UMUR
"Resisting Success" is the debut full-length studio album by US, New Jersey based thrash metal act Hades. The album was released through Torrid Records in 1987. Hades was formed in January 1978 by guitarist Dan Lorenzo. The band´s first release was the "Deliver Us from Evil" single from 1982. in the following years Hades released several minor releases like demos, splits, and singles, before signing to Torrid Records for the release of "Resisting Success".
Stylistically the music on the album is a combination of thrash, speed, and heavy metal. Some tracks are culled from the band´s 1984 demo, their 1985 live demo, and "The Cross / Widow's Mite" single from 1985, so it´s only natural that this is not a 100% pure thrash metal assault, but instead also features some more "old school" speed/heavy metal elements (tracks like "Legal Tender" and "The Cross"). There´s even a semi-progressive mini epic featured on the album in the 9:10 minutes long closing track "Masque Of The Red Death". Common for all tracks are the great raw energy but also the great melodic sensibility which is present throughout. Especially lead vocalist Alan Tecchio pulls in the more melodic direction with his high pitched screaming vocals. He also sings in a more gruff staccato type thrash metal vocal style though. The guitars play both raw thrashy riffs, heavy/speed metal type riffing, melodic themes, and there´s even a raw rock´n´roll feel to some of the material, like it´s the case on "Sweet Revenge". The well played guitar solos are also worth a mention.
While the material is stylistically slightly inconsistent, it´s not a major issue, and the diversity of the material isn´t something which disrupts the flow of the album too much (although the progressive leanings of "Masque Of The Red Death" isn´t their finest hour). The sound production on the other hand is a bit of a deal breaker. It´s not terrible by any means, but it is very raw and unpolished, and sometimes details go missing in the mix. As "Resisting Success" is generally a bit more sophisticated thrash metal release than the average ditto, a more clear sounding production would probably have suited the music better, but as mentioned the sound production isn´t lo-fi or of a really bad quality, it just could have been better. There is some quality material featured on the album though and the musicianship is also of high class, so a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is still deserved.