As Grunge Rock and Alternative Rock were taking the parades by assault and spewing Glam Metal and Metal out of the North American Parades, many acts that were releasing their early full-lengths or EPs received little (or no) answer from the public. There are names that even the older ones don’t know or remember from those days. One of them is surely the North American quintet FATAL MAIM, here with the first (and only) release, the full-length “One Beyond the Grave”.

The album was originally released in 1991 and distributed during a tour on those days. On the sonority, one has to understand that it’s something in a ‘gray zone’ between a good Demo Tape recording and an independent album of the 80s. It’s not hard to understand what the band plays and expresses, it bears an organic outfit as well, but their music deserved something better (it’s an independent release, so things weren’t as easy as today, mind you). It’s good, simply in this way, and the remastering helped to boost things up.

The quintet works in a way that mixes influences from Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal and Power Metal (in the North American sense of the 80s, please), and it’s not a sin to think of their music in a similar vein of acts as WATCHTOWER, initial moments of FATES WARNING, HELSTAR, SAVAGE GRACE, AGENT STEEL and others from the same generation. But even with the care on the instrumental arrangements, the songs are hooking and full of very good moments, with a massive energy flowing from them all.

The original songs (from 1 to 8 in this order) depicts what a 80s US Metal band was, with many technical moments with Hard Rock touches (as heard on “Misery”), and all of them are very good, as heard on “Aftermath” (massive and catchy guitar riffs boosting the songs aggressiveness), “Molest and Maul” (a mammothic weighty can be felt with a melodic scent, with bass guitar and drums showing a very good and heavy work), “For Every Evil” (some NWOBHM traces can be heard on this one), “Misery” (a touch of musical accessibility can be heard on this one, something usual for US Metal acts from the 80s), and “One Beyond the Grave”. And here are some extra tracks: “Fat Chance”, “Missing Pieces” and “Peace with the Maker” (both on live versions), and a Demo version for “Victim”.

For the collectors, this reissue of “One Beyond the Grave” is a fine opportunity to have another good US Metal act in hands. But it seems that FATAL MAIM is back in the front, so a new release must come as soon as possible.