Renegade (AUS)- Total Armageddon 12" LP

(Cleopatra Records 1987)

A few months ago, I didn't know what I was missing out until someone told me about a pre-'90s black metal band known as Renegade and when I replied almost innocuously with an "uh?", he gave me a malicious, treacherous, EVIL, soul-disturbing smile that made me realised that here's someone who's better informed than the webmaster of NECROMANSY, and that he MUST BE ERADICATED in the next 24 hours. Funny how many overseas metallers seemed to know more about the Australian scenes than the Aussies themselves 'cos I've tried in vain to gather any useful informations out of my Australian affiliates, while some Finnish chap offered the LP on his tradelist as soon as I asked. I took up the offer after several rare LPs poorer and here I've gotten this monster from the bush flashing before my eyes, glistening in its crimson reptilian glory. You wicked critter of an LP, now you're mine...MINE!!! And oh well, "Renegade", what a cool bandname! Right on mate, here's another of those secrets from the underground that make a brilliant rare black/death metal collection ever more imperfect.  Now, disciples of Satan, here's an album that can proudly proclaim allegiance with Satan without sounding like a joke (e.g. Hobbs' Angel Of Death). The songs are your favourite blackened speed death thrashers, right up in the alley for lovers of  Iron Angel, Necronomicon and early Slayer, drenched with steroid-laden sweats in its hellish workout ("Farewell to Fags!"). This is the real garage days revisited, especially the way "Necromancer" hits the road with its punctured filth machine, thrashing out those BADASS chords not heard since Sodom, and that RAW, RAW basement quality sound. The band continues its exercise in primitive bewitching riffs and Slaughter Lord-like rockers (now this is something I really like!), with those cheap black beauties  found in "Decapitation", "Black Ritual" and the hysterical title-track "Total Armageddon". Now, is there anything remarkably original about this band.. you might ask? I daresay no, sorry if that breaks your heart. I'd suggest you to get the latest Ulver, since it sounds pretty original to me, so much so that I FAIL to classify the music. However I must assert that this unoriginal Renegade is definitely not a speed-thrash band who thought they can "out-devil" Slayer on their "Hell Awaits", and do some shits like "Satan's Crusade". This is a BLACK METAL band through and through and it makes no difference to the inverted cross maniacs out there who would like to hear the noisy soundtrack of their afterlife in hell. But it does make a difference to the inverted cross maniac COLLECTORS who felt that his whole Cogumelo collection fails to impress like it used to do.