UMUR
"Bastards" is the 3rd full-length studio album by UK thrash metal act Cerebral Fix. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in October 1991. It´s the successor to "Tower of Spite" from 1990. A promotional video (which aired on MTV´s Headbangers Ball in those years) was shot for the track "Middle Third (Mono-Culture)".
Stylistically the material on "Bastards" continues the heavy and doomy thrash metal sound of "Tower of Spite (1991)" and the two albums are more or less sibling releases in my book. Sharp heavy riffs and rhythms and lead vocalist Simon Forrest snarling raw vocals in front. He has a rather distinct sounding voice and delivery, which is great most of the time, but his performance does get a little one-dimensional along the way. The band are well playing, although the drums are played a little "stiff" and uncreative.
The original vinyl version of the album featured 10 tracks, while the CD version featured 3 additional bonus tracks. Two of those are punk/hardcore covers of G.B.H. and The Damned, which Cerebral Fix run through in great style. Their hardcore past shines through here, but also a few other places in their own material, although it´s seldom on this album.
"Bastards" features a powerful and heavy sounding production job, but the production choices made on the drum sound aren´t the best, and the drums often sound a little disjointed from the rest of the instruments and vocals in the mix. Upon conclusion "Bastards" is a quality heavy thrash metal release though, and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.