Ludichrist was from the same area/time that spawned bands such as Leeway, Cro-Mags, Crumbsuckers, Agnostic Front, etc... What separated these guys from the pack was the fusion of so many styles and their off the wall sense of humor which, although interspersed with political/social commentaries, is still in high form here (witness Green Eggs and Ham). Eegerly awaited, we snatched this up pretty much the day it came out way back when on vinyl, and it was one of the first of the awesome Combat reissues that I got on CD.
Of the two albums, I still prefer Powertrip for it's intensity and off the wall riffery, but ID more than holds its own and is indeed a seminal metalcore album. More punk infused than PT, ID spins through 19 songs in 31 minutes, which may be part of the charm or part of the reason why I drift towards the second album. My guess is that while Tommy and Glen always led the charge, there was a hardcore/rap influence that came from previous members here. But when it was there at the time, this was the ultimate. I even had the "Most People Are Dicks Alfred E. Neuman" Tshirt which I wore with pride for many years.
In terms of the music within, ID is a stream of riffs (some recognizable as being borrowed or showing up in future songs by other bands and while there is a bit of thrash metal bite there, the guitars are mixed to the back, taking a bit of the power. I hear some of the old MDC/DRI type sound here, with speedy, straight ahead beats propelling the stop/start song structures. Most tracks are around 1-2 minutes and while there is some silliness here most of the album just slays. At the time I remember being impressed with the jazzy sections that the band would break into, and these are still interesting, but with the hindsight of Powertrip, they don't gel as well here. Minor considerations aside, overall this is a strong harcore thrash first album from Tommy and the boys.