California USA is often regarded as the breeding ground for thrash metal, and for some of the biggest names in metal and music history! Long fluffy hair, bullet belts, and patch jackets were the norm in this time. Perhaps not as well known, but RECIPIENTS OF DEATH were lurking amongst the shadows of the thrash metal giants in that region. 25 or so years later, they have now reissued an album "Final Flight & Recipients of Death", a compilation of the band's 2 album discography. Let's get into it.

The album kicks off with "Final Flight". I was getting a very raw punk like feel to the album, more in the vain of THE MISFITS. Although the guitar solos and leads definitely give it a thrash feel. Raw is the key word, as the production is just that. The guitars feel too thin, and most likely recorded in a rush. Perhaps that was the best technology available at the time. However, production techniques have evolved since then. Most people probably have better technology on their tablets and smartphones than they did back then. Which begs the question, why re-release an album if it's pretty much the same as the original? It would have been better to see a re-recording and/or re-mastering of this song. These were my thoughts for the first 3 songs. F.O.A.D is, rather interestingly, a 62 second guitar solo. No other instruments. Giving credit where credits due, this really does show off the guitarist's talent and skills. Sadly, it's recorded to an exceptionally low standard. The kind of thing a guitarist would send to one of their band mates in a group chat after recording it on a smart phone and presenting it as an idea for a future song. Not as filler for a professionally recorded album. I'm sure this could have been re-recorded for this album. I'd have personally loved to have seen that. But alas.

Things did get better with "Death Forever". This instrumental track seemed to be on another level with production. I noted how the bass filled the space and void that was missing in the previous recordings and locked in with the drums elegantly, both of which have been recorded to a very high standard. The drums cut through sharp and crisp, but sit just right in the mix as not to overpower anything else. This provided a much stronger foundation for the guitarists to do their thing and display their skill. The tones are piercing, soaring through the rest of the mix. I'm glad, as I think this illustrates my point. They're very capable musicians, and this song is a much better advertisement for them. Moreover, they have the capacity to record to a much higher standard. It does work as an instrumental too!

After this, I was excited for the rest of the album. Although that excitement became, well, the opposite of satisfaction. It seemed like generic cookie cutter thrash in large parts. What makes this different from the hundreds of other trash metal hopefuls today? Sadly, that's where I'm going to leave this review. There's hardly anything here making it unique in a world of thrash metal. This one belongs to the history books.