When it comes to thrash’s late ’80s second wave, there’s no denying Vio-Lence was one of the most prolific bands of the scene. Although their initial run was rather brief, they managed to release two all time classics in Eternal Nightmare (1989) and Oppressing the Masses (1990). The aptly titled groove-oriented Nothing to Gain (1993) foreshadowed things to follow in the form of post-Vio-Lence vehicle Machine Head, but this Top 10 isn’t about that album or band. No sir, today’s Top 10 is a clinic in full speed, maximum power thrashing, so be sure to lace up your high tops. You’re gonna need to for our Top 10 Vio-Lence Songs!
10. “Subterfuge”
Kicking off our list at #10 is a deep cut off Vio-Lence’s second album, Oppressing the Masses, “Subterfuge”. A friend of mine once said he preferred this album to Eternal Nightmare, simply because of the ungodly amount of hate riffs. He’s not wrong. While Eternal Nightmare pushed the speed factor to overload, Oppressing doubled down on thick, meaty, midtempo riffs. “Subterfuge” is an excellent example of this with its industrial strength riffage and shout-along chorus. The mosh section that makes up the song’s last minute is a force to be reckoned with as well. “Subterfuge works on you!”
9. “Torture Tactics”
By ’91, thrash was making its last stand. Death metal reigned supreme and the titans of the ’80s had largely moved onto mainstream metal/hard rock. Although Vio-Lence weren’t ready to incorporate blasts or gutturals any time soon, they did put out a nasty little release that rivaled the extremity of death metal lyrically, Torture Tactics. The release was so graphic that most record stores refused to carry it. While the latter half of the EP can be described as juvenile at best, its opening title cut is an ultra-violent tour de force of thrash brutality. Had frontman Sean Killian’s vocals been any rougher, chances are “Torture Tactics” could pass as at least death/thrash, but I digress.
8. “Serial Killer”
It’s a shotgun blast that opens this frenzied speed-fest. Taking cues from thrash’s earliest days when speed mattered most, “Serial Killer” is the shortest song on Vio-Lence’s magnum opus, Eternal Nightmare. In true Vio-Lence fashion, everything about this song is maniacal, from the lyrics and riffs to the drumming and guitar solos. When Killian shouts, “Run for your life I’m the serial killer. I’ve come to bury you today.”, we believe it. Expanding upon the debate whether or not death growls would’ve made “Torture Tactics” more effective, in the case of “Serial Killer”, no way. Killian’s lunatic shouts and chants take this one to a whole new level.
7. “World in a World”
Chugging its way to #7 is the closest thing Vio-Lence had to a hit single, “World in a World”. I say this only because it spawned a music video, so you know it got at least some airtime on MTV’s Headbangers Ball. That being said, could you imagine how miserable it must’ve been being a teenage thrasher in 1990? Having to sit through the likes of Extreme, Trixter, and whatever other floofy haired dreck was passed off as “metal” in HOPES you’d get to catch the latest from Kreator, Testament, or in this case, Vio-Lence? Lucky for us, thanks to the miracle of YouTube, we can watch the video in all its thrashing glory here.
6. “Officer Nice”
Nothing like a good ol’ fashioned, high speed thrashin’ slab of irony, am I right? On the sardonically titled “Officer Nice”, Vio-Lence takes on the age old topic of police brutality and sets it to an equally brutal soundtrack of unadulterated thrash. Just as Killian so effortlessly takes on the role of a deranged “Serial Killer”, here he assumes the role of a cop with bad intentions. From beating up civilians for no reason to stealing drugs and flipping them on the black market, there’s no task too deplorable for “Officer Nice”. Arguably the signature song off Oppressing the Masses, Vio-Lence plays it live to this day.
5. “Bodies on Bodies”
More than just the title of a song about a killing spree, “Bodies on Bodies” was a regular scenario at Vio-Lence shows, and still is to this day. How could you not want to slam full force into a fellow thrasher when blasting this one? The riffs are absolutely lethal and Perry Strickland goes OFF behind the drum kit. Then we hit that unsuspecting breakdown passage and surrender to the thrash metal void. While the breakdown is a key component of any self-respecting thrash band’s attack, Vio-Lence unleashed them like a sledgehammer blow to the skull. I can practically feel my knuckles scrapping the ground.
4. “Phobophobia”
Few metal songs accurately capture fear the way “Phobophobia” does. It’s one thing to be afraid of the dark (Iron Maiden’s “Fear of the Dark), war (Metallica’s “One”), or Satan (Black Sabbath’s “Black Sabbath”). To be afraid of everything? Leave it to Vio-Lence to tackle such an intense topic. I recall this being the song that made me fall in love with Vio-Lence at a young age, if only because I heard similarities to Metallica in the riffing, soloing, and lengthy arrangement. In the same breath, sans a Mustaine ghost-write, I don’t even think Metallica could’ve been as convincing with such dramatic lyrical matter (sorry Papa Het). Killian actually sounds insane. The playing sounds insane. It’s as if Vio-Lence was a band of mental patients who escaped the asylum and got a hold of musical instruments, hence their demented charm.
3. “Calling in the Coroner”
If I were to make a playlist entitled “Riffs That Make Me Cringe in Approval”, “Calling in the Coroner” would have to be among the first 10 songs in the mix. That lead riff is downright nasty and the best riff off Anthrax’s Among the Living that never was. On an album dominated by face melting speed, “Calling in the Coroner” proved Vio-Lence could be equally impactful at a midtempo pace. If anything, it foreshadows the hate riff laden Oppressing the Masses by a couple of years. Guitarists Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn must’ve had a blast recording this one!
2. “Eternal Nightmare”
Imagine closing your eyes in an attempt to get a good night’s sleep, only to find yourself falling through an endless portal of mouths, complete with jagged teeth and a menacing tongue. Now imagine if you weren’t able to wake up. It would be a literal “Eternal Nightmare”. Vio-Lence captures this paranoia driven chaos on this song that it’s no wonder they settled on it as their debut album’s title track. All of the classic Vio-Lence elements are on full display: Horrific lyrics, shouted vocals, thrashing riffage, pulverizing drums, and of course mosh passages guaranteed to get the circle pit spinning out of control.
- “Kill on Command”
Of all the vio-lent Vio-Lence songs, we were sure to save the most vio-lent for last. Just when you think Eternal Nightmare couldn’t get anymore punishing, “Kill on Command” comes bulldozing in, all gas, no brakes. It is the perfect closer to a perfect thrash album. It’s also a song that’s been scientifically proven to make your muscles grow muscles. As if the breakneck speed isn’t enough, the breakdown is a thing of twisted beauty, kicking the listener directly in the teeth. You read that right bucko; you’re gonna need dentures after listening to this one. This is 110% authentic stomp on your skull, mosh on your grave thrash metal, and that’s why it’s the greatest Vio-Lence song of all time.