UMUR
"Then Came the Killing" is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish thrash metal act Mezzrow. The album was released through Active Records in 1990. Mezzrow formed in 1985 under the Necromancy monicker but changed their name to the current one in 1988. They recorded two demos under the Mezzrow monicker before being signed for the release of "Then Came the Killing". "Then Came the Killing" ended up being their sole album release in their original run, as they disbanded after recording a 1991 demo.
Stylistically Mezzrow practice what I would characterize as Testament worship. It´s like Mezzrow have found a forgotten vault of 1986-1987 Testament material and have opted to record it with the same equipment and in the same studio as their heroes used when they recorded their debut album "The Legacy (1987)". That´s how similiar the style, the performances, and the sound production on "Then Came the Killing" are to the same features on the Testament debut. If I didn´t know any better, I would have thought it was Testament I was listening to. Lead vocalist Uffe Petersson isn´t quite as distinct sounding as Chuck Billy, but other than that Mezzrow is arguably a worship act.
So with that out of the way, I´m ready to praise Mezzrow for all the great features of "Then Came the Killing", because overall it´s actually a really strong Bay Area influenced thrash metal release. The quality is high throughout in terms of strong songwriting, high level musicianship, and a raw, powerful, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. If you can look past the obvious clone factor here, fans of the style are recommended to give this album a listen. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.