Risk (Remaster)

2018 reissue of the first album by the legendary thrash band. This was originally released on Combat.  Includes 7 live bonus tracks as well as Megadeth's 1984 three track demo.  Liner notes from Dave Mustaine.

"A mere four years have passed since Sylosis' inception and they’re already on the cusp of releasing their third record – Monolith; an ambitious concept album from the young English quartet.Although the word itself defines a large block of rock or stone, it also shares its name with a tale of tragedy. Basing a concept on a theme of Greek mythology is more usually than not going to procure heavy, dark connotations and the story of Orpheus and Eurydice allows purposeful comparisons to be drawn to the twisted and selfish side of human nature, perhaps even very ambiguously around the seven deadly sins, although not quite as defined.The album is by far the most decadently dreary tapestry of work that Sylosis has ever offered. Their confidence has evidently grown with their experience and they’ve each developed into seasoned artists comprising a completely polished entity; unafraid of taking risks nor stepping into the creative abyss.Josh Middleton must be credited as the leading visionary of the band; he’s taken a lead role in the production aspect of the recording process from the start and has even taken front-man duties in addition to lead guitar, since the bands sophomore record, ‘Edge of the Earth’, when they decided to move forward without  their original vocalist. The aforementioned record was in fact only released last year, but being the insatiable writers that Sylosis are, a quick turnaround of new material was imminent.Monolith is a big-sounding record, there quite simply are no filler tracks and every sound and utterance is presented as if it’s been conceived and then sculpted with a surgeon’s precision. It encompasses atmospheric tones and layers of ambient nimble fret-waxing abreast of tangible slices of thrash and waves of expansive doomy riffs that lull and aurally inveigle.The almost 20 minute epic closer may very well be the jewel in the crown of Monolith; imagine the sound of the four horsemen of the apocalypse meets the undead spirit of 80’s thrash. Here’s a composition that weaves energetic and progressive technical chapters with delicate and emotive melodic tangents; complete with a two and a half minute interval, naturally. Beautifully innovative and covertly stylish, this truly is balls-to-the-wall metal in 2012. If you’ve never heard of Sylosis, you’re very, very late to the party; this is one of the greatest British metal bands of our time. For Christ’s sake." - Metal Injection

"This is where everything almost went horribly wrong. Encouraged by a new distribution deal through Epic Records and his recent collaboration with old friend Ozzy Osbourne on his wildly successful No More Tears album, Motörhead's Lemmy set out to pursue commercial success like never before and, as a result, almost managed to toss their impeccable legacy in the dumpster. Sure, Motörhead (arguably the most important underground band in rock history) had flirted with accessibility before, but with 1992's March ör Die, the English legends shed much of their unbridled power and skull-crushing distortion in order to break down the radio barrier once and for all. Needless to say, it didn't work in attracting new fans, and lukewarm material like "Hellraiser" (in a different version than on No More Tears), the piano- and acoustic guitar-laced "I Ain't No Nice Guy" (a duet with the Ozzman featuring Slash), and a straightforward cover of Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever" (it just sounds wrong -- maybe if they'd tripled the beat or something) had longtime fans gritting their teeth in frustration. Elsewhere, tracks like "Stand," "Bad Religion," and "Too Good to Be True" found Lemmy making a serious effort to transform his trademark croak into actual singing, and only a few numbers ("Name in Vain," the title track) bear any vague resemblance to the Motörhead of old. At the end of the day, simply attacking the band's motives may seem rather harsh (and is certainly subject to opinion), but there is no denying that March ör Die ranks among Motörhead's least-celebrated offerings; nor can one ignore Lemmy's swift about-face toward more extreme fare on 1993's excellent Bastards." - Allmusic Guide