Exciter's second slab of intense power metal (not what folks consider as "power metal" today...this is the real deal) did well for them. The production by Carl Canedy was perfect, the songs were well written, everything was memorable, down to the lyrics and the "Special Thanks Force" (eg. The Dutch police for saving Freddie Heineken..???)

I seen them open for Motorhead in 1984 (who were touring for the "No Remorse" double-album compilation) and was blown away. To me it seemed Exciter were fuckin crazy, fuckin awesome. That "Violence & Force" tour shirt faded from black to grey, but it's still one of my most prized possessions. Why? For one reason, this album.

Violence & Force starts with a 34 second guitar intro "Oblivion", before kicking in to the title track. Wanna talk about headbanging? Want to start kicking and punching walls in a frenzy? The riff, John Ricci's guitar sound, Dan Beehler's steady, intense drumming....holy shit man. Just like the lyrics, conjures up images of a nut running fast through Nam shooting the fuck out of every Commie piece of shit, just going for broke, like a "Come on! Fuck it all! We're going Over The Top!" - type feeling. More so, than I ever got out of Metallica's "Kill Em All"(as fine as it may be).

This is a classic underground metal album and one I will get on CD if I ever see it. Die hard metalheads need to hear anthems like Pounding Metal, Evil Sinner, the plodding Delivering to the Master, and the it's- so-simple-it's-genius War Is Hell (Why hasn't anyone done a cover of it yet??)

Side Heavy- Oblivion/Violence & Force/Scream in the Night/Pounding Metal/Evil Sinner
Side Metal- Destructor/Swords of Darkness/Delivering to the Master/ Saxons of the Fire/War is Hell

© 1999 mlotek