M.O.D. - U.S.A. For M.O.D.
Megaford Records - 0202861956-2 - 1987
By Philip Whitehouse
Now, it's hardly a secret that I'm not the biggest fan of
M.O.D.'s most recent work - the review I gave
The Rebel You Love To Hate even sparked the ire of the big man Milano himself. The earlier
M.O.D. records, however, are something different.
Gross Misconduct practically introduced me to thrash when I spied it sticking out from between my Dad's
Marillion and
Motorhead albums, after all. So, now I have in my hand a reissue of 1987's
U.S.A. For M.O.D. - the album the carried the baton passed by
S.O.D.. Recorded and mixed in just four days, the 23 tracks of hardcore-inflected thrash are still an entertaining listen today.
Most of the tracks barely reach the two-minute mark, with tracks like 'The Ballad Of Dio' only just managing to stretch to the 12-second or so milestone. The centrepiece of the album, however, is the 5:23 'epic' Spandex Enormity. Dealing in typically Milano-esque blunt style with Billy dealing with unwanted attention from overweight groupies, this track encapsulates the album's style - simplistic but effective riffage, undemanding but to-the-point song-structures, occasional hyperspeed blastbeat freak-outs and Billy's (some might say thankfully) inimitable vocal and lyrical stylings. There's a sense of urgency and fun about this album that has been lacking from the group's latter-day output.
If you missed out on this album's mixture of hardcore-influenced, knockabout thrash and homophobic/bigoted/absurdist/tongue-in-cheek lyrics first time around, now's a good time to rectify the oversight.
U.S.A. For M.O.D. shows the band on fine form and highlights the influence their sound had on later bands (
Ghoul, I'm looking in your direction).
8/10
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