Midas Touch - Presage of Disaster. 1989 Sweden

Sweden is, pardon the pun, ground zero for most styles of heavy metal, and that continues to this day. Thrash metal, however, isn't one of them. Midas Touch may be the most well known, and they are still what one would call obscure. Their brand of thrash is a bit more hardcore than I typically prefer, recalling bands like same era Dark Angel, Sacrifice, and even early Exodus.  However, they are also pegged to the more specific progressive thrash group of bands. There's some interesting passages here, including synthesizers and multiple themes. Midas Touch doesn't demonstrate the patience needed to transcend to the next level. They quickly get back to bashing at 100 mph. So while it's not at the level of Psychotic Waltz or Mekong Delta, the album most certainly is entertaining for repeated listens. And that makes it worth keeping.

Ownership: CD: 2012 Divebomb. Super issue filled with historical info, photos, etc. It's a double CD and includes demos from 1988 and 1990. Also includes their first cassette Ground Zero from 1987. 

6/1/20 (first listen / review / new entry)