Sleazegrinder May 2003

No, it's not doom metal, it speeds along too quickly for that. Warhorse wouldn't have even gotten their amps turned on by the time Precipice were soaking up booze and accolades at the bar. It's not black metal either, despite the goat skull n' pentagram cover. These cats play Death n' roll, in the dirtiest possible sense. Thrash riffs and hoary, deathly belching collides with a solid wall of post-stoner groove with such fury that the studio must've looked like a battlefield when they were through recording 'Prophets of Doom'. It sounds like the band were more inclined to just go ahead and punch each other in the face with fists wrapped in barbed wire than getting through a song. Righteous. There's a whole thread of posi-Paganism or some such cultish, punk fried ideals going on with these Floridian cats, as evidenced by lyrics that go on about suppressed Druids and such, which means that they're crazy as well, which helps. Who knows what really going on here, all I can say for sure is that Precipice sound like they eat children and use their bones for toothpicks, and that sounds like rock and roll to me.


Metal Side Webzine (Poland)
Precipice "Prophet of Doom" Crook'd Records Finally it is! The long awaited debut album of Precipice has been already released by American Crook-d Records. I was waiting this record with big expectations - the demo tapes of the band (available in CD format too) promised really good release - and I'm not disappointed. I got even more that I hoped. For all these ones for whom the name Precipice is completely unknown (be ashamed!), an important information. In this band play two ex-members of Hellwitch, one of the legends of Florida scene from the 80-thies. In those times they took part in recording demo tapes that created the style known as death-thrash. Now, after years, they are still near their roots. On the album they even play one of the tracks from these great sessions - "Degeneration" and it still sound very fresh. But it doesn't mean that for Precipice the time stopped many years ago. It is a great example how at the same time to worship the tradition and to be progressive. Precipice in its music goes further than most typical death/thrash metal bands do - to traditionally rooted style they add the elements of epic metal, hard-core or even jazz. This mixture is really very good! You want aggression or speed - you have "Degeneration", you want slow, massive riffs, just listen to the title track. You expect advanced musicianship - all tracks will satisfy you. It's not the easiest music to listen to - the riffs and rhythms are often complicated but always memorable. Album was recorded in famous Morrisound Studio but it doesn't mean anything more that is produced good: don't think that Precipice sounds like each traditional death metal band recording there. Even in this aspect Precipice differs from the most other bands from the death/thrash scene. Not too much, it's still the part of the scene, but enough to see that this band is very original. In this case originality means very high level.

Metal Maniacs June 2000 Review
Precipice are a band based out of Gainesville, Florida, and feature in their ranks two members from the now-defunct Hellwitch, the band famous for pulling some nice fifty-cent words out of the dictionary every time they created a new song title. The two syzyigal miscreants in question, drummer Dave Silverstein and guitarist Andy Adcock, have put together this new band and are still based in aggressive, twisting form of death/thrash that brings in a few new outside elements but which fans of their previous band should still appreciate for its technical and rabid attack both instrumentally and vocally. As with Hellwitch, I still think one of their main faults is the inability to come up with something a little catchier. It's a more streamlined direction overall, but still far from being straightforward or particularly memorable after the first few listens. I appreciate the skill and dexterity required for such precise material, but what they're doing may fly over the heads of most listeners, although a select few fans will surely find this as appealing as it is challenging. At least they're generous enough to package two demos together on one CD (the more recent Black Sun Rising and its predecessor, The Foundation), so you get a solid 40 minutes of material for just $5. Send to: Dave Silverstein c/o Precipice, P.O.Box 6971, Spring Hill, FL 34606, USA.
BW&BK Review May 2000
Precipice - Black Sun Rising The Foundation, PO Box 6971 Spring Hill FL 34606 USA Email: worldafterwar@usa.net Online: http://precipice.50megs.com Founding members Dave Silverstein (drums) and Andy Adcock (guitar) used to be in Hellwitch. Leaving the death scene behind to concentrate on "pounding fusion- thrash:, was a smart move as their new outfit Precipice is bold and challenging. If King Kong was transformed into a musical entity, this would be it, Lead throat RJ. Hagenow is monstrous in his vocal attack; this is one set of pipes to be reckoned with, But Hagenow is only featured on the first three tracks; Allan Godfrey handles vocals on the remaining four. It's kind of like Sepultura; both Max and Derrik are equally talented but everyone has a fondness for Cavalera. Imagine the technical wizardry of Rush channeled through an angry machine such as Fear Factory, Precipice impress, with both lineups.


Splattergod Website (2000)
Precipice: Black Sun Rising/The Foundation demo(s) This 7 song CD compiles their two demos, Black Sun Rising being the most recent of the two. With the exception of Andy Adcock (Gardy Loo) and Dave Silverstein (Gardy Loo/Hellwitch), the line-ups on each demo are different. The first 3 songs feature the vocal prowess of R.J. Hagenow, who has a hard-core/death delivery style very akin to that of Phil Alsemo, of Pantera. This is not to say that Precipice are Pantera clones; far from it. Listening to this demo, you can hear doom and thrash influences which really go well together. RJ's vocal range really shines on the opening cut, Engulfed in Flames. Plenty of death growls intertwine with a venomous hardcore delivery. The words are well enunciated, so you can really hear the hate filled rage that he embodies. Andy and John Paul do a great job trading licks, making the guitars sound full and heavy, without forsaking melody for speed. Jimbo's bass work is equally good, and Dave's drumming is topnotch, as usual. The second demo (last 4 songs) feature Allan Godfrey on guitar/vocals, John Mortensen on bass and guest vocals courtesy of John Gaither. Listening to these tracks, really show the roots of Precipice. The vocals, though good, don't quite have the range (nor rage) of RJ's. The musicianship is still good though, and the songs are nicely structured. Comparing these songs to their more recent ones, you can definitely hear the band's evolution. Personally, I prefer the first three cuts, but all the tracks are good, and show why Precipice are one of the forerunners in the Florida metal scene today. Precipice c/o Dave Silverstein

Chronicles of Chaos (1999)
PRECIPICE - "The Foundation / Black Sun Rising" (7 out of 10) by: Adrian Bromley
This seven-song release is the amalgamation of two demos from this eclectic independent metal outfit Precipice. With a nice meshing of thrash metal, jazz-styled guitar riffs and some sinister vocal screams, the band manages to cruise through a solid set of material without ever really losing the listener. While still a bit on the older end style of metal music in sound at times (a la Cirith Ungol / old Slayer / Venom), this band really makes the best of all metal areas they decide to forge forward with. The newer set of material (i.e. "Engulfed in Flames", "World After War" and "Black Sun Rising") is stronger and of course modern sounding, but still it is nice to see that the earlier stuff still shows life next to new material. I'm looking forward to seeing where this band takes their music in 2000.

Ill Literature #15 (1998)
PRECIPICE The Foundation - Obviously when the demo tape of this Gainesville, Florida act came in I was anxious to check it out because the group includes two former Hellwitch members. While its been ten years since guitarist Andy Adcock and drummer Dave Silverstein split with Pat Ranieri's clan, the two were part of the core for three years and contributed some of the finest music in early Florida death metal. Bored with it all, the duo opted to play something they felt was a little more original and more notably put their emphasis on their studies (Andy in grad school for math while Dave was finishing his law degree) making, as they put it one of "the most professional metal bands around." While Precipice have undergone their own struggles with lineup changes due to the technicality of their songwriting, their current incarnation includes Fred Rock from Chicago's Disinter on guitar. While there are still obvious Hellwitch comparisons that can be drawn, their death metal inspired recording claims to be influenced by Slayer, Frank Zappa, and King Crimson, and you can hear the elements of trippiness and progressiveness throughout, making it an interesting effort. While the group aren't anywhere as over the top as someone like Cynic, it still shows a veritable amount of ingenuity, although it does have that raw, under-produced and stylistic quality that many early underground favorites had.