Subjugator “s/t” 7”

Subjugator was another in the painfully long line of amazing thrash bands from the Boston area that very sadly never released a proper album. Existing from 1987—1992, from what I can find online they didn't release their first demo until 1990 (after some lineup changes), followed by two more demos in '91 and '92. This self-titled 7"—the fourth release from French label Inner Rage Records in 1992 (apparently released just days after the band called it quits)—contained the three tracks from their 1992 demo plus one more song from the same recording sessions. Inner Rage was really more of a hardcore label, but this EP still makes sense within their roster, as by this time, while still heavily rooted in thrash, Subjugator had started to incorporate more of a chugging, midpaced hardcore groove with a good amount of emphasis on the rhythm section—loosely comparable to some of what bands like Biohazard were doing at the time on a musical level. Please don't read too much into that, however, as this really is fairly common of the stripped down, chunky thrash metal that was becoming dominant within the scene's (unfortunately) dying days of the early-90's. It probably won't be for everyone, but I personally find many early-90's thrash releases to be my personal favorites in terms of production values and overall vibe, and this is a fucking awesome 7" from a band that I'd have loved to have seen a full-length from!

1. "Crosses to Bear"
2. "Perpetual Decline"
3. "Abusive Creation"
4. "Nurtured by Deceit"

I had been looking for this (obviously out of print) 7" for years, and was finally able to grab a copy from old distro leftovers at One Percent Records a few weeks ago. I think they might have one more copy left, so definitely get in touch if you're interested, because the price was dirt cheap!

And as an extra treat, you can actually download the band's demos at the great Lockjaw blog, an incredible source for extremely rare obscurities. (The Lockjaw link for the 1992 demo just contains a rawer rip of three of the four songs above. They're the same recordings, though.)