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D.A.M. - Inside Out (Divebomb Records) 19911. Man Of Violence (4:39)
2. House Of Cards (4:52)
3. Appointment With Fear (4:29)
4. Thought For The Day (7:02)
5. Winter’s Tear (7:12)
6. The Innocent One (6:08)
7. My Twisted Mind (5:23)
8. Circles (6:11)
9. No Escape (4:03)
10. Beneath Closed Eyes (6:19)
11. Inside Outro (1:33)
D.A.M. (Destruction and Mayhem) are a British thrash metal band formed in 1988 at the height of thrash metal mania worldwide. "Inside Out" is their sophomore release from 1991, coming out nearly two years after the debut. It also serves as the bands swan song as they disbanded shortly after it's release. Whereas the debut was just balls-to-the-wall thrash metal, with "Inside Out" it is clear that the band were attempting to deliver something new and fresh while still keeping a stranglehold on the thrash metal label. It would seem that new lead guitarist Dave Pugh helped bring out a more technical and progressive side of the band.
The album opens with a few straight-forward thrashers. The main riff of "Man of Violence" has one of those insanely catchy head-banging riffs. "House of Cards" follows with a similar head-banging, thrash metal work ethic and a kick-butt lead break in the middle of the song. "Appointment With Fear" slows things down slightly, with it's Maiden-esque riffing. However, with "Thought for the Day" the album takes on a more epic and progressive natures. The songs begins to ebb and flow with more variety in tempo from song to song, and even within each song. Also, the songs are longer, clocking in at around five to seven minutes. "My Twisted Mind" is one of the faster and more punishing tracks within the second half of the album. Vocalist Jason McLoughlin has a voice that reminds me of Sean Harris (Diamond Head) at times.
Originally released on Noise Records I held onto a mint cassette copy of this album for a long time until a friend who collects cassettes decided to purchase it from me. Thankfully this formerly hard to find album was remastered and re-released in 2013 on CD. For whatever reason they changed the cover art, making the original illustration larger and the logo smaller. The sound quality is superb. The original release was always well produced, but the CD really brightens things up without distorting the overall sounding or losing the raw edge.