CYCLONE TEMPLE — I Hate Therefore I Am (review)

CYCLONE TEMPLE — I Hate Therefore I Am album cover Album · 1991 · Thrash Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"I Hate Therefore I Am" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Chicago based thrash metal act Cyclone Temple. The album was released through Combat Records in 1991. Cyclone Temple was formed in 1989 by the three remaining members of Znöwhite, after lead vocalist Debbie Gunn jumped ship to return to her former band Sentinel Beast. Znöwhite was already formed in the early 80s, and at one point featured both of guitarist Greg Fulton´s (aka Ian Tafoya) brothers in the lineup. Znöwhite released their debut and sole full-length studio album "Act of God" in 1988.

...and it´s obvious from the opening notes of "I Hate Therefore I Am", that these guys are very seasoned musicians and songwriters. Tight yet organic precision playing, very powerful thrashy riffing in various paces, strong melodic playing, a rhythm section that drives the music forward with great energy, and Brian Troch´s powerful and melodic tinged singing on top. He is not a typical raw staccato type thrash metal singer, but more a "real" singer, doing vocals on a thrash metal album. Not completely unlike John Bush on some of the harder edged Anthrax tracks from the 90s.

The material are generally very well written, instantly catchy, and fairly memorable in the long run to. Cyclone Temple succeeds in keeping the tracks, and the album as a whole, interesting throughout because of the variation within and between tracks. There´s rhytmic variation, melodic sections, clean/acoustic sections, very fast paced aggressive thrashy sections, guitar solos, and great vocal melodies, which combined make for an intriguing but also headbang inducing listen. Brian Troch´s voice and vocal style provide the album with a slight alternative edge (which wasn´t unusual on thrash metal releases in 1991), but this is first and foremost a well played, well produced, and well written thrash metal release in the more sophisticated end of the spectrum.

"I Hate Therefore I Am" is one of those albums, where it´s almost impossible not to be impressed in some way about the overall quality of the product. Of course the music itself is always an aquired taste, but if you objectively analyze all the pieces that make up this album, it´s arguably a high quality thrash metal release. Cyclone Temple was only partially successful with the album though, which was probably due to the thrash metal hostile environment in the US in 1991. Had this been released just 2 to 3 years earlier, there´s a good chance that Cyclone Temple could have been a major success. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.
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