Posted on: September 1, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 1

Metal Mind Productions presents re-release of the one of the most valuable thrash metal albums ever to see the light of day – “The Same Asylum” by Blind Illusion. At the time of its release in 1988 it was a truly unique offering compared to other Bay Area records, giving a surprisingly progressive edge to the compositions and showcasing some of the most amazing bass and guitar skills ever witnessed in metal. Over the years the album achieved a cult status and became an extremely rare collector’s item. Now, with this exclusive reissue, metal fans can once again discover the unquestionable genius of Blind Illusion.

Classic material from Music For Nations archives in a new digipak edition, limited to numerated 2000 copies, will be available from 10th September 2007 via Metal Mind Productions.

Blind Illusion
“The Same Asylum”
Label: Metal Mind Records
Cat. No.: MASS CD DG 1095
Barcode: 5907785030688
Format: CD Digipak (limited edition of 2000 numerated copies)
Genre: thrash metal
Release date: 10.09.2007

Tracklist:

1. The Sane Asylum
2. Blood Shower
3. Vengeance Is Mine
4. Death Noise
5. Kamakazi
6. Smash The Crystal
7. Vicious Visions
8. Metamorphosis Of A Monster

Bio
The band’s history started in 1979, when the first lineup was established. Back then Blind Illusion consisted of vocalist David Godfrey, guitarist Mark Biedermann, bassist Alvin Petty and drummer Bret Hern. At first, the group’s stylistics oscillated more around heavy metal, but even then a certain progressive edge to their music was present. The band needed several more years to finally crystallize their own unique style. During this time they recorded a handful of demo tapes, the oldest dating back to 1983. Their second release, “Trilogy of Terror” (consisting of three tracks), welcomed new musicians into the fold: Mike Miner replaced Bret Hern on drums and the bass duties were taken over by Gene Gilson (aka Geno Side). What is more, Blind Illusion added a second guitarist – Pat Woods – into the lineup. Woods soon was forced to perform also as a vocalist, as David Godfrey left the band to join Heathen. Blind Illusion continued to record more demos. Unfortunately, after their fourth release, “Slow Death” (recorded by Kirk Hammet of Metallica), Woods departed from the band. From that moment on Biedermann decided to take over the vocal duties himself. The “Slow Death” demo also featured Blind Illusion’s new bassist, Les Claypool. Soon after, Larry Lalonde joins the ranks of the band as the second guitarist and finally, in 1988 the group manages to record their debut full-length release. “The Sane Asylum” was the ultimate summary of the whole nine years of the band’s existence. The basic element of the album is undoubtedly thrash metal, but a careful listener can easily notice some progressive influences in the music. This, however, is not surprising, considering the impressive skills of all the band’s musicians. Biedermann has been recognized by several critics as a true guitar virtuoso, whose fast and powerful solos (each song has at least two!) are extremely complex, yet at the same time manage to deliver the right amount of melody. Along with Lalonde’s energetic riffs, the guitar work on “The Sane Asylum” is nothing else than sheer brilliancy. Another excellent feature of the LP involves Les Claypool, whose bass performance on this album is considered even better than on any later releases by his next band, Primus. Claypool’s techniques are simply amazing, making most of the contemporary bass players look like school children (and to think that Claypool was just a step away from joining Metallica; eventually Cliff Burton got the job). Mike Miner’s drumming fits perfectly into the fold, with a really progressive and technical approach to it. Finally there are Biedermann’s vocals, by many considered the weakest point of the whole album, but still fitting excellently into the material, with some impressive highlights as well (such as the sweeping vocals on the semi-ballad “Kamikazi”). All in all, “The Sane Asylum” is a conglomerate of perfectly matching components, with a multitude of hidden surprises (such as the children’s choir featured in one of the songs) for careful listeners to reveal. The band worked for this effort for quite a long time – the oldest song on the album, “Death Noise”, was written in 1978, followed by “Kamikazi” in 1979 and the rest of the material in the period between 1985 and 1987. Nevertheless, the tracks smoothly fit together, creating one of the most thrilling thrash metal experiences in the history of the genre. Unfortunately, after the release of their debut album Blind illusion stepped down from the scene. Les Claypool and Larry Lalonde joined forces and together formed a band which today has a cult status – Primus. As for Biedermann, over the years he got involved in several musical projects (including Heathen and Blue Oyster Cult). Currently he’s living in northern California and although Blind Illusion is not officially active, he plans to finally release the band’s second album, called “Bad Medicine”, which was recorded (along with Claypool and Lalonde still in the lineup) some time ago, but never saw the light of day. Among Biedermann’s plans is also recording a third full-length album with Blind Illusion.

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