous".

Having only heard the (EP) and bonus tracks on this re-issue, I will stress that their later material becomes more technical and complex, but it is still fast, and accessible, similar to what HADES, OLIVER MAGNUM, WATCHTOWER, JUGGERNAUT, APOCRYPHA, SEVENTH OMEN, and their ilk were delivering in the early '90s. The best cut by far of these additional goodies would be "Medusa" with a very recognizable guitar solo.

Carl's cadence cry seems to echo what Mike Patton did with "EPIC" by FAITH NO MORE, and what Orderus does with "Scumdogs" by GWAR. The song "Every Day On Earth" includes that funky bass vibe which bands like MORDRED and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES were experimenting with at the time.

So as to not beat a dead horse, I do recommend DEAD ON, simply because they were dead on target keeping up with the ever changing and evolving Thrash scene. Consequently, they folded before they could bless us with a sophomore, or third righteous release. However, that which they did accomplish is truly a different breed. They may not have been able to escape the music trends toward over saturated merry Glam and shit Grunge, but they did what they wanted to do, and now they are comin' back, and this one is for you. If prior to reading this, you had no clue who DEAD ON are, then hopefully now you can spread the word.