Vintage Review: Intruder's Psycho Savant (1991)

Intelligence, talent, desire, insight and straight-up balls…Intruder is, without a doubt, the finest thrash outfit on the planet today, bar none. With the impending release of Psycho Savant, their third LP (with a fine EP also under their belts), the rest of the world will soon discover what Nashville area Intruder fans already know all too well: Intruder kicks ass!

Psycho Savant showcases the band at its fierce best, opening with a literal kick in the teeth called “Face of Hate,” an eye-opening look at the ignorance and hatred of past generations which still wreaks havoc in society today. The rest of the disc is equally powerful and poetic. Beneath the lightning-quick riffs which fall from Arthur Vinnett’s six string like so many drops of acid rain, Jimmy Hamilton’s growling vocals and the pounding rhythm section of guitarist Greg Messick, bassist Todd Nelson, and big-beat drummer extraordinaire John Pieroni, lies the heart of the band’s success: their impressive social awareness.

Though the music will appeal to any fan of loud and fast thrash metal, Intruder’s lyrical penchant for real-world concerns and their ability to relate their insights in words sets them above the current wave of thrashers. Songs like “Geri’s Lament (When),” “Traitor of the Living” (about the government’s Mount Weather facility), and “Final Word” will appeal to one’s intellect as well as your rock and roll soul. Muscular, aggressive and though-provoking…need I say more? (Metal Blade Records)

Review originally published The Metro, 1991