"CARNIVORE - Retaliation" (1987) Album Description:
Carnivore didn’t make polite records, and Retaliation is their final proof-of-life: a 1987 blast of hardcore crossover thrash that sounds like Brooklyn concrete learning how to sprint. It’s ugly, sharp, darkly funny, and way too honest for anyone hoping metal should behave. On Roadrunner, with Alex Perialas behind the boards, this one lands like a boot-print and then refuses to apologize.
1. Introduction on the band and the album
Retaliation is the second and final studio album by Carnivore, and it plays like a band sprinting toward the exit while throwing sparks at the walls. The lineup is lean and mean—Peter Steele steering the whole thing with bass, vocals, and that “I’m joking… unless?” glare. A lyrics sleeve came with this LP, which is basically Carnivore saying: “Yeah, read it. We meant it.”
2. Historical and cultural context
1987 was peak “everything louder, faster, sharper,” with thrash and hardcore cross-pollinating until the scene smelled like sweat and cheap beer instead of hairspray. In the U.S., crossover thrash was the bridge between pit-fighting hardcore and riff-nerd metal—shorter tempers, bigger guitars, fewer compromises. Retaliation sits right in that mid-’80s collision zone where sarcasm, anger, and speed all became a lifestyle choice.
3. How the band came to record this album
By the time Retaliation hit tape, Carnivore had already established their “no filters, no safety rails” identity, and this record feels like the moment they tightened the screws. Recording at Systems Two in Brooklyn and Pyramid Sound in Ithaca gave the album two matching energies: city grit and studio discipline. With Alex Perialas producing, the chaos still bites, but it bites in time.
4. The sound, songs, and musical direction
Sonically, this is crossover thrash with knuckles: fast riffs, blunt rhythms, and vocals that sound like they were carved out of a basement wall. The opener "Jack Daniel's And Pizza" is basically a cursed grin before the real violence starts—because Carnivore always liked jokes that draw blood. Tracks like "Ground Zero Brooklyn" and "Inner Conflict" carry that stomping, street-level menace, while "Technophobia" spits paranoia with a grin that’s a little too believable.
5. Comparison to other albums in the same genre/year
Put this next to the bigger 1987 names and you hear the difference instantly: where some bands aimed for arena-sized polish, Carnivore aimed for impact. That same year, thrash was flexing in multiple directions—technical, anthemic, theatrical—while crossover stayed proudly grimy and direct. Retaliation keeps the punk immediacy, but hits with metal weight, like it’s trying to start a riot using only downstrokes.
Quick 1987 neighborhood check:
- Anthrax – Among the Living: bigger hooks, bigger crowds, mosh-friendly swagger.
- Testament – The Legacy: sharper precision, classic Bay Area thrash muscle.
- D.R.I. – Crossover / Suicidal Tendencies – Join the Army: the punk-metal handshake getting officially notarized.
6. Controversies or public reactions
Some albums cause debate because they change the sound; Retaliation causes debate because it doesn’t blink. Song titles like "Jesus Hitler" and "Race War" still trigger that instinctive double-take, and the lyrical posture is confrontational enough to make casual listeners bail immediately. Some people heard satire and provocation, others heard pure offense—and plenty of folks just turned it louder and pretended nuance wasn’t invited to the party.
7. Band dynamics and creative tensions
Knowing this is the band’s final studio statement, the album hits like a document of a group running hot and fast—no room for comfort, no patience for compromise. The writing feels locked to a single mission: say the ugly thing out loud, then make it riff. Whether that was unity or burnout, the end result is the same: a record that sounds like it had a deadline and a grudge.
8. Critical reception and legacy
Retaliation has never been “background music,” which is exactly why it stuck around: it’s a cult object for people who like their metal blunt and their humor black. Over time, it’s been treated less like a shock artifact and more like a snapshot of crossover thrash when it was still a street fight, not a genre tag. And if you trace Peter Steele forward, you can feel this record sitting in the shadows of what came next—same bite, different color palette.
9. Reflective closing paragraph
As a vinyl collector, Retaliation is one of those sleeves that feels heavier than the grams suggest—because the attitude inside it has gravity. Drop the needle and it still sounds like 1987 arguing with the world, one riff at a time, with zero interest in being liked. Decades later, the riffs still smell faintly of beer, sweat, and misplaced optimism.
