by Justin Gaines
– Senior Columnist —
Originally released in 1993, Nothing Lasts Forever was the third album from Swiss Thrash Metal band Poltergeist. Now, you might have just read “Swiss” and “Thrash” and went directly to Coroner, but Poltergeist was actually closer (in both physical location as well as style) to the German Thrash Metal scene, particularly Destruction.
The band produced Nothing Lasts Forever themselves, but enlisted Jim Morris of the legendary Morrisound Studios to mix the album. That, along with the simple fact that the band was quite technically proficient by this point resulted in a very strong album. Andre Grieder’s vocal style and the band’s sociopolitical lyrics bring to mind classic Testament, and V.O. Pulver buries listeners under an onslaught of riffs. “Empty Inside,” “Darken My Mind” and the title track are great examples of how well everything comes together here.
In the end, the title of this album was prophetic, as it was the final Poltergeist offering. By this point, Thrash Metal was decidedly out of flavor, so the band members went on to other projects. At least they went out with a strong album. Nothing Lasts Forever is a very solid release, and one that should appeal to fans of the European thrash scene (particularly Destruction and Artillery) in particular and thrash metal fans in general. It’s too good an album to have been overlooked in the ‘90s, so it’s nice to see it being given a proper reissue this year.
Edition Notes: Divebomb’s 2015 reissue of Nothing Lasts Forever features digitally remastered audio, an expanded booklet with a new interview, lyrics and vintage photos, and a hefty seven bonus tracks. The extra tracks are taken from the band’s 1987 1st Demo and their 1988 Writing on the Wall demo, and the contrast between the early Poltergeist sound with the later, more polished Nothing Lasts Forever is stark. As we’ve come to expect from Divebomb, this is a good looking, great sounding reissue all-around.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Lineup:
Andre Grieder (v)
V.O. Pulver (g)
Marek Felis (b)
Peter Haas (d)
Track Listing:
1. Only You Remain
2. Empty Inside
3. Those Were Better Days
4. Just Doin’ My Job
5. Never Again
6. Haunted House/Nothing Lasts Forever
7. You’ve Seen the Future
8. Tell Me
9. Darken My Mind
10. Living For the Games
11. Writing on the Wall
12. Inner Space
13. Shooting Star
14. Intro
15. Prophet
16. No More Faith
17. Ziita
Label: Divebomb Records
Website: www.facebook.com/poltergeist.official
Hardrock Haven Rating: 8/10
