Lääz Rockit

Lääz Rockit was part of the Bay Area thrash scene in the early eighties who never achieved the popularity or recognition like other bands of that era. They first broke into the scene in 1984 with "City's Gonna Burn."

I always thought Lääz Rockit held their own up against some of the Bay Area's second-tier bands, such as Forbidden, Defiance, Vio-lence and Heathen. However, not of the same caliber as heavyweights like Testament, Death Angel or Exodus. But they had some good thrashing musical chops in guitarists Aaron Jellum and Phil Kettner, along with a tight rhythm section of drummer Victor Agnello and bassist Willy Lange, but also fronted by some killer and distinctive vocals of Michael Coons.

Their fifth release,"Nothing$ $acred" was originally released in 1991 at the beginning of the grunge, death and black metal era. Key members Kettner, Agnello and Lange were gone, Coons' vocal style changed, and the band strayed from their original sound displayed on previous releases like "Know Your Enemy" and "Annihilation Principle." They soon disbanded a couple of years after. Resurfacing in 2008 with their first studio album in fifteen years, "Left For Dead," the band created some renewed interest and has prompted Massacre Records to re-release their back catalog, lastly including "Nothing$ $acred."

There are some great tunes on "Nothing$ $acred," such as "In The Name Of The Father And The Gun" and "Greed Machine," which has classic thrash riffs mixed with 80s aggression. On "Necropolis," the guitar solo absolutely crushes. This re-release features three bonus tracks, I don't know where they originated from, but all three kick major ass, with "Ten Eyes" and "Plague" being standouts.

Thrash fans that know what to expect from Lääz Rockit and already own the original should pick this up just for the three awesome bonus tracks. Fans unfamiliar with Lääz Rockit should start off with their earlier releases, but "Nothing$ $acred" shouldn't be neglected, because it does contain some deadly thrash assaults.