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POTENTIAL THREAT SF
Civilization Under Threat

Old School Metal (2013)
Rating: 8/10

Wow, another bunch of headbangers who’ve been doing the rounds since the 80s, and once again another cult band who’ve somehow hardly released a bean since their 1988 demo, with their full-length debut album, A New Threat Level, finally emerging in 2009.

San Francisco, Californian-based Potential Threat formed in 1986, but later added SF to their moniker so they were not confused with the British punk band of the same name. Only vocalist / guitarist Mike Noble and his brother, drummer Kenny, remain from those foggy late 80s, with the siblings being joined by guitarist Daniel Sheridan and bassist Damien Sisson (who has also worked with Death Angel) to complete the current line-up.

These guys are somewhat stalwarts within the metal scene, having opened up for some of metal’s most bruising bands such as Slayer, Cro-Mags and Death Angel, and in a sense their musical style could best be described as a mix of all those bands and more.

Potential Threat SF, judging by the name of their label too, are certainly of that thrashy crossover ilk, combining the forceful, head-nodding capability of later D.R.I., with the urban masculinity of early Machine Head, and various San Francisco Bay Area nuances, including Mike Noble’s punchy vocal delivery. Lyrically, it’s as if the 80s thrash scene had never gone away, with words very much tinged with politics, world issues etc, and thankfully bereft of the humour which bogs down so many of today’s retro thrash acts.

Potential Threat SF’s second album reeks of attitude, whether it’s in the form of the stomping ‘The Threat Of Things To Come’, with its marauding riffage, or the sturdy chug of ‘Edge Of Insanity’, where Sisson’s bass really jolts as the track morphs into an old school Slayer-style of mayhem.

Civilization Under Threat is actually a breath of fresh air amidst a scene swamped by revivalists. Hearing this hard-hitting record reminds me of when I first heard the crossover slaps of Dr. Know’s Wreckage In Flesh (1988) and Forced Entry’s Uncertain Future (1989), in the sense that it thrashes hard but also has the ability to combine melody with a streetwise edge.

‘Beneath The Surface’ will certainly please fans of old school Metallica who gave up on (James) Hetfield and company when ‘Enter Sandman’ emerged. ‘Beneath The Surface’ is just one of many tracks on offer that melts together mid-tempo thrash and crossover subtleties.

The same could also be said for the breezy ‘Behold The End’, which drifts in on a classic old school-style melody with ballad-esque overtones. It’s the album’s defining moment, a nine-minute epic that washes over the ears and brings to mind those long gone Metallica delicacies which lined Ride The Lightning (1984) and Master Of Puppets (1986). ‘Behold The End’ really is that good a track, as is the gargantuan ‘Written In Blood’ and rampant closer ‘Rise Of The Apocalypse’.

Potential Threat SF have somehow crept up through the cracks and released one of 2013’s best records. I’d recommend this to anyone who calls themselves a thrash maniac… the threat is real!

Neil Arnold

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