"Finished With The Dogs" (1987) Album Description:
Holy Moses crashed into 1987 with "Finished With The Dogs" like they were done playing nice with anybody. This was the moment the band stopped being a promising German thrash outfit and became a full-blown sonic menace, all teeth and adrenaline. Drop the needle and the room tilts — you instantly know you’re not listening to a warm, friendly record.
Historical and Cultural Context
Germany in the late eighties was a pressure cooker of metal energy, with thrash exploding out of every basement and youth club from Hamburg to the Ruhrgebiet. The Big Four were busy touring the world, but Europe had its own fire — Kreator, Sodom, Destruction — carving out a colder, more feral version of the genre. Holy Moses stepped right into that storm, adding their own Berlin-wall-shaking intensity to the mix.
How the Band Reached This Point
The band had already survived lineup changes, rough tours, and the general chaos of trying to be fast, loud, and broke in mid-80s Germany. Sabina Classen’s voice had sharpened into a weapon, Andy Classen’s riffs were turning nastier by the week, and producer Ralph Hubert knew exactly how to bottle that danger. Everyone involved seemed hungry, slightly annoyed with the world, and desperate to prove the band belonged in thrash’s top tier — and it shows.
The Sound, Songs, and Musical Direction
The album sounds like it was recorded inside an industrial grinder — in the best possible way. Tracks like “Current of Death” and “In the Slaughterhouse” don’t just gallop; they pounce. Sabina’s vocals slice through the mix with that trademark feral rasp, while Andy’s down-picked riffing keeps everything tight, relentless, and just a bit unhinged. Even slower moments feel like they’re sprinting in place, ready to vault back into chaos.
Comparison to Other Albums of 1987
1987 was a wild year for metal: Kreator dropped “Terrible Certainty,” Testament blasted through “The Legacy,” and Anthrax found their swagger with “Among the Living.” “Finished With The Dogs” sits right in that pack — rawer than Testament, more frantic than Anthrax, and just unhinged enough to stand apart from Kreator’s precision. Where others smoothed edges, Holy Moses sharpened theirs.
Controversies and Public Reactions
The album didn’t spark riots, but its intensity definitely made some traditional metal fans blink twice. Sabina’s vocals shattered a lot of expectations about what a “frontwoman” was supposed to sound like, confusing some and thrilling others. A few critics dismissed it as too abrasive; the underground crowd simply turned it louder.
Band Dynamics and Creative Tensions
You can hear a bit of beautiful tension in the recording — the kind that only comes from musicians who live on the edge of exhaustion and ambition. Sabina and Andy were pushing themselves, the rhythm section was playing like they had something to prove, and Hubert’s production style added just enough chaos to make everything feel alive. It’s the kind of energy you only get once in a career.
Critical Reception and Legacy
Critics at the time treated the album like a strange but powerful animal — not always sure what to make of it, but impressed by the bite. Fans, on the other hand, embraced it quickly, turning it into a cult essential of German thrash. Today, collectors hunt the AAARRG pressing not just for nostalgia, but because the album still hits like a freight train filled with scrap metal.
Closing Reflection
Decades later, “Finished With The Dogs” still feels dangerous in a way only true underground classics can. The riffs smell like sweat-soaked rehearsal rooms, the vocals claw through the speakers, and the whole record radiates that charming late-80s belief that speed and rage could fix the world. It remains one of those albums you don’t just play — you survive.
