Reviews list for Pentagram (USA) - Pentagram (1985)

The songs are amazing, but this version has extremely poor production, and isn't readily available on spotify or most place for that matter. 

Relentless is the same album with much better versions of the tracks and is much more accessible. Relentless is an amazing album because these songs are great, but tidied up on those versions. 

In other words this is fine, but when Relentess exists their is no reason, other than historic curiousity to choose this one instead.

*The debut from Pentagram is most widely available under the re-released version “Relentless” that has a different track order. I found the original on YouTube though coz I keepz itz realz!

I have been meaning to catch up on my exploration of The Fallen clan with Pentagram’s opening offering to the world being on my challenge list. Last night I was flicking through a magazine and an interview with Mirai from the band Sigh referenced Pentagram’s debut record as “Heavy, simple and evil” and so my task for today was set. Mirai listed it as one of his five most influential albums, citing the simplicity of the riffs as being one of the key successes of the record. I would agree with this to some extent as the riffs here chart no complicated or technical patterns. Equally, the drums and bass do nothing extraordinary in the main part, but then Joe Hasselvander suddenly pulls amazing runs and fills out of thin air (Run My Course) or Martin Swaney steps in from nowhere with his charging bass line (Dying World) and suddenly this is not such a simplistic album anymore.

What works well on this record is the restraint that is showed to showcase individual performances. Whilst the riffs stick that effective level of basic ability during verses, for example, Bobby’s vocals really get to shine. His dulcet croons are given centre stage in these scenarios but then when it comes to the lead work, Victor Griffin gets the spotlight delivering brief but enchanting solos. This sharing of the limelight gives the album a real sense of cohesion and camaraderie; no individual element rides roughshod over another here folks.

There is no doubting the doom credentials on display here, the production job is light touch and the whole sound has an authentic and organically dark feel. The fuzzy edge to things gives a cruel comfort against the backdrop of Bobby’s marauding vocals. Listening to this album some near forty years after its release, it is not difficult to see why Pentagram have remained such a revered name in the doom metal scene. Simple, without being boring and clever without being complex.

Pentagram didn’t quite come bursting into the scene in 1985, but neither were they plodding – it was a sort of mid-tempo shuffle between classic Heavy Metal and Trad Doom. Another thing; their riffs weren’t really evil sounding, nor were they somber. The lyrics were Satanic, sure, but the band sounded more like a casual metal band playing slowly rather than anything doomy or evil. The music, and especially the vocals, are far too cheerful for the generic evil lyrics to carry any weight at all. There are some good riffs, but there’s no atmosphere, no mood, and to top it off, the audio quality is really poor. Not a bad release by any means, as all the songs are at least decent, but Pentagram brought absolutely nothing to the table even in 1985, and it certainly doesn’t hold up today.