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Holy Moses World Chaos Review by Greg Olma The good folks at Locomotive Records were nice enough to release some of the earlier albums by German thrash metal outfit Holy Moses. Not many have heard of the band so it’s nice that this release (along with Queen Of Siam) is getting a second chance. Now, I’ll admit, Sabina Classen’s vocal do take a little bit getting used to but it somehow fits the music perfectly. The music is born out of the good ol’ bay area thrash metal scene. Even the guitar work is solid and gives a nod to the Judas Priest sound here and there. Aside from releasing an out of print disc, the great thing about these remasters is that they almost always include bonus material. World Chaos has a couple of live tracks tacked onto the end along with a video so you certainly get value for the money. If you like your trash more in the old school vein, then this is right up your alley. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2007 Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

World Chaos The CD opens strong with this fast paced title track. The lead work reminds me of classic Slayer and that is a compliment. The tune really sets the mood for the rest of the disc.

Diabolic Plot There is a bass intro on this cut that for some reason reminds me of “Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?” by Megadeth. It is a mid-paced rocker that packs a lot into a short amount of time. They even throw in a cool bridge just to keep things interesting.

Blood Sucker Trash always took elements of punk and incorporated it into the song but the main part was metal. On this song, Holy Moses seems to turn the table on that one and make it mainly punk with metal thrown in. It has that old school punk vibe to it that makes it really catchy.

Education The start of this piece is very heavy plodding, almost Sabbath-y, but it quickly turns into a thrash metal tune that has a great groove. The guitar work is also quite good with the lead fitting in nicely within the context of the tune; not over it.

Guns 'N Moses If a thrash band were to try and cover a Guns ‘n Roses tune, then the intro is the sound you would get. Don’t be fooled by that, though, because the cut quickly slips into a groovy thrash metal sound. The guitar solo falls back into the Guns ‘n Roses feel briefly. The title may seem like this is a novelty tune but it is one of the better pieces on the album.

Too Drunk To F*** I guess if you were going to cover a punk tune, then you might as well do one by one of the best punk bands. This Dead Kennedys cover keeps the true punk vibe but contains Sabina’s trademark vocals. The music is pretty much spot on to the original but the vocals are much more new metal giving this a unique sound.

Summer Kills This one really reminds me of that 80’s bay area thrash. It has some great riffing and even Sabina’s vocals are a little less harsh.

Deutschland (Remember The Past) “Epic” would be the word I would use for this mid-paced track. It is almost a call to arms. The guitar soloing here really has a Judas Priest feel to it. Even though this is the longest cut, coming in at almost 5 minutes, it has a couple of different parts that keeps it moving.

Permission to Fire Old school thrash is the name of the game on “Permission To Fire.” It still has a good melody but there is not much to say about this short little trash tune other than there is one part that has a “Ballroom Blitz” vocal line.

Jungle of Fire The intro sounds like older Metallica which is pretty different from the rest of the material on World Chaos. It slips into a typical thrash tune. That's a shame because I would have liked to hear what would have come out had the band explored that Metallica sound some more.

Dog Eat Dog Again we get another typical thrash tune. There is nothing wrong with it but it does not stand out from the pack.

(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party) You guessed it, this is the Beastie Boys song and Holy Moses plays it very similarly to the original. It sounds like Sabina is not singing this one which is odd. Maybe if she had been given the reigns, there might have been some originality thrown in. Quite honestly, though, there is not that much of a difference from the original.

World Chaos (Live) - Bonus Track This is proof that Holy Moses can pull off their music live, unlike most of today’s pop stars. The tune is played like the studio version and the live mix is good. Each member can be heard and it doesn’t have that bootleg sound to it.

Too Drunk To F*** (Live) - Bonus Track Recorded at Wacken 2005, this one sounds a little weaker than the studio version. There is too much high end in the mix which takes away from the song's punk charm.

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