Satanic Threat: In To Hell (2013)

I realize I’m not the only who loved Minor Threat, but one of the things that was so amazing about their music was that discovering it felt so personal, like it didn’t matter how many people told you about it; when you first heard something like “Filler” (my first Minor Threat song) or “Out of Step” or the blistering “Seeing Red” it felt like a lightning bolt struck and you’re the only one in the world feeling it’s galvanizing effect on your soul.  I remember seeing the Complete Discography CD in a Tower Records back in college and that distinct red cover and bought it on impulse. I don’t think I even really knew Fugazi at that point.  But I was completely taken by the speed, aggression, and more importantly how normal the band members looks in the liner notes:

Anyway, the impact Minor Threat’s music had on my life will have to come later.  What I wanted to get across was how, when I stumbled across In To Hell by Satanic Threat, I had zero choice but to pick it up.  This is exactly what you think is is: a bunch of dudes worshipping and paying homage to Minor Threat’s music but making all the lyrics satanic.  It’s spot-on and hilarious, from the cover mocking Out of Step to the production and sound, right to the songs.  “Guilty of Hating Christ” fills in for “Guilty of Being White” and has that same frantic energy that shakes and shudders in paroxysms of delight.  “Small God, Big Cross” hits the same starts and stops of “Small Man, Big Mouth” and…you get the idea.

There’s nothing monumental here, and if I’m being honest I’ll choose the actual Minor Threat songs every single time.  But the commitment to the sound and the art and the cheeky song titles make this an enjoyable diversion that hits square between the eyes.  So if nothing else check Satanic Threat’s In To Hell out and then go listen to some Minor Threat.  And if you’ve never listened to Minor Threat, well go rectify that immediately.