It is a bit difficult of not being dismayed by these moaning stories of bands that could have reached something in their career only to succumb under the market's obsessions and fading fashions. It is just me or that the term trend has been a career demolisher for decades or am I just dreaming and trending is actually a positive aspect in the business? Through the Bootcamp Series of Divebomb Records I came to notice another causality of the constant recognition war that Metal music has been fighting since originating in the late 70's. However, in the late 80's and early 90's in the US, Metal's situation became critical, taking a decline route into its own doomsday with the rise of Grunge. Therefore we have WEAPONS, a Metal band from Maine, been there since 1986 and has yet to release an actual full length record, partially thanks to a label that nearly signed them but in the last moment decided to follow trends rather than providing these guys with a fair chance. Actually WEAPONS' early days, till the breakup in 1997, were documented merely by a bunch of demos. Thanks to Divebomb Records, I had, and you can have, a chance to explore the band's musical betterment and development outside the boundaries of the Thrash label and into different realms.

Seething a platter of three out of the band's six demos between 1986 till 1994 in quite a good condition, I was glad to find out why WEAPONS interested the alleged Mechanic Records. Not too sure when that old deal should have been signed, but I would tell you that, WEAPONS is more or less an all-around band, as if their main desire was to be everywhere, catching attention wherever they can. Scouring their music, I uncovered a variety of distinctions and tendencies that came over the band throughout the years. Aspects of early METALLICA, MEGADETH, early 90's FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, early DEATH ANGEL, the technical craftiness of HADES and even the proto Alternative Metal / Hard Rock outpourings of FAITH NO MORE with hinges of mid 90's SKID ROW, journeying between Metal and Rock. I am confident that this bands' pool can be filled with more examples, but that was the best I could come up with.

At first I didn't want to, yet it came to the fact that I had to, meaning, providing an attention for each demo, as if it was out as a lone release. Nonetheless, I have to provide a general input. Musically, I believe that if provided the chance, WEAPONS could have been one of the highly rated assorted Metal bands in the US. Their playing skills on the entire instrumentation sets, including the vocal line, are proficient. The demo's material is full of ideas, especially the quality of the 1994's demo, which also provided the compilation's name "Reflections Of A Troubled Mind". These concepts and fascinating song structuring enabled me to manifest and explore, also due to the fact that their tracks are rather lengthy. Furthermore, there isn't a dull moment, sometimes with the feeling of being chained in a psyche ward listening to squawks and painful whimpers of its inhabitants.

As I mentioned earlier, WEAPONS tried to be everywhere and I stick to it, thrashing things up while adding a Hard N' Heavy foundation, a fine line between the decline of the 80's era and the bridge to the 90's. In addition, WEAPONS diversified the riffing constantly, shifting tempos, skinning and hammering in a multifaceted fashion and there is the vocal line that has that Hetfield manner to it, yet sharper and cleaner than the original back in his hey days. "All I Need" is a special one, far a bit from Thrash, a slow tempo Hard Rock with a metallic edge that builds up into a raging slammer. "Behind the Door" continues the Rockin' sovereignty of the previous, a bit jumpier with classic lead guitar demonstration, generally there is a fine METALLICA sense. "In Dark Places" a semi Thrash assault with clear Heavy Metal instigations with impressive riffing and odd swings  and there is the acoustic / electric epic "Season's End", hailing as a soothing venture, which I didn't find so surprising due to WEAPONS's knack of being unexpected and even catchy at time. Over the over, the band display impressive twists and turns, making impeccable moments of a genuine feel. However, and probably Achilles heel of the entire demo sets. WEAPONS, with their creative ideas, occasionally strayed, producing passages that appeared wacky but fairly lost for the songs' original inputs, a sort of a little chaos. Eventually I was able to live with it, yet I believe that several of the songs, including the starlets I mentioned, could have been way better. In overall, pick this statement of memorandum, the US scene needs to know what it lost back in the day.