Rating: 8.6

Country: Germany

Release Date: 2005

Track list:
1. Protector Of Death
2. Apocalyptic Revolution
3. Misanthropy
4. Holy Inquisition
5. Agoraphobia
6. The Mercenary
7. Kain And Abel
8. Holocaust
9. Delirium Tremens
10. Apocalyptic Revelations
11. Golem
12. Germanophobe
13. Protector Of Death
14. Operation Plaga Extrema
15. Megalomania
16. Only The Strong Survive
17. Omnipresent Aggression
18. Space Cake

Band Website: Protector

Protector - Echoes From The Past

Michael Hasse- Drums (RIP)
Martin Missy- Vocals
Hansi Müller- Guitar
Ede Belichmeier- Bass

Yes, it's finally here! Somewhat dodgy packaging aside (why isn't there a notch for me to put the booklet in, Ola? Haha!), this is an absolutely ESSENTIAL reissue of this out-of-print compendium from the good folks of I Hate Records, recollecting Protector's monumental 'Misanthropy' and 'Golem' releases, as well as the band's incendiary two track demo. Stylistically, this does not fall far from the German death/thrash tree, bearing striking aesthetic similarities to Tormentor/Kreator's early output, Darkness' demos and first LP, Minotaur's demos/'Power Of Darkness', early Living Death, Violent Force (KILLER breakdowns) and, more notably, Poison's 'Into The Abyss' MLP (exotic melodies, frenzied riff-o-rama approach, though not QUITE as crazed and/or epic as Poison). Breakneck, relentless, unflinchingly NASTY Teutonic thrash is the agenda here, then, and one can only thank I Hate for, once more, rescuing these relics from the festering pits of obscurity and also-ran-dom.

Chances are, if you prize Assassin's 'Upcoming Terror'/'Interstellar Experience', Deathrow's Raging Steel and the like, you will have, at the very least, chanced upon the unhallowed name of Protector. Inhabiting the same “cult” regions as said fringe legends, but, in my mind, a far more consistent (and superior) proposition than the likes of Assassin, Deathrow, Darkness, Violent Force, Protector doled out mercilessly malevolent thrash that eschewed the speed/trad trappings that defined Iron Angel, Angel Dust, Running Wild and, yes, Destruction, as well as the post-Venom black metal snarl of Sodom and early Poison, instead treading a path that somehow managed to synthesize the burgeoning death metal sensibilities of the age (via 'Seven Churches', Death/Mantas demos, 'Morbid Visions') with the riff-flinging recklessness of 'Endless Pain' and 'Power Of Darkness'. Yet, to describe Protector as such would be doing them somewhat of a disservice, considering the seizing dynamism presented on much of the material here, the band exhibiting a startlingly ambitious knack for crafting well-balanced songs that traverse a host of tempos, without ever losing sight of the emphasis on HEAVINESS.

Yes, riffs are the order of the day here, something that is made glaringly evident even on the band's virgin release, the fabled two-song demo that would house future staples “Protector Of Death” and “Apocalyptic Revolution”. Pregnant with savage, SHARP riffs, coffinshaking percussion, ripped-throat vocals (handled by the drummer…if Martin Missy weren't so brilliant I would almost suggest that it was a shame he didn't continue to assume vocal duties), all conveyed via HELLISHLY intense rehearsal-quality sound, I continue to regard this two-track opus VERY highly, and I cannot help but prefer these cuts to their more sanitized studio counterparts. Leaping into the 'Misanthropy' EP, we are greeted with more of the same, the sound having been scrubbed just a TAD, the band doling out much of the same frenetic, attention-deficient riff-slinging, while exhibiting a heightened sense of adventure, experimenting with exotic Poison-esque scales (“Holy Inquisition”), rabid 'Seven Churches' chaos (“Agoraphobia”, particularly the riff that surfaces 01:20 through), awe-inspiring, “Christ Passion” type open-E breakdowns (“The Mercenary”), mid-paced bludgeon (“Kane And Abel”, possibly the most beloved Protector song) and slightly off-balance arrangements, juxtaposing the spilling-over-the-top, breathless sprint of the band with meticulously constructed structures (“Holocaust”).

The dynamism and ambition of the band would become more fully realized with the release of 'Golem', the Hellhammer break of “Delirium Tremens” fucking ANNOUNCING itself and inducing SEVERE whiplash on commencement. Notably, the piercing, razor-sharp treble of the demo and 'Misanthropy' has been toned down a tad, while the bass assumes more prominence in the mix than before, providing a formidably dense premise which undergirds the continually-shifting guitar figures. Unquestionably, the songwriting is more deliberate and single-minded than on prior outings, the band's headstrong fixation with unforgiving HEAVINESS manifesting in a stream of riffs that are more blatantly expressed than ever before, assuming the form of mid-paced, chugging affairs that intersect speedier, more unhinged passages.

Envision, then, the movement that Destruction made from 'Infernal Overkill' to 'Eternal Devastation', or the transition that occurred between 'Pleasure To Kill' and 'Terrible Certainty', and you can begin to frame this in context, though Protector sound far more death metal than either Destruction or Kreator on this outing. Indeed, fuse the brooding, lumbering sections of 'Hell Awaits' (most evident on the title track) with the mallet-to-the-skull savagery of 'Arise' and the riff-oriented scorch of 'Beyond The Gates', top with an astonishingly energetic vocal performance that predominantly hovers around lower registers (gruff death metal grunts), but climbs effortlessly into depraved, raspy shrieks, perfectly complementing riffs that shift nervously between slow-burn 'Scream Bloody Gore' menace and scampering Minotaur speed. Certainly, Protector at this point did not have an aversion to blustering mid-paced bulldozers, nor did they attempt to disguise their affinity for the open e-string with dalliances in over-technical tomfoolery (Mekong Delta and second album Deathrow, anyone?), the focus here is corpsemangling, headbanging BRUTALITY, and due sacrifices are placed at the altar of the almighty RIFF. I do concede that certain of said chug-fests get SLIGHTLY redundant here and there, “Operation Plaga Extrema” being one of the weaker/more linear efforts presented here (and I actually do prefer certain Protector nuggets that would surface on consequent releases, documented on I Hate's totally excellent 'Ominous Message Of Brutality' compendium, but for the most part this is delivered with devastating aplomb and remarkable finesse, Protector stringing together a host of relatively simplistic ideas into schizophrenic, but undeniably well-balanced numbers. Oh yeah, “Space Cake” is a really silly novelty song.

Of the two Protector compilations that I Hate Records have issued, I am rather convinced that this is somewhat the lesser of the two (if it had the 'Live In München' tape on it I might be inclined to suggest otherwise), though I have absolutely no qualms in asserting that every self-respecting enthusiast of death/thrash should scrounge together the nickels necessary to purchase them both, for in my estimation, neither will be around for much longer. Great band, great reissue.

August 30th, 2006