The $5.98 EP - Garage Days Re-Revisited Album

The $5.98 EP - Garage Days Re-Revisited Album

Found my copy of this recently and it triggered a huge hit of nostalgia. Finding the vinyl in a random Icelandic flea market 10 years ago and taking it back to the hotel with a level of care normally reserved for premature babies. There's that very, very typical metal origins story of having my head blown off by disc 2 of Garage Inc. when I was 11 or thereabouts as well; it's such a huge cliche but songs like Helpless, Breadfan and the at-that-time shockingly RUDE So What probably had a bigger influence in who I grew up to be than almost anything else in life.

I thought these songs were originals for years. All I had was a rando unmarked tape recording of it, and I guess it goes to show just how good Metallica were at making these songs their own. I'm not convinced there's that much point comparing these tunes to the originals, they sound all over the shop, this sounds like Metallica. If I'm going to be picky, it sounds like Justice era Metallica rerecording some Kill Em All era material. It still thrashes, but that hard rock influence that they so ruthlessly excised from Lightning onwards is back. Everything is a bit less chromatic. It's fun tunes jammed out with the boys over a few cold ones, as opposed to the (rather strange when you think about it) image of a small Danish dude and a large surfer lookin dude from SoCal sitting down and carefully composing individual drum hits and downstrokes until everything was just so.

Putting it on - like most people on this site I could very easily do this review without having to hear the album ever again- the first thing I'm reminded of is that the production is really, really fun. The tones are great. There's a huge amount of energy, the drums, crisp and with a decent crack to them, the rhythm guitars loud, crunchy and thick, kinda a perfect halfway between the AJFA and Black album tone, the bass nicely throaty and really loud. If we're going to be a little bit picky, the only thing really stopping this album from being a production showcase is a bit of inconsistency with the vocals, sometimes a bit distant, and the lead tones changing from big and full in Helpless to strangely nasal and quiet in The Wait and Crash Course. I've always wondered why this sound wasn't the template for Justice, because it sounds really really really good.

It's rather odd hearing these guys having such a good time, as the first five full lengths were fairly well marked by stony faced seriousness. There's nothing like Last Caress anywhere else in their discog! James in particular sounds drunk off his ass and having a great time with the vocals- nearing that four or so year run where he was undeniably at his vocal prime, and Lars is clearly enjoying beating the shit out of his kit, Jason's noodling everywhere, so on and so forth. I guess what you're hearing here is a band that is.. well, not the most technical band in the universe or anything, but a band that is at the peak of their game and is extremely well oiled. There aren't many raw, "just for fun" cover EPs where the rhythm guitars are as tight, that's for sure.

All up, I'm reminded that if I had a time machine, killing Hitler as a baby would be my second choice. The first choice for temporal destination would be seeing Metallica live somewhere between this release and 1989 or thereabouts.

How to rate it? I got no idea, it's not really a classic, but it is probably my second most listened to album of all time and I'm still not sick of it. In the spirit of the album, imma not overthink it and give it a high mark. You've likely already heard this, but if for some reason you haven't, it's absolutely worth your time.

Daftar Lagu

1. Helpless (Diamond Head cover) 06:35  

I gotta see you moving fast
See you come my way
See the dreams, I hope they last
Never fade away.

Gotta see the lights above
Make it loud tonight
Gotta set it all a-fire
Set it all a-light

See the flashing lights
Hear the thunder roar
I am gonna set you all a-light
Gotta make it man
I ain't got a choice
Gotta fill this hall tonight

Helpless
Helpless
Helpless
Helpless

I don't what I'm gonna do
Maybe not tonight
Gotta set you all a-fire
Gotta treat you right.

I can see the flashing lights
Lit before your love, ohh
Gotta hear the thunder roar
Coming from above.

See the flashing lights
Hear the thunder roar
I'm gonna set you all alight
Gotta make it man
I ain't got no choice
Gotta fill this hall tonight

Helpless
Helpless
Helpless
Helpless

I can see the stars
I can see what's going on

Every night alone
I sing my song just for fun.

Only time will tell
If I'll make it myself someday
This stage is mine
Music is my destiny.

Cannot squeeze the life from me!

I can see the lights
but I can see what's going on
Every night alone
I sing my song just for fun.

Business in collapse
Some men don't like it so
Helpless maybe babe,
but you can leave or join the show.

Cannot squeeze the life from me!

2. The Small Hours (Holocaust cover) 06:39  

You're drawn at the darkness,
and you will see,
just call my name and I'll be there.

You cannot touch me,
you would not dare,
I am the chill that's in the air.

So I try to get through to you,
in my own special way,
as the barriers crumble,
at the end of the day.

Dark rivers are flowing,
back into the past,
You are the fish for which I cast.

And what of the future,
what is to be,
as the rivers flow into the sea.

So I try to get through to you,
in my own special way,
as the barriers crumble,
at the end of the day.

Do not take for granted,
powers out there,
don't step into the demon's lair.

Time is an illusion,
rising from time,
steep is the mountain which we climb.

So I try to get through to you,
in my own special way,
as the barriers crumble,
at the end of the day.

3. The Wait (Killing Joke cover) 04:55  

Motives changing
Day to day
The fire increases
Masks decay
I look at the river
White foam floats down
The body's poisoned
Got to sit tight

The wait
The wait
The wait
The wait

After awakening
The silence grows
The screams subside
Distortion shows
Mutant thoughts
Of bad mouthed news
Just another birth
Of distorted views

4. Crash Course in Brain Surgery (Budgie cover) 03:10  

Look inside and you will see
The words are cutting deep inside my brain
Thunder burnin' quickly burning
Knife of words is driving me insane, insane yeah

Raven black is on my track
He shows me how to neutralize the knife
Show to me in surgery
The art of fighting words to conquer life

Now the wicked lance of fear
Is driven from my heady mountain brain
Crash course in brain surgery
Has stopped the bloody knife of words again

5. Last Caress / Green Hell (Misfits cover) 03:28  

I've got somethin' to say
I killed your baby today
and itDoesn't matter much to meAs long as it's dead
I've got somethin' to say
I raped your mother today and itDoesn't matter much to me
As long as she spread
Chorus: These lovely dead
I'm waiting for your breath'
Cause sweet Death wants Last Caress.
Repeat verse 1
Repeat chorus 2 times
One Last Caress today,Ohhh Ohhh Ohhh (repeat)
--- ( Green Hell ) --- Here in this place lies the key to your death
Touch it, see it
Here in this place is the means to your end
Touch it, feel it
Green hell
You did your best as someone couldI bet
you never knew you wouldDid you run away from it?
I bet you thought you were really good
We're gonna burn in hell
Green Hell Green Hell
Like every hell but kind of green
Green Hell Green Hell
Try let me get back up there
Green Hell Green Hell
Feel it burning in your cereal
Green Hell Green Hell
Throw our fuckin' friends inside
Green Hell Green Hell
Gotta fuckin' pay and you must stay
Green Hell Green Hell
Cannot forget about the best
Green Hell Green Hell
Hell is reigning in your blood
Green Hell Green Hell
Gotta burn it all
Green hell
You did your best as someone couldI bet you never knew you would
And did you run away from meI bet you think they were really good
Here in this place lies the key to your death
Touch it, see it
Here in this place sister won't let it in
Touch it, feel it
Green hell
You did your best as someone couldI bet you'd never knew you would
Did you run away from it?
I bet you thought you were really good
You've come to this as someone toldI bet you'd never knew you would
Gonna bring
Green hell

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