UMUR
"Martha Splatterhead" is an EP release by US, Seattle based crossover thrash metal act The Accüsed. The EP was released through Condar Records in 1985 (recorded in August 1984). The original vinyl pressing was limited to 500 copies. All 5 tracks from the EP would be included on the band´s January 1986 debut full-length studio album "The Return of... Martha Splatterhead". The Accüsed formed in 1980 and released a couple of demos before releasing "Martha Splatterhead".
Stylistically the material on the 13 track, 32:38 minutes long album is raw horror/gore themed hardcore punk with the occasional nod towards crossover thrash metal (some tracks are full on hardcore punk while others are much more thrash metal oriented). Lead vocalist Blaine has a distinct sounding snarling and aggressive vocal style, which suits the equally mean sounding instrumental part of the music well. It´s filthy, raw, gloomy, and angry sounding music, which is relatively simple in structure. While The Accüsed deliver their music with a fair level of skills, the sound production is pretty low-fi and sounds like it was recorded live in a garage.
Considering that this is The Accüsed´s first label release, it´s a decent quality release. Their campy horror/gore lyrics and the rawness and aggression of their music are some of the assets of the release, but it´s still early days and there are still things to improve on. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.