MORAL DECAY - TO BUILD AN END

What an absolute gem of resurfaced 1989 Canadian thrash this one is, Supreme Echo on a metal tear lately, reissuing the only recorded material from Victoria's Moral Decay here.

Opener “When I Die” is as good as thrash gets, smart, slightly tech, totally rocking, and moving in a way that few thrash bands managed to be. Musically, Sacrifice definitely comes to mind, but there's way more of a crossover/punk vibe as well, The Accüsed being a strong reference point. But what makes it a cut above are the vocals of Dave Wenger, who went on to be in some very great but very non-metal bands like Breakwater, M Blanket, Ache Hour Credo, and Daddy's Hands.

No doubt the late Wenger was an artist, and he put his all into all his projects, as the vocal performance on “This God” (which rules but certainly could have some fat trimmed at 8:59) proves, Moral Decay delivering thrash with passion, ambition hinting at prime-era Metallica pretty hard here. There's five songs in half an hour on this LP, and they're all great, the amount of potential—and maturity, shocking considering their youthfulness—this band had sort of tragic, but it makes what's left behind all the more special; “Winds Of Death” is the best example of the band's smarts beyond their years, musically and lyrically.





There's a booklet with interviews and photos, and this comes with a sticker too, so it's hard to find any reason to pass up this excellent, unsung piece of Canuck metal history.

MORAL DECAY - TO BUILD AN END



Greg Pratt

Rating: 8.5