This is a special review for this metal fan right here. Somehow, while digging through a decadent rubble comprised of cigarette ash, shards of ancient crystal meth, and scraps of torn black denim, Florida's Greyhaze Records managed to uncover the gem that is "Total Extermination" by Brazilian band EXTERMINATOR, and immediately went to work on its remaster and re-release. For this, I am eternally grateful. This album, which saw its initial release way back in 1987, is everything that true speed metal was meant to be: Pure unbridled aggression, maniacal power chords laced with fuzz and crunch, pounding percussive assaults, low-tuned bass lines, and growling vocals echoing in a sea of reverb whose waves leave those who are washed ashore wasted and lifeless, staring into the very gates of Hell.

"Total Extermination" is one of those releases which reached through the burgeoning speed metal scene and grabbed the attention of those devoted solely to the thriving first wave of black metal, showing them that their movement had the ability to infiltrate the metal scene in its entirety. While the album is undoubtedly speed metal, with a sound that pays homage to acts such as THE GREAT KAY, early SLAYER, and many more of that ilk, its subject matter and its clear intentions of straightforward hate make it easily accessible to fans of bands like VENOM, POSSESSED, and BATHORY, hence the black metal reference. It is wonderful that Greyhaze Records realized the utter importance of reintroducing this underground phenomenon to the general public!

Without boring you with a track-by-track review, I will attempt to give you the skinny on the record as a whole. This is one of those albums that listeners will either love or hate; there is no in-between. I, myself, am a lover of the true underground metal (especially that of the black persuasion) that, like this recording, eventually gets lost in the muck and the mire over the years after its inception.

"Total Extermination" by EXTERMINATOR is quite purely just a release of angst and pent up frustration that is fueled by alcohol and drugs, making it true metal, albeit nowhere near a work of art. To put it simply, even if you love this album like I happen to, you could not be seen as "being in your right mind" if you were to give it a five-star review. The song structures are minimal, at best; the vocals are actually painful to hear; the instrumentation is virtually obsolete. So, that being said, lovers of the true underground, this might just be that chaotic gem your vast collection has been missing. Lovers of music as an art form or a source of deeply emotional creativity, this probably isn't for you...