Exciter - Unveiling The Wicked

In 1986the Canadian Thrashers Exciter release their 4rth full length album entitled “Unveiling The Wicked”.
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\r\nAfter four successful releases: “Heavy Metal Maniac” in 1983, “Violence & Force” 1984, “Feel The Knife” EP 1985, and “Long Live The Loud” in 1985, “Unveiling The Wicked” was one more excellent album. Years after its release I’d say it’s one of the 3 best Exciter albums ever.
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\r\nLet me begin from something probably known to many, the line up of the recording
\r\nDan Beehler - Vocals, Drums
\r\nAlan Johnson - Bass
\r\nBrain McPhee – Guitars
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\r\nIt’s the first album exciter release with a different guitarist since John Ricci who played in the first 4 albums left the band at a point when they had already created a buzz about them and were one of the acknowledged bands of the thrash metal scene.
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\r\n“Unveiling The Wicked” was released with a far fetched cover for the time which I think played a catalyzing role in the fans choice. During the 80s the covers of the albums could either attract fans or doom an album. Something that has utterly changed, nowadays.
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\r\nTruth is Exciter in “Violence & Force” and “Long Live The Loud” included elements in their synthesis which categorized them as Thrash Metal band, which kept many fans from listening to the band.
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\r\nExciter aren’t Thrash Metal. They are a pure Heavy Metal band and today that’s more obvious than ever.  
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\r\nThe cover of “Unveiling The Wicked” enforced their distinctive mark and prevented some from purchasing it, as they feared the music would also be far fetched.
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\r\nOne other thing that cost commercially to this particular release is the time period it was released. You see it was at the peak of heavy metal and hundreds of diamonds were being released during the same year and the year before.
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\r\nSomething else that didn’t help the album get the commercial welcome it deserves was the fact the band comes from Canada. During the 80s transportation was much more difficult than it is today. It was very hard for a band to be heard over the Atlantic in Europe and the same for bands from Europe for the US.
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\r\nSo Exciter had to face quite a few difficulties in their release which were at that time more or less inevitable, but what they did and what we enjoy today is an exquisite album.
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\r\n“Unveiling The Wicked” starts with the best possible way with Break Down The Walls. Other songs that stand out in the release are I Hate School Rules, Waiting In The Dark, Mission Destroy, Die In The Night, Live Fast Die Young. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the album isn’t good or equally interesting.
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\r\nIt is an album you listen to first to last note without any feeling at all of discontent, or the urge to skip a song. The track list is well established, as back in the 80s on vinyl we didn’t have the unholy comfort of skipping songs.
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\r\nI consider “Unveiling The Wicked” should be in every heavy metal fan’s collection as it is a diamond in the shadow of many which were released back in 1986.
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