DARK ANGEL — Live Scars (review)

DARK ANGEL — Live Scars album cover Live album · 1990 · Thrash Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
UMUR
"Live Scars" is the first live album release by US thrash metal act Dark Angel. The album was released through Combat Records in 1990. "Live Scars" bridges the gap between the band´s third and fourth full-length studio albums "Leave Scars (1989)" and "Time Does Not Heal (1991)". The album title is obviously a reference to the title of the former mentioned album. The tracklist features material from the first three Dark Angel albums "We Have Arrived (1984)", "Darkness Descends (1986)", and "Leave Scars (1989)". The original vinyl version only features five tracks, while the CD version features three bonus tracks (among them a cover of "I Don't Care About You" by Fear).

"Live Scars" features a raw and authentic live sound, which probably gives the listener a good indication of what a Dark Angel show sounded like in those days. It´s not one of those polished live releases with fake audience participation and corrected errors. You get what you hear, and that is both good and bad. The raw presentation of Dark Angel´s music is obviously a positive as their furiously fast-paced and aggressive type of thrash metal is best presented that way, but there is no arguing that a sligthly more clear sounding production would have made the listening experience a little more enjoyable. Mostly because some riffs, the bass drums, and other details are often buried in the loud and messy soundscape. The tracks aren´t always easy to follow and the technical nature of the band´s playing doesn´t help either. At times it simply becomes a bit too muddy for comfort.

The band´s performances are pretty much flawless with the impressive drum work by Gene Hoglan as the most attention demanding feature. The man is a monster...his playing is out of this world. Lead vocalist Ron Rinehart pulls off a performance which sounds a lot like his studio performances, so that part is also solid enough, and the same can be said about the guitar and bass parts.

Upon conclusion "Live Scars" is a nice documentation of a Dark Angel show from those days, but as the sound quality is as raw and unpolished as it is, I deem this very much a fan release. It´s definitely not the first release by the band that a casual thrash metal fan should listen to. Even as a fan I´m having a hard time enjoying this at times. More objectively this is still a decent release and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.
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