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Thrash!!! There are riffs here, there are riffs there, there are riffs everywhere. This is in contention with some of the greatest thrash albums of all-time. I'm talking about Reign in Blood here, along with Darkness Descends, Beneath the Remains, and The Ultra-Violence. Every riff is memorable as the music sucks you down a headbanging vortex where you are lucky to make it out alive (at least without a sore neck the next day). This is headbanging for you true metal warriors out there, and if you can't headbang to this album then there's no hope for you. Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn rip shit up on this debut, shredding away on their guitars and providing the listener with a heavy dose of kick-ass metal. Sean Killian brings it home handling the vocal duties, reminding me more and more with each listen how much he sounds like Bobby from Overkill.

"Eternal Nightmare" starts the album off with a bang, as it is 6+ minutes long and is nonstop headbanging. This song sounds like a Show No Mercy era Slayer, with razor-sharp guitar riffs and incredible drumming. Check out the killer bass line at 3:15 that leads into a great guitar riff followed by an insane solo, which then leads back into the main killer riff. "Serial Killer" is a shorter track, but it kicks almost as much ass as the opener. Perry Strickland drums his heart out on this song, and it is one of the most intense songs on the album. This track is then followed by THE riff monster of the album, "Phobophobia." Not only is this the album's highlight, it is one of my favorite thrash tunes of all-time. The rest of the album follows the blazing path set by the beginning, and there is absolutely no filler to be found here.

Overall, Vio-Lence's debut was a brilliant display of Bay Area thrash metal, and it puts poser bands to shame. Every track on here is awesome, and this is a classic, mandatory purchase for all thrash fans. Album highlights: Eternal Nightmare, Phobophobia, Bodies on Bodies