Daniel's Reviews

A nice solid album of black metal in the Norwegian tradition with strong folk music elements from this UK band. I must admit that I was really loving "The Mercian Sphere" for the first three tracks. There was great atmosphere & a real darkness which reminded me of classic Darkthrone. Then the folk parts start to get more attention. I must admit that I've never been a huge fan of the folk/metal crossover but in this case the folk is kept separate from the metal for the most part & is extremely well done. The acoustic guitar pieces are generally of a much lighter atmosphere but sound very professional. In fact, the whole album sounds very professional. The production is just right i.e. just raw enough to maintain authenticity as well as clean enough so that everything is sitting comfortably in the mix. Towards the second half of the CD the dark atmosphere starts to drift a bit which was a bit disappointing after the earlier classic black metal feel of tracks like album highlight "The Fields Of Reckoning" which is both timeless & purely evil. A very good album that should turn a few heads.

1984's “Burning The Witches” album represents the debut studio outing from Dusseldorf five-piece heavy metal outfit Warlock. Many of you would probably already be aware of the band through the popularity of their gorgeous blonde front-woman Doro Pesch who was somewhat of a sex symbol for many a teenage metalhead back when I was a kid. In fact, I had at least one poster of Doro on my bedroom wall when I was in my early high school years along with more than one of former Runaways guitarist Lita Ford. I had a serious crush on both of those young ladies & looking back now it’s pretty amazing just how dated those photos look today. You won’t find too many images that represent the 80’s better than those to be honest but WTF… it WAS the 80’s so why should that matter??

Warlock released four studio albums between 1984 & 1987 with “Burning The Witches” being the most raw & youthful of them. The production job is pretty good for a debut release with the vocals & drums being the most up-front in the mix & the 80’s style metal guitar sound doing the job nicely. The only obvious negative is a poor snare sound which sounds a lot like the bottom of a bucket & is too high in the mix which makes it stand out quite noticeably. I’d encourage you not to focus on it because it can get annoying if you let it (but you almost certainly will now so sorry about that).

The musicianship is all fairly basic with the rhythm section keeping things very open so that the vocal hooks & guitar riffs have enough room to really dig their teeth in. The drumming can be a bit flat at times & could do with a little more excitement about it while the guitar solos are well executed but lack a little bit in the identity department. But the main focal point here is obviously Doro & her vocal delivery is both powerful & engaging. The strength of WASP’s Blackie Lawless often springs to mind as she really does achieve her goal of competing on the same level as her male counterparts. And when you combine her considerable vocal talents with the obvious sex appeal factor it’s not hard to see why Warlock were reasonably popular,specially in Europe.

There are plenty of high quality metal riffs here with Judas Priest, Accept & the NWOBHM being the main sources of inspiration but while “Burning The Witches” falls comfortably into the category of meat & potatoes heavy metal it certainly isn’t lacking in variety. You’ll hear everything from speed metal numbers to boogie-oriented hard rockers to a particularly cheesy ballad that’s the obvious weak point of the album. Scorpions have clearly had an influence on Warlock during some of those less metal moments which isn’t surprising for a German outfit. The lyrics definitely aren’t a strength for the band as they’ve opted to deliver them in English which has resulted in a pretty basic & unintelligent sounding result that’s not all that uncommon for the time.

Look, I know I’ve presented a lot of negative comments here but I actually quite like “Burning The Witches”. This is pure heavy metal highlighted by a talented vocalist & some simple but high quality metal riffs & it’s all presented in an easily palatable format. What’s not to like really? If you enjoy Priest & Accept then you’ll probably like this quite a bit too although the lack of any genuinely classic highlight songs will always leave it sitting behind the big names of the genre. Doro has since gone on to a long & fairly successful solo career but Warlock was the initial vehicle that helped her kick off her career & she still includes Warlock songs in her setlists today. In fact, she probably would have continued on under that moniker if not for the threat of legal action from ex-band members.

Stormwitch were a five-piece German heavy metal outfit formed in Heidenheim in 1981 with their debut studio album “Walpurgis Night” being released two years later in 1983. The title seems to have been derived from the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga which might seem to be an unusual title for a metal record until you read the lyrics to the title track which tells the story of an orchestrated witch attack on the night in question. And this is not an uncommon sort of theme for Stormwitch as they’re known for directing their lyrical content towards the darker themes of fantasy & the occult. When you add that to a horrifying album cover featuring a photograph of what appears to be an undead warrior growling at you from behind an open fire, it’s only logical that a lot of listeners might be expecting a pretty evil sounding musical experience. The warrior is dressed in leather & spikes & carrying a double-balled mace & it’s hard to differentiate this image from the hundreds of similar album covers released by Scandinavian black metal bands over the years although this one has a lot more colour with the flames used to highlights the band’s logo. It’s genuinely scary but once you switch on the album you quickly realise that you had little to worry about because the music on “Walpurgis Night” is about as intimidating as a kiss goodnight from mum.

This is your standard meat & potatoes version of heavy metal with very little in the way of tension or genuine aggression. The production is a real problem here as it’s a very noisy sounding record. Stormwitch have apparently elected not to go for any multitracking & played these songs live in the studio in order to try to replicate the raw energy of their live performances but it hasn’t paid off for them here. There’s a thick layer of distortion hanging over these songs that can be a quite a turn off. Particularly when it’s attributed to the vocals.

The musicianship isn’t amazing in the first place & the guitar solos in particular seem to be pretty pointless as there’s very little in the way of technique or melody about them. The NWOBHM was clearly a big influence on Stormwitch & if you didn’t know where this record came from in advance you’d swear it was from the New Wave. In fact, Stormwitch wear there influences on their sleeves a bit too much in my opinion. Particularly the Iron Maiden one which seems to dominate this album so much that it comfortably crosses the line into plagiarism territory for the most part. Judas Priest & Saxon also get an airing but at no stage does Stormwitch manage to match their idols in the song-writing or execution departments. I do like the occasional progressive flourishes but even then they’re done in a very similar way to the one that Maiden employ. The guitar harmonies suffer from a similar affliction too. Vocalist Andy Muck has a decent enough voice for classic metal but he’s never going to be a super star & I think he’d need to be if Stormwitch were ever going to have a chance of succeeding with this sort of record.

Overall, I find "Walpurgis Night" to be a reasonably decent if largely overrated release that serves no real purpose from an artistic point of view. It’s worth noting that it’s a better record than Accept’s debut though I guess.

The 1984 debut album from four-piece Hamburg heavy metal outfit Running Wild entitled “Gates To Purgatory” didn't exactly set my world on fire but it made a reasonable impact on the underground metal scene at the time. The band didn’t muck around with regards to a follow-up as they entered the studio again just eight months after their debut hit the shelves, only this time with a slightly different lineup. Their guitarist Gerald Warnecke (who was generally known as Preacher) left the band shortly after the release of “Gates To Purgatory” & was replaced with Majk Moti who would stay with the band for the next five years. Interestingly enough, Preacher had been studying theology during his time with Running Wild & he’d eventually go on to actually become a preacher in the literal sense of the term which seems in direct opposition to the Satanic image & lyrical content that Running Wild were pushing back in their early days. So perhaps Gerald’s religious beliefs contributed to him leaving the band. I’m not too sure but I’m sure one of you will know so please feel free to tell everyone in the comments section.

It would seem that the fresh lineup was probably the most major change for Running Wild when you compare the two records really. The pirate themed power metal the band would become known for in the future was still a fair way off but you can definitely see signs of that sound developing here which makes Running Wild’s sophomore effort somewhat of a transitional release that sees a few new ideas given a test run without completely letting go of the band’s roots. I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of the production which tends to be a bit flat & lacking in energy. There’s very little bass guitar in the mix & the rhythm guitars have had a lot of their natural brightness sucked out of them while the cymbals could definitely do with some more high end to give them more impact too. Having said that, the overall sound is quite open & dry with plenty of space so you’re unlikely to feel suffocated.

Stylistically, Running Wild haven’t really gone for anything drastically different to before. The cover artwork & lyrical approaches are still aimed directly at the same sort of Satanic imagery that Venom had built their career on, which begs the question as to why Running Wild never earned a mention in discussions on the First Wave Of Black Metal when bands with similarly questionable credentials like Venom & Mercyful Fate were. It doesn’t make much sense to me to be honest but I will admit that Running Wild were definitely less successful in their attempts to create dark & forboding atmospheres so perhaps that’s the reason. The music on display once again sticks to the familiar Judas Priest & Accept model with a little of Venom’s more up-tempo speed metal tossed in here & there. In truth, there’s probably a little less of the speed metal included than there was on the debut with a good chunk of this material following a ploddier mid-paced tempo that seems to be missing a bit of excitement for the most part. I just find the majority of this material to sound pretty lethargic to be perfectly honest. I wasn’t a fan of “Gates To Purgatory” but I like “Branded & Exiled” even less. Once I examined the record in a little more depth though it became pretty clear as to why though.

Preacher was responsible for writing half of the debut but with him gone it was left to front man Rock ‘n’ Rolf to write seven of the eight songs & I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the riff structures & composition sound more basic in comparison. The use of simple verse/chorus song structures doesn’t help either. Rolf’s vocals are another concern for me too. He’s still utilising the grunty & monotonous Cronos-style delivery we heard on “Gates To Purgatory” with very little of the higher register stuff he’d lean more heavily on in later years. We only get the occasional shriek here & there. But there’s something very annoying about Rolf’s tone here & I can’t help but feel that I’m listening to a bad karaoke cover version a lot of the time. I’d imagine that this is probably emphasised by the more melodic instrumentation too & that brings me to another point I’d like to highlight. The riffage seems to be a little more melodic than it was on the debut which clearly points to a more European sound & the future of Running Wild. I often hear a fair bit of 90’s Megadeth in this record too which again hints at a more accessible form of metal so the building blocks for Running Wild’s classic pirate-oriented sound are visible.

There are no ballads here but it’s definitely a cleaner record than the grittier debut was which isn’t necessarily a good thing. I always know I’m in trouble when my favourite tracks on an album are generally regarded as the weakest numbers. It indicates that I’m just not fully accepting of the character traits that the band are really selling themselves on & that’s certainly the case here. A track like “Mordor” is a good case in point as it sounds almost phoned in to me but it seems to have a very strong following. I will admit that I hear a lot of influence on Death in the chuggy mid-paced tremolo riffs but they could just as easily be construed as a fairly substandard attempt to emulate Iron Maiden. And closing number “Chains & Leather” is another example as it just seems like an appalling shot at the Judas Priest audience participation anthem to me. It’s an absolute shocker. I dunno… is Running Wild one of those bands that are simply not for me? On the evidence of their first two albums it would seem like a definite possibility.

The initial era of German heavy metal was dominated by two bands in Scorpions & Accept & we'd have to wait 'til the mid-80's before we'd see the introduction of another major contender. The artist I'm referring to is of course Running Wild & they’d go on to play an important role in the late 80’s & early 90’s metal scene. But for the purposes of this review, we’ll just be focusing our attentions on their debut studio album, 1984's “Gates To Purgatory”.

Running Wild first formed in Hamburg back in 1976 so they’d been around for a while by this stage & I think you can hear that maturity in the execution here. The band seem to know their sound quite well & don’t try to over-extend themselves on their first effort. Instead this four-piece outfit tend to keep things fairly simple & focus on the song-writing. The production has that authentic 80’s underground metal sound & I think it really works for Running Wild here.

Musically you can expect a fairly short album with just the eight songs included; three of which fall comfortably into the speed metal category with the other five being more in line with the classic heavy metal sound. As with most of the European metal scene at the time, the NWOBHM was certainly the major influence on Running Wild & I’d probably describe them as a mixture of Judas Priest & Venom with bits of Iron Maiden here & there. The Venom influence is really obvious in the speed metal tracks but also in the lyrics & image with “Gates To Purgatory” sporting mainly Satanic themes & imagery. It’s interesting because this is certainly not in line with the band’s later works which were amongst the first to tackle predominantly pirate-related themes. There’s a lot of Judas Priest in the riff assault on offer here while the dual guitar attack also reeks of Judas Priest's Tipton/Downing combo. The inclusion of guitar harmonies often leaves me thinking of Iron Maiden though. As does the obviously Maiden-esque “Genghis Khan” with its hilariously mispronounced chorus. This isn’t the only time you’ll hear that sort of thing on the album either. “Preacher” sees Running Wild taking a temporary side road through Black Sabbath territory while “Black Demon” seems to indicate that Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine might well have been a fan as it sports a pretty similar sound to some of Megadeth’s early-to-mid 90’s albums.

Front man Rock ‘n’ Rolf doesn’t sport the trademark high-pitched European heavy metal approach. He takes a much more gruff direction & I’d suggest that Venom’s Cronos & Tank’s Algy Ward might have been his two main influences. It’s interesting that I can hear a fair bit of the early European thrash metal bands like Sodom & Coroner in some of Rolf’s delivery & I’d be willing to bet that those bands were all over “Gates To Purgatory”. Particularly Sodom as you can hear it in the thrashier riffs here too.

But the big problem with Running Wild’s debut is in the song-writing I’m afraid. It’s just not a consistent enough album. I only like four of the eight songs with the B-side being pretty weak & seeing the album out in sluggish fashion. Many might disagree with me on this topic but I find the hooks to be too obvious & simple at times. I mean take a listen to the closing number “Prisoner Of Our Time” which is clearly the most popular track on the album. To my ears it just sounds pretty flat with very little energy & a chorus that’s trying way too hard. "Gates To Purgatory" is all a bit too accessible for a band with this sort of potential & I subsequently find it to be a disappointing listen even though it promised so much early on. 

"Heavy Metal Breakdown" was the debut album from a four-piece German heavy metal outfit going by the particularly metal moniker of Grave Digger. Now some of you might have heard of them before but I’d hazard to guess that most of you probably haven’t & what’s really surprising about Grave Digger is that they’ve gone on to release around twenty studio albums in their career which puts them right up there with the Motorhead’s of the world. It’s pretty astounding when you consider that they’ve been able to achieve those sort of numbers but have never really broken out of the underground. It’s a credit to their commitment to metal really but it’s also a little sad, isn’t it?

Grave Digger first formed back in 1980 & after making a few appearances at some small festival events they managed to get two songs included on the “Rock From Hell” compilation in 1983 which kick-started their recording career & was the catalyst for this initial full-length effort a year later in October 1984. The “Heavy Metal Breakdown” record is highlighted by a particularly brutal guitar sound which was amongst the heaviest the metal world had heard to the time. But it wasn't just the production that was heavy. There are some truly vicious riffs to be found here as well with several tracks bleeding over into genuine speed metal or even thrash metal territory.

Vocalist Chris Boltendahl has one of those abrasive screaming styles similar to Udo Dirkschneider from Accept although he often sounds like he’s trying to sing like Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson, only with very little success. Overkill’s Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth springs to mind too but just like Udo, Chris is definitely in his element when he’s going for an aggressive balls-out metal approach. He really does sound pretty ordinary when he attempts to actually sing & I’d strongly encourage him to leave that stuff to the Halfords & Dios & concentrate on what he does best which is shriek like there’s no tomorrow.

The rhythm section knows exactly what to do to further highlight the brutal riff assault & from a purely musical point of view “Heavy Metal Breakdown” is right up my alley. The heavier Judas Priest & Accept material is the obvious reference point & those two influences were the primary component of the German heavy metal sound overall really. In fact, if you pay close attention, the speed metal inclusions here seem to be custom-made replicas of Accept’s classic speed metal anthem “Fast As A Shark” while my album highlight “Legions Of The Lost” is a fully fledged thrash metal number that showcases some very powerful bottom-string triplets during the main riff that’ll really get your blood pumping. There are a number of riffs here that leave me with the distinct impression that Kreator may have been heavily influenced by Grave Digger & I could probably show you a number of similarities between these riffs & some of those from the late 80’s output of the Gods of Teutonic Thrash.

But don’t get too excited just yet people. The album’s dragged down considerably by one of the weakest metal ballads you’ll ever encounter in the God awful “Yesterday”. It truly is a repulsive abortion of a song with Chris doing his level best to reduce me to a cowering child just begging for him to cease with the barrage of cringe-worthy vocal cheese. As with most of this material, the lyrics are absolutely appalling & I can’t express just how badly this song effects my enjoyment of the album overall. But it’s not the only weak point either. The classic heavy metal sound needs not only quality riffs but some high quality vocal hooks as well & it’s this area that leaves “Heavy Metal Breakdown” languishing behind the better German debuts. For all the wonderful metal riffage on display, the choruses of most songs are decidedly average with some being downright repulsive. Just check out the song “We Wanna Rock You” for example with it’s chorus of “Wwwweeeeee wanna rock youuuuu….. weeeeeee wanna roll you… roll you”. That’s just total crap, isn’t it, & it’s this element alone that leaves me feeling disappointed at the end of each listening experience.

There was certainly the potential for “Heavy Metal Breakdown” to become somewhat of an underground classic given the sheer heaviness & aggression of this music & the production in particular but the song-writing hasn’t given it a chance with even the best songs on offer failing to capitalize on the quality of the riff assault. The title track is a prime example of what I’m talking about with regards to the vocal hooks as it possesses some great riffs but the chorus seems to give the indication that Grave Digger think their fans are lacking in the intellect department as it’s some lowest common denominator shit in my opinion. The main feeling I'm left with coming out of "Heavy Metal breakdown" is of missed opportunity.

Finland may have gone on to become the country with the highest ratio of metal bands per capita (as per former US president Barrack Obama's speech in 2016), but up until 1983 they’d contributed very little in the way of noteworthy metal releases other than two fairly underground Sarcofagus heavy metal albums that didn't exactly set the world on fire to be fair. But things were about to change thanks to a five-piece outfit by the name of OZ who formed way back in 1977. By 1983 they’d already released their debut album & gone through various lineup changes however the planets were about to align for them with the release of their second full-length record entitled “Fire In The Brain”.

The band’s debut album “Heavy Metal Heroes” was a dour affair & clearly represented a group of musicians that were still finding their sound but several key lineup changes had resulted in the follow-up taking on a drastically different & substantially more metal sound. The hard rock influence has been completely dropped in favour of an all-out metal assault with the NWOBHM being the primary source of influence. It’s really quite an exciting listen due to a fairly savage guitar sound that greatly enhances the work of the dual guitar attack. Singer Ape De Martini possesses a powerful voice that often reminds me of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson & Queensryche’s Geoff Tate too. He’s a genuine front man & his approach leaves me with the impression of leading his band mates into battle.

Speed & energy are important ingredients for OZ with Raven, Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Accept & Motorhead often springing to mind as influences. These are short & simple, no-fuss metal tunes with little time for extravagances. The guitar solos are short but highly effective with both axemen proving to own some fairly impressive chops. The tracklisting isn’t without it’s weaker moments however & I struggle with three of the eight tunes on offer. Thankfully the other five are strong enough to carry the album for me & I’m left with a predominantly positive impression after each revisit. In fact, I have to admit that I’m often left wanting to like the record more than I actually do due to its metal-as-fuck approach . It only needs a bit more consistency in the song-writing department to push it up into the next scoring bracket but all of the other elements are already in place. Just check out my favourite track in the slowest & most atmospheric number "Black Candles" for a clear example of what the band could achieve with its darker & more brooding sound being high on classic Mercyful Fate influence. The cover art even sports a photo of the arm of Bathory’s Quorthon holding a flaming skull & what could be more metal than Quorthon’s arm??

This really could have been a pretty decent brutal death metal E.P. with heavy emphasis on technicality & blast beats. The production is excellent & the musicianship is good. The death vocals are great & remind me of Johann Larssen (Seance) quite a lot at times. There are a couple of things that prevent this from living up to its potential though. Firstly, the neo-classical parts (clean vocals & guitar leads) are not to my taste at all & sound quite chessy to me. Secondly, they've overdone the blasting drums a bit & the tracks tend to blend together due to this. I think the overly clicky drum sound contributes to this. The At The Gates cover of "Blinded By Fear" (my favourite ATG track) is not in the same league as the original & the addition of blast beats doesn't do it any favours. The piano outro piece "Mafia" doesn't really serve any purpose in my opinion either. I'm afraid I can't quite look past the flaws.

By 1984, the Americans had well & truly planted the seeds of a strong US thrash metal scene that would go on to dominate the rest of the decade. However the Americans weren’t the only heavy-weights of the movement, & the second most important market place was just about to take off with arguably the first legitimate Teutonic thrash metal record hitting the shelves in November 1984. The only previous German thrash releases had come in the form of crude demo tapes from the likes of Sodom & Holy Moses but it was about time we saw a label put their money where their mouth was & release some of this material in a less primitive format. For those that are wondering what the difference between the US & the Teutonic models of thrash metal is, well the German model is much rawer & more abrasive with decidedly less polish. It has a more underground feel to it & was possibly more influential on the more extreme forms of metal like death & black metal. Sodom may have been the Godfathers of the German scene however it’s debatable as to who got their proper label debut out first. There are contradicting release dates across the various online resources in regards to Sodom's "In The Sign Of Evil" E.P. which makes it difficult to categorically determine whether it received a 1984 or a 1985 release but given that their “Victims Of Death” demo tape was recorded quite late in 1984, it's probably more likely to have seen the light of day in 1985. If this statement angers you then please…. do something violent…. it would please the metal Gods (no not Rob Halford). But there’s no doubt at all that Destruction’s initial effort, the “Sentence Of Death” EP, first saw the light of day in 1984 so let’s take a look at that.

Destruction first formed as a three-piece in 1982 under the awkward moniker of Night Of Demon. They wouldn’t change their name to Destruction until 1984, just before the release of their highly- regarded “Bestial Invasion Of Hell” demo tape which I used to have on a bootleg CD along with Tormentor’s “End Of The World” demo way back in the day. This demo would lead to a recording contract with Steamhammer Records who were also involved in the release & distribution of several other major metal releases in 1984 including Sortilege’s “Metamorphose”, Trouble’s “Psalm 9”, Metal Church’s self-titled debut & Brocas Helm’s “Into Battle”. The resulting “Sentence Of Death” E.P. unquestionably showcases a definitively German brand of thrash metal that’s easily identifiable over the US material that was around at the time.

The tracklisting is comprised of five songs & a short intro piece over a duration of just over 19 minutes but boy is there a lot going on during that time. Destruction cram so many riffs into each short track that the E.P. really does appear to be a lot more substantial than its short running time would have you believe. The production is suitably raw although this is hardly an inhibitor for the band. In fact, the sound suits Destruction’s image quite well. I mean if you look at the cover artwork you’ll see three young dudes sporting so many studs & spikes that you’re left wondering how they’d even pick up a guitar, let alone actually play it! It’s really pretty hilarious & I have to say that it appeals to me quite a bit on an old-school level. But despite the primitive nature of the production & packaging, you can comfortably make out all of the instruments & you don’t miss out on any of the nuances with the more complex riffs on offer despite a very messy guitar sound that’s lacking a bit of smooth distortion. And that’s interesting because Destruction are KNOWN for having pushed the complexity of their music much further than their German counterparts did during the early stages of their careers. I have to admit that I don’t buy into that concept as much as other people do though. Yes they certainly play a lot of riffs but I wouldn’t say that they’re overly complex apart from the odd legato lead run from guitarist Mike Sifringer. There aren’t any drastic time changes or riffs that are all that technically challenging to play here. It’s really just that they’re played at such a ferocious tempo all the time & that none of them stay around for too long that leaves the impression of complexity.

Destruction focused very heavily on being amongst the fastest metal bands on the planet at the time & the influence of speed metal on their sound is undeniable. Don’t get me wrong. You’ll never be left wondering whether Destruction are truly a thrash metal band or not. But you can definitely hear a speed metal component in the makeup of almost every track included. Surprisingly, I often see people referring to “Sentence Of Death” as an influence on early black metal too but I can’t say that I hear anything remotely like black metal here apart from the ridiculous attempt at evil lyrics & the over-the-top cover artwork so I wouldn’t pay much attention to that.

Instrumentally, this is all about the guitars. The rhythm section simply make as much noise as they can whilst keeping the tempo as high as possible. I wouldn’t say that there’s any particular talent being displayed there despite what people may say. In fact, drummer Tommy Sandmann pretty much plays the same beat throughout every track & doesn’t contribute much on an artistic level. This might not be such a bad thing though because his technical skills are really pretty limited with his double kick work being particularly scrappy which probably answers the question about why such a fast brand of thrash metal built on a speed metal backbone wouldn’t utilize one of the most prominent tools of the trade more readily. But guitarist Mike Sifringer has a unique ADD-fueled guitar style that steals the show anyway & you’ll never get bored waiting for something to happen. His raw energy reminds me a lot of Voivod’s Piggy in that he possesses a unique & abrasive style that doesn’t conform to the common thrash metal constrains. His enthusiastically performed guitar solos are quite accomplished too although I have to admit that his mainly pentatonic style doesn't appeal to me all that much because there’s not a lot of melodic experimentation going on. I suspect that he’s drawn a fair amount of influence from Motorhead’s Fast Eddie Clarke but a lot of the time it sounds like he’s playing predominantly the same scale & resorting to hammering the same intervals really fast. Bass-player Marcel Shirmer handles the vocal duties really well & his rough & grindy delivery is the other main focal point of the band. I really like his style actually. He reminds me a lot of a combination of Venom’s Cronos, Sodom’s Tom Angelripper & Voivod’s Snake & being a fan of the more extreme forms of metal I really enjoy a less accessible & dirtier vocal with my thrash.

All of these elements combined see “Sentence Of Death” taking the early thrash metal sound of Metallica & Slayer & smothering it in the speed metal filth of Venom & Motorhead only with noticeably less punk influence than a band like Sodom. Destruction certainly sound a little less dark than some of the other European bands like Kreator, Sodom & Bathory however I think a lot of that can be put down to the outrageous speeds the band insist on playing everything at. If you’re going to play at those sort of tempos all the time then you need a bad-ass metal drummer with real power & a dark feel. I don’t think Tommy is that guy to be honest & he does struggle to keep things sounding tight for the most part. Closing number “Devil’s Soldiers” is a prime example of this as it simply falls in a heap with the band all seeming to be playing completely different songs. I honestly can’t say what they were trying to achieve there. It’s an absolute mess & a terrible way to finish the EP.

Look…. I know I’ve said a few negative things about “Sentence Of Death” thus far which will likely shock many underground thrash fans as this is generally a very highly regarded record but be warned… I’m about to take things one step further & say that I’ve never gotten on with “Sentence Of Death”. It sounds like something that should have a fair amount of appeal for me on paper but there’s just something that doesn’t quite click with me in the execution. I struggle with the messiness of the compositions, the primitive nature of the production & the lack of genuine evil in their atmosphere. There are certainly a couple of solid tracks here (like "Mad Butcher" for example) however I don’t think they manage to overcome the few weaker ones & I’m left feeling disappointed at the end of each listen.

The Italians hadn’t made much of a blip on the doom radar up until 1984 with only a few extremely underground demos & singles from acts like theatrical horror metal personalities Death SS & the progressive rock inspired Black Hole seeing the light of day by that stage. But the Italian doom scene was about to get a firm shot in the arm with this little E.P. representing the most important & highly regarded Italian doom release of the 80’s.

The catalyst for this landmark came in 1979 when Death SS guitarist Paul Chain decided that he needed another avenue to express his heavier & more experimental & improvisational side so he formed a side project by the name of Paul Chain Violet Theatre which gave him something to do during the long breaks between activity with Death SS. The bands co-existed until 1984 when Chain decided to disband Death SS & this enabled him to focus all of his attention on recording his debut solo release; a four song EP entitled “Detaching From Satan”, which seems to be a reference to the fact that Chain had grown tired of the Satanic approach that his former band had taken with their lyrics & imagery & was a clear sign that he was looking for a change of direction.

Interestingly, the Violet Theatre featured appearances from several Death SS members so Paul wasn’t trying to distance himself from the band altogether but one of the most unique aspects of the record was the complete lack of traditional lyrics. It’d likely go straight over your head if you weren’t made aware of it but Paul is actually using a self-devised language of made-up sounds or phonetics in place of actual words & I find it be very effective. Perhaps it even makes it easier to make the vocals fit the music if you think about it because there’s no need to jam phrases in just to suit a lyrical storyline. But that’s not the only unusual element of “Detaching From Satan” as it’s just as ambitious from a musical point of view.

The production is very raw & lo-fi but strangely this seems to give the music an authenticity & charm that it might not have possessed otherwise & I actually think it enhances the overall package. The drums are very loud in the mix & the rhythm guitar sound has that dirty layer of distortion that early Black Sabbath, Witchfinder General & Hellhammer were known for while the bass guitar bubbles away in praise of Geezer Butler’s more bluesy early 70’s outings. Sometimes the recording seems to show signs that the master tape has decayed somewhat… again having a positive effect as it adds a further layer of mystique to the atmosphere; only increasing Paul’s underground metal credibility. There’s a distinctly 70’s feel throughout with lots of experimentation & a very live feel; particularly to the improvised lead work. There are lots of effects employed during the over-the-top Hendrix-inspired psychedelic guitar solos & the unhinged vocal arrangements & the regular use of choirs & church organs gives the record a noticeably gothic atmosphere.

Vocally, Paul sounds quite similar to Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant during most of this material with the obvious exception being the closing doom metal epic “17 Days” where he employs an approach that’s much more in line with gothic rock artists like Bauhaus. I really enjoy his performance which has a lot of character & is a nice foil for the consistent procession of ultra-heavy Black Sabbath riffage. The overall package is almost reminiscent of a 70’s D-grade horror film soundtrack at times but the strong sense of melody prevents it from completely alienating the listener. There are moments of unbridled evil & others which exude a more epic feel but despite the unusual & often quite morbid atmosphere, I don’t think “Detaching From Satan” is quite as whacked out as most people make out. Especially if you’re already well acquainted with the highly ambitious & experimental Italian progressive rock scene of the 1970’s. In fact, on more than one occasion I found myself feeling quite similar to the first time I heard Norwegian avant-garde metal outfit Ved Buens Ende……

Anyway… I’d encourage all fans of Black Sabbath, Witchfinder General & Pagan Altar to give this one a crack because it’s a great little record.

Danish heavy metallers Evil first formed as a four-piece back in 1982 & there’s very little information on them on the internet other than the consistent rumour that Mercyful Fate front man King Diamond was actually the band’s guitarist. Well I’ve done a bit of research on that topic & I can say right up front that this particular rumour has no factual basis whatsoever.  It simply stems from the fact that both bands hailed from the same city of København & that the guitarist in question sports the Christian name Kim which is well known to be King Diamond’s birth name. But to be honest it really doesn’t take too much effort to figure out that guitarist Kim Xmas’ axe-slinging skills are far too impressive for him not to be a full-time six-string specialist.

The "Evil's Message" E.P. would be one of the more underground releases from 1984. Unfortunately it would prove to be the only release we’d hear from Evil for a full 31 years when (just like so many other bands from the period) they’d elect to reform for a comeback album. I’ve got to admit that I’m forever being surprised by the bands we see participating in this reformation trend that's been happening in recent times. It’s not like many of them had much of a fan base in the first place so it’s certainly not for fame or money, is it? I guess it’s refreshing to think that it’s all for the love of metal music but it isn’t exactly encouraging to see a continual string of old names on festival lineups these days. It doesn’t indicate that we’ve got a strong underground metal scene if we’re still relying on the same old names but anyway… 

The production job on “Evil’s Message” is a really strong talking point because this record sounds much more modern than most of the other underground metal releases that were around in the mid-80's. It really does sound very polished & accomplished & is driven by a particularly clicky drum sound for the time. These days that sort of sound is par for the course for metal bands wanting the drums to cut through the mix but it wasn’t a common trait back in the mid-80’s so it really stands out here. It gives the band a clinical edge that won’t be for everyone but personally I really like it & when combined with a ripper of a guitar sound it gives us a product that could easily have been mistaken for a current release. Drummer Freddie Wolf makes good use of his prominent position in the mix with a strong display of precision double-kick-driven metal drumming that includes some impressive fills. He’s really quite talented & so are the two guitarists Kim Xmas & Pete “Popcorn” Hurricane who proceed to thrash out a procession of high quality riffage mixed with seriously professional guitar harmonies & searing lead breaks.

Instrumentally, this is a very talented bunch of dudes & it’s just a shame that their unfortunately named front man Pearl Angel doesn’t have the same level of chops because that’s the only thing that seems to have stopped Evil from becoming serious players in the early European heavy metal scene. That’s not to say that Pearl’s ballsy delivery is particularly poor but I just find that I can’t quite give these songs the credit they deserve due to the distinct feeling that they’ve underachieved on their potential. I think one of those more classic higher register metal vocalists that seemed to be so plentyful in the 80's would have gone down a treat here but instead we’ve got one that sounds similar to Tank’s Algy Ward, only with less charisma & power.

Musically, Evil’s style swaps between traditional heavy metal & a thrashier & more exciting speed metal sound with the speed metal being the dominant partner in my opinion. In fact, I’m not too sure why “Evil’s Message” isn’t often referenced as a genuine speed metal release to be honest, as three of the five songs fall comfortably into that category as far as I can see. Many of the riffs possess a complexity that was rarely heard at the time too & the overall professionalism of the performances is very surprising for a debut release. For example, the Maiden-esque guitar harmonies have a precision to them that comfortably matches the class of the mighty Irons without ever approaching plagiarism. To my ears they sound more similar to the more epic European power metal bands that would follow or even the melodic death metal that would explode out of Sweden & Finland during the early 90’s. I can hear a lot of “Stained Class”-era Judas Priest in the molten metal riffage; particularly during the opening title track which is a classy instrumental with a progressive song structure & some quite technical riff construction. It’s the best song on the tracklisting for mine & I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the highlight track lines up with the only instrumental piece. But that’s not to say that the rest of this material isn’t strong because there are no weak tracks here with a lot of the material having an unusual similarity to the sound that Megadeth would champion through the 80’s & early 90’s. I even hear some Dave Mustaine-era Metallica in one of the songs too so I have to admit that I’ve dared to wonder whether there was some sort of link between our beloved Megadeth front man & Evil on occasion.

Overall, this is a very solid Danish heavy metal release & I rate it more highly than the more well-known Pretty Maids or Witch Cross releases that came out of Denmark the same year. It’s just a shame that the vocals aren’t of a high enough standard to take the band to the elite level because the musical talent is certainly there. If the concept of an amalgamation of the pure heavy metal of Judas Priest & Anvil crossed with the speed metal intensity of Acid takes your fancy then I’d encourage you not to hesitate in hunting it down. At the very least you should check out the closing track because any song with the title “Take Good Care Of Your Balls” is worth exploring in my opinion.

Up until 1984, Memphis, Tennessee hadn’t exactly been a hot-bed of activity as far as quality metal went but if this little E.P. is anything to go by then that was about to change. Medieval Steel formed as a five-piece back in 1982 & it took them a couple of years to get this debut release out there. Frustratingly though, it would be their only release for a full two decades with their debut full-length not seeing the light of day until 2014. That’s right… TWENTY YEARS people. And what makes that even more frustrating is that on the evidence we hear on their first-up effort, Medieval Steel may well have gone on to become household names in the underground metal scene had they kicked on. In fact, this short four-song E.P. may last no more than a mere 16 minutes but in that time it manages to achieve an impact that far out-weighs it’s minimal duration. 

It’s interesting that 1984 would be the first time that we’d start to hear US bands displaying predominantly US influences & that’s never more apparent than it is with Medieval Steel’s exciting brand of epic metal. Although it’s not hard to pick up the Judas Priest influence that seems to have been an essential part of every metal band's arsenal at the time, the strongest & most obvious influence on Medieval Steel’s sound is unquestionably Manowar. Medieval Steel represent everything that was good about the early epic metal sound & they manage to stay on the right side of the cheese line for almost all of these four songs with the obvious exception of the overblown spoken word intro to the band’s signature title song. Manilla Road is also a name that pops up quite regularly although this release is much more metal than anything the Road had released to the time.

The production here is very much in line with the classic 80’s heavy metal model. It’s raw & electric but never sacrifices on clarity & definition. I have a lot of time for it as it’s got a timeless quality to it that represents the underground metal scene of the time really well. Front man Bobby Franklin has a wonderfully pure voice that soars into the upper registers at times. He sounds a lot like Rush’s Geddy Lee only with more balls to his delivery & his higher register work often reminds me of Queensryche’s Geoff Tate. The guitar solos aren’t exactly virtuosic but they nicely balance melody with electricity in a way that seems to suit Medieval Steel’s style down to the ground. 

Of the four songs on offer, three take an up-front metal approach with the band’s opening title song being the more epic of the three & featuring a sound that’s not too far removed from the US power metal one that was being developed at the time. It's a particularly strong piece of work & I love everything about it with the exception of a strange out of key vocal melody at the end of the chorus. I can’t imagine how the band could have let that get through the production process untouched but it apparently did. Otherwise, it's strongly representative of heavy metal perfection as far as I'm concerned. Closing number “Echoes” is a little different to the other three as it's a melodic metal power ballad in every sense of the term, but a particularly strong one it has to be said. In fact, it sounds a hell of a lot like some of Dream Theater’s material from a decade later & it wouldn’t surprise me if this song was an influence. 

As you can tell, I’m a big fan of this EP. It’s a great example of mid-80’s heavy metal & it probably appeals to me even more because of the fact that it’s just so underground. Any fan of the classic 80’s heavy metal sound will love this stuff so if that's you then don't hesitate to get on it. 

The early 80’s had been a prosperous time for the New York heavy metal scene with the likes of Riot, The Rods, Manowar, Virgin Steele, Wendy O. Williams & the Plasmatics giving local metalheads a fair bit to be proud of. But there can be little doubt as to who was the undisputed king of New York heavy metal during the first half of the decade, & that was a short Italian-American with an enormous heart & a monumental voice in former Elf, Rainbow & Black Sabbath front man Ronnie James Dio.

Ronnie’s first two records with his own band Dio (1983’s “Holy Diver” & 1984’s “The Last In Line”) had gone on to become instant classics so expectations were very high when it came time to release Dio’s third album, 1985’s “Sacred Heart”, which would mark the last time that Dio would sport their classic lineup. I have to admit that while I definitely enjoyed “The Last In Line”, I did find it to be very much “Holy Diver” part 2 only not quite as impressive. So the question was… would “Sacred Heart” be the record that saw Dio start to take some risks or would we simply get another by-the-numbers Dio record. Well the answer is very much the latter with the differentiators between albums only relatively minor in the overall scheme of things.

The production job on “Sacred Heart” isn’t overly polished & has a nice grit to it that adds a little rock ‘n’ roll street cred & the performances are all high class as usual with Ronnie’s classic vocal stylings being the clear focal point as usual. But despite his clear talents, it’s very hard to overlook that fact that he’d started to repeat himself over the last two records. As with “The Last In Line”, there are some very familiar sounding tracks & phrasings included on “Sacred Heart” with Ronnie seeming to subconsciously veer towards his comfort zones far too often & this leaves the record sounding more than a little like I’ve heard it all before.

I’ve often referred to guitarist Vivian Campbell as one of the most underrated axe-men of the 80’s & you can easily see why with another strong performance here. I’m a big fan of his exciting & predominantly shreddy approach & he’s always been one of the big drawcards of the early Dio records for me. Dio has often suggested that Vivian had already checked out mentally by the time the album was recorded & that the two of them were struggling to see eye to eye which doesn’t surprise me given Ronnie’s reputation for being somewhat of a control freak. This would be the last Dio album to feature Vivian who would later go on to a successful career with artists like Lou Gramm, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy & Def Leppard. But despite all of the similarities to Ronnie’s previous works I mentioned earlier, there’s one clear differentiator with “Sacred Heart”… & that’s the inclusion of some blatantly commercial material.

Now Dio-fronted records have always contained a strong hard rock element. “Holy Diver” was roughly a 50/50 proposition between hard rock & heavy metal while “The Last In Line” saw that equation leaning further towards the metal side of things. “Sacred Heart” sees the ratio returning to the more balanced “Holy Diver” one only this time a few of the more rock-driven tracks venture further over towards a cheesy AOR sound & this is to the detriment of the album overall. Ronnie doesn’t sound comfortable singing over the more blatantly radio-friendly material & the two worst offending tracks (“Hungry For Heaven” & “Shoot Shoot”) are possibly the weakest of the first three Dio albums. The title track on the other hand is the equal of anything we’d heard from the band thus far & there are a number of other strong tracks included too. So I guess it’s fair to say that we’re lacking the consistency that was such a strong feature “Holy Diver” & while “The Last In Line” sported a similar quantity of weaker tracks, I don’t think they descended quite as far below an acceptable quality line as they do here.

So overall, whilst I find "Sacred Heart" to be a pretty enjoyable listen, there can be no denying that it takes Dio another step down from “The Last In Line”, which had itself taken a step down from the impressive heights of “Holy Diver”. It’s a long way from a disappointment but simply serves as a passable heavy rock record that’s overstepped its mark with regard to its commercial ambitions & subsequently fails to challenge its audience all that much. At a time when metal was consistently reaching for new levels of extremity, Dio would need to give us something fresh next time or risk disappearing into the realm of dad rock.

Exciter’s 1983 Shrapnel Records debut “Heavy Metal Maniac” made quite a dent on the global metal scene with its brash & raucous brand of high velocity heavy metal. But while it certainly had some appeal for me personally, I wouldn't say that I was terribly enamored with it. Although I had a lot of time for the band’s sound, I don’t think that the song-writing was strong enough to allow Exciter to compete with the high quality thrash metal releases that were around at the time. It was certainly a fun listen though & it’s not hard to see its appeal for fans of high-impact, high-energy metal music. Particularly as it resulted in Exciter being able to upgrade their recording contract to a new & more appropriate union with Jon & Marsha Zazula’s Megaforce Records who were running white hot following their release of Metallica’s “Kill ‘Em All” & Anthrax’s “Fistful Of Metal”. 

Exciter was already being mentioned in the same terms as those bands so this arrangement would seem to make a lot of sense. It also resulted in a cleaner & more accessible production job for Exciter’s “Violence & Force” album which was recorded with the same lineup in November 1983 & released in February 1984 with The Rods’ Carl Canedy handling the production duties. Personally, I really liked the raw electricity of the guitar sound on “Heavy Metal Maniac” & although the drum sound in particular is noticeably more powerful here, I’m not sure I could say that I prefer the more polished production job. It’s certainly not an area of concern though & we see the songs being given every chance to fulfill their potential.

Musically, "Violence & Force" sports some minor technical improvements from the various band members with drumming front man Dan Beehler & bassist Allan Johnson having benefited substantially from the band’s heaviest year of live performance to date. The rhythm section showcases a newly invigorated confidence with Dan’s performance behind the kit sounding a fair bit more confident than before. His powerful kick drum work is a real highlight here while his chaotic vocals seem to be a touch more consistent. He’s still got that ripping high-pitched squeal that reminds me of Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda too. Guitarist John Ricci hasn’t changed his approach much with his primary focus being to play as many notes as he possibly can in the shortest possible time period. His technical limitations are still quite obvious but it’s hard not to be won over by his infectious enthusiasm, particularly during his psychotic guitar solos. His unusual aversion to palm-muting is still quite evident here & once again we see an uncommonly large amount of strummy power chord riffs which sees Exciter placing a clear gap between themselves & their thrash metal compatriots. If you look carefully, this attribute sees a lot of the tracklisting having a strong basis in punk rock which I didn’t notice as much on “Heavy Metal Maniac”. Songs like “Evil Sinner”, “Destructor” & “Saxons Of The Fire” are all fine examples of this idea & overall I think you’ll hear a little less of the Black Sabbath & Judas Priest influences of the debut with a stronger emphasis being placed on the punkier metal bands like Motorhead & Venom.

As with most early speed metal records, “Heavy Metal Maniac” didn’t focus all of its attention on the one subgenre. Sure the larger proportion of the tracklisting was speed metal oriented but there was still plenty of play time given to your more traditional heavy metal sound too. If I'm completely honest, my favourite song on that album ended up being the slowest one on the tracklisting & we’ll see something similar with “Violence & Force”. Of the ten tracks on offer I’d suggest that at least four of them aren’t actually speed metal with countrymen Anvil being a decent point of reference for songs like “Pounding Metal” & my personal favourite “Delivering To The Master”. In fact, despite the differences I’ve mentioned, this is really a pretty similar record to “Heavy Metal Maniac”. There hasn’t been a lot of musical development but I’m not sure I was expecting any either. This is not the sort of metal music I’d expect intellectuals to be dissecting at length (despite my apparently trying to do so here). It’s some pretty lowest common denominator stuff really but I don’t think it was ever intended to be anything more than some fun drinking music for kids to thrash around to.

Overall, this is merely a passable speed metal album in my opinion. The quality is fairly similar to the debut however if pushed I’d suggest that I marginally favour “Heavy Metal Maniac” over this one simply due to its slightly more raw & unpolished nature which gives it a touch more personality.

Speed metal legends Exciter first formed under the name of Hell Razor in Ontario, Canada back in 1978. They later changed their name to Exciter in 1982; presumably after the classic Judas Priest song of the same name. The only other Canadian band of any note to that time was of course Anvil so not only were Exciter sporting a brand new sound but they were also fairly influential in pushing the Canadian metal scene forwards. In fact, they seem to have hit a newly refreshed level of popularity in recent years off the back of the strong trend towards old-school metal with every man & his dog now sporting an Exciter patch on their metal armour even though very few would have been around to hear them back in the day.  

Exciter ended up signing with Shrapnel Records who would later go on to become the biggest label in the world for instrumental guitar shred records & Exciter’s first & only studio album for Shrapnel entitled “Heavy Metal Maniac” was released on 14th January 1983, the very same month that the self-titled debut from Belgium's Acid (the other initial speed metal release) would see the light of day in a vastly different part of the world. Exciter's debut would be the more highly celebrated of the two though, with the album generally finding itself included in most speed metal top tens still to this day. 

I have to say that the album title is pretty apt because it’s a metal as fuck record that’s a fair bit more intense than Acid could muster. In fact, there are a fair few sections of the album that are nothing short of full-blown thrash metal. The real talking point of the band though is unquestionably the fact that vocalist Dan Beehler is also Exciter’s drummer which is something we hadn’t seen in metal up until that time. And Dan makes a pretty decent fist of it too although it has to be said that his skills in either discipline are unquestionably fairly minimal. To be honest, his vocals could have fit pretty comfortably on an early thrash metal record from the likes of Dark Angel. They’re very raw & often miss the mark in the pitch department but they get the job done. Dan’s drumming lacks ambition but that’s hardly surprising. He does however keep Exciter moving along at a rip-roaring pace throughout. The guitar sound of John Ricci is perfect for this style of music. There’s no need for polish as John just goes for it & expends every drop of his limited ability in making a ferocious racket that’s both raw, powerful & exciting. His solos sound like he’s hell bent on playing as many notes in a short period as possible but doesn’t quite have the skills to pull it off. He does end up sounding pretty cool though. 

The overall production job on “Heavy Metal Maniac” is exactly what I want to hear from an uncompromising underground metal band & for that reason it may have stunted Exciter’s commercial potential to an extent but has in turn enabled the band to gain a lot of street cred in the process. From an influence point of view, Exciter seem to draw upon the NWOBHM much less often than some of their speed metal contemporaries with the classic metal bands of the 70’s being the more obvious points of reference. The impact that Judas Priest & Motorhead have had on the band is easily discernable & so is that of Black Sabbath during the slower moments. In fact, if I’m completely honest, I find the couple of slower numbers to be the most appealing tracks on the record but the rest of the album is pretty much pedal to the metal from start to finish which is what speed metal is all about of course. 

Unfortunately I’m just not sure that the song-writing is good enough to warrant the heavy praise that “Heavy Metal Maniac” receives on occasions. I do have a fair bit of time for the album but I don’t think the highlights are anything terribly mind-blowing. Plus there are a couple of weaker numbers on the B side that don’t do much for me so I have to admit that I prefer the simple fun of the Acid debut over this one. It’s still certainly worth a listen if you like 80’s speed metal though.

With the NWOBHM starting to wind down a little with several important bands now starting to explore more accessible sounds in the hope of commercial success, it’s not surprising that we were also starting to see several young bands responding by heading in the complete opposite direction & keeping things raw & aggressive with a stronger emphasis on speed than ever before. Bristol-based four-piece Jaguar were one such band with their debut studio album “Power Games” being released in March 1983; a full four years after the band formed back in 1979.

The production on “Power Games” is particularly raw (even for a NWOBHM debut) but not in a bad way with the guitar sound being heavily distorted & very much in-you-face. It really suits Jaguar’s sound in my opinion. In fact, so many of these speed metal influenced bands of the time tended to end up with noisy productions that comfortably made up for their lack of clarity with unbridled enthusiasm & energy. Jaguar are not the type of band you listen to if you’re looking for flashy virtuosity or progressive extravagance anyway though. They’re a no-frills heavy metal band that doesn’t muck around with unnecessary nuances. Even the guitar solos are kept quite minimal & simple with a stronger emphasis placed on song-writing & bludgeoning the listener than showcasing anything too showy. Bass player Jeff Cox is probably the highlight instrumentally & I quite enjoy his style. He adds something fresh to these songs & isn’t afraid to contribute some melody here & there. Vocalist Paul Merrell has a really great voice too. He sounds a lot like Foreigner’s Lou Gramm & that can’t be a bad thing as I’ve always admired Lou’s voice.

Musically, Jaguar have listed the likes of Black Sabbath, Budgie, Judas Priest, UFO & Iron Maiden as their primary influences although I’d suggest that it would be more accurate to say that their sound sits somewhere between Iron Maiden's self-titled debut & the high velocity electricity of Raven with a strong punk & hardcore element thrown in for good measure. It’s pretty hard to deny the impact that the likes of the Ramones & the Sex Pistols had on the band on the evidence here. I mean a song like “Prisoner” is pure hardcore punk in my opinion while the rest of Jaguar’s material alternates between traditional NWOBHM fair & the exciting new sounds of legitimate speed metal, although I’d probably suggest that they sit more comfortably under the heavy metal banner overall. To be fair though, the faster songs are some of the fastest the metal world had heard to the time.

The song-writing is very consistent with only the one blemish. I’m actually surprised that Jaguar didn’t make more of an impact on the scene of the time because this is a more than decent heavy metal album. Perhaps Jaguar just arrived a little too late in the game.

The appropriately named Nottinghamshire-based four-piece NWOBHM outfit Savage first formed way back in 1976 but split shortly afterwards following just the one solitary live show. 1978 saw the band reforming with a different lineup but as with most young New Wave bands the next few years saw a continual procession of lineup changes halting the band’s progress. But a few minor demo & single releases in the early 80’s saw Savage finally starting to get their shit together with 1983 marking the release of their first full-length album entitled “Loose ‘n Lethal”. It came right at the back end of the NWOBHM movement & is the sort of record that makes you stand up & pay attention. Once you hear it I’m pretty sure you’ll agree that “Loose ‘n Lethal” was a pretty suitable title.

The main element of Savage’s sound that people immediately pick up on is of course their over-the-top guitar sound which is nothing short of…. well… SAVAGE! I don’t think the world had heard guitars sound so completely out of control before with the distortion level set to 11 & the excessive volume levels in the mix providing even more distortion. In fact, you’ll find that the vocal performance of bass player Chris Bradley regularly gets dragged into the wall of guitar noise with his voice often displaying signs of distortion. Chris’ voice could be described as fairly typical of the New Wave. He’s not an enormous talent but he gets the job done. The same could be said for lead guitarist Andy Dawson actually as he’s clearly chosen the school of speed & ferocity over the college of virtuosity & melody. He just goes absolutely ape shit on every solo & doesn’t seem to have much structure or focus to what he does but it ends up sounding pretty cool nonetheless.

It’s interesting that Savage are often credited with influencing the thrash metal genre however I’m gonna be a bit controversial here (a shock for you all, I know) & say that there’s really very little proto-thrash or speed metal on offer here. In fact, it’s really only the guitar sound & the iconic opening track that can be considered to be influential on the more extreme forms of metal. "Let It Loose" has been brought to most people’s attention through the influence it had on a young Metallica who have covered it in various different capacities over the years. It’s clearly the fastest & most extreme song on offer with Motorhead’s more violent speed metal material being the primary source of influence. The rest of the material just benefits from the guitar sound which manages to make simple hard rock riffs sound like some ball-tearing metal. And honestly there’s a fair bit of hard rock about some of these songs. In general I’d compare Savage to fellow underground NWOBHM acts like Raven, Chateaux & Jaguar who were all pushing the limits of heavy metal extremity in their own ways but the most obvious influence I can hear on Savage’s sound is actually David Lee Roth-era Van Halen. In truth there’s a fair bit of Van Halen plagiarism going on in the riff & lead break departments. Just check the main riff from “White Hot” out & compare it with the riff from Van Halen’s “Unchained” for one of the many examples.

But thankfully I can look past all that because the energy & electricity of Savage’s music makes for a unique & interesting listen with only the one flat track amongst the eight on offer. I think they’re just lacking those couple of real classics to push “Loose ‘n Lethal” up into the essential listening category but as it is I’d still recommend that all fans of the NWOBHM give it a few spins.

Grim Reaper were a four-piece NWOBHM outfit from Worcestershire, England that formed in 1979 & just managed to slip this debut studio album in on the tail end of the New Wave movement. Those of you that are familiar with Chateaux’s 1983 debut album “Chained & Desperate” would already be acquainted with the enormous talent of front man Steve Grimmett due to his having taken the mike on that particular record in a purely guest capacity. Steve ended up being the best thing about that album which is one that I regard as being a pretty strong debut but despite the high quality of Chateaux’s first-up effort, Steve didn’t want to commit to a full-time role with the band as his heart lay primarily with his main band. Whether you agree that this was the best decision or not is open for debate however there is little doubt that both records showcase some pretty high quality NWOBHM material.

The first thing you’ll notice about Grim Reaper’s debut “See You In Hell” is the striking artwork which depicts the Reaper himself riding high atop a mighty steed & wielding a huge death scythe. It’s a particularly metal image & one that I strongly suspect was plagiarized from some famous artist that I'm completely ignorant of. Well it’s not a bad representation of what you’re about to hear because “See You In Hell” is undoubtedly a very metal release. In fact, so much so that it’s perhaps the album’s major weakness because it can come across as pretty basic & meat & potatoes.

The production does the job OK but you could certainly argue that the rhythm guitar sound is a bit muddy. I don’t think it detracts from the listening experience though. Steve’s vocals are a touch loud in the mix too but I’m not really surprised because he’s the clear drawcard here. I absolutely loved his performance on the Chateaux record & he once again shows why I’m such a big fan although possibly not to quite the same extent. His voice is very powerful & he can really scream with David Coverdale from Deep Purple & Whitesnake being the obvious reference point.

The song structures are generally pretty simple with the traditional verse/chorus arrangement being the order of the day. This isn’t the riffiest of metal bands either. They favour simple power chord progressions as often as not with a higher emphasis placed on accompaniment in order to maximize the song-writing. And that’s where the strength of “See You In Hell” becomes obvious. The anthemic singalong vocal hooks are there on most songs & when you’ve got a singer that’s as strong as Grimmett you’d be crazy not to try to milk them for all they’re worth.

The guitar solos don’t tend to be too flashy & they go for a more melodic approach for the most part. I would guess this is as much out of necessity than it is a conscious decision because I’m not sure guitarist Nick Bowcott is the most talented shredder out there. Drummer Lee Harris is definitely the weaker link in the band though. Particularly his kick drum work which is pretty dodgy it has to be said but none of that matters too much. This record is all about the vocal hooks though & with the exception of a couple of dud tracks (including the long & boring ballad “The Show Must Go On”) I’d be surprised if you aren’t singing along with at least a couple of these anthemic songs after a few of listens.

If you like Deep Purple, Judas Priest & Dio-era Black Sabbath then you’ll definitely find a lot to like about “See You In Hell” & that’s never more obvious than on the closing title track which was the breakthrough song for the band. Much like the rest of the album, "See You In Hell" consists of some good solid meat-&-potatoes heavy metal that doesn’t try to over complicate things & works to its strengths.

I was always a big fan of this band. Their first two albums were outstanding examples of industrial-edged death metal & their live shows were a true spectacle. I class them as my personal favourite from the more recent crop of Aussie metal bands so I had very high hopes for this release & it certainly didn't let me down. In fact, they stepped it up to another level altogether.

The production is better than ever before & it presents the songs in the best possible light. If you don't like triggered drum sounds then read no further because they don't get much more mechanized & up-front than this. It really does enhance the industrial vibe though & the drumming is a real highlight. This is some of the most extreme metal you will find anywhere. Stylistically they sit somewhere between Damaged, Anaal Nathrakh & Godflesh. It's extremely dark & chaotic with the electronic component adding to the insanity of the atmosphere. The slower sections are outstanding & push this dark atmosphere even further. They've included a couple of high quality industrial tracks evenly distributed amongst the metal tracks to give you a little respite from the non-stop assault on your senses & they fit the purpose well.

I honestly can't fault this album. Amazing!

This 7" single was The Amenta's debut release & it showcases an extreme metal band that was already a very professional outfit even though they hadn't quite found their trademark industrial death metal sound yet. All of the elements are there but I don't think they'd quite figured out how to integrate their industrial influences into their death metal platform at this point. We would have to wait until 2008's "n0n" album to see that potential fully come to fruition however the early material filled that gap with a youthful energy that made just as much impact.

The two metal tracks included here were later re-recorded for their 2004 debut album "Occasus" however the rawer production on offer here gives them a slightly different feel. Opening title track "Mictlan" is the clear highlight with it's uncompromisingly brutal attack which reminds me heavily of faster Morbid Angel material like "Dominate". "Ennea" follows on in a similar fashion & both tracks incorporate the subtle use of keyboards/samples to add atmosphere; a factor that works as a nice differentiator to distinguish The Amenta from the multitude of blasting extreme metal bands out there. Closer "Nekvia" is a short industrial piece that's as classy as it is abrasive.  

"Mictlan" was a very promising introduction to a band that went on to become a favourite in the Sydney metal scene. It's hardly essential as it doesn't offer much in the way of exclusive material but it will certainly interest fans of The Amenta's later material.

An absolutely crushing release that is at times almost overwhelming in it's depth. The atmosphere that this creates is immense. I'm not familiar with their previous work so the lack of vocals was very refreshing to me. I can only imagine just how loud these guys would be live with so much noise. The drummer is seriously giving those symbols a belting. I must admit that I could've done without the faster drumming sections in the 3rd & 4th tracks which is kinda messy but maybe it'll grow on me. I have heard so much ambient music that has similar structural elements to this album. Possibly the heaviest album of 2010!

I dunno what to make of this to be honest. I'm not terribly familiar with Forgotten Tomb (I've only heard their debut album "Songs To Leave") but they just seem to be missing something & come across as a little flat to me. I think it's a touch of class that they're lacking. The three cover versions (Black Sabbath, Discharge & Nirvana) are all fairly unnecessary & seem to detract from the atmosphere of the other tracks if anything. I only really find myself digging a couple of tracks which both reside on the second CD ("Entombed By Winter/House Of Nostalgia" & "Scars"). Both of those tracks seem to have a heavier sound to the rest. Everything else just floats past without making much of an impressive. The vocals are fairly weak & monotonous & need some variation. There's nothing really wrong with this but there's also not much to recommend it either. For the diehard fans only.

Hell yeah!! This is how metal should be. "Morte(s) Nee(s)" is one huge wall of sound with a suitably raw production that really enhances the atmosphere these Frenchmen create. Shrieking vocals & buzzsaw guitars are the order of the day here. These guys have energy to burn. Black metal, sludge metal & post-hardcore are all strong influences without ever taking over completely. There is not a weak moment. I can't imagine what these guys are like live. If you like your music to the absolute extreme then Celeste come highly recommended.

1983 saw a real upsurge in the contribution of the Swedes as far as classic heavy metal releases go with the likes of 220 Volt, Europe & Heavy Load all releasing noteworthy records however the self-titled debut album from five-piece Eskilstuna outfit Torch is my pick of the bunch. Torch first formed under the name Black Widow back in 1979 but changed their moniker the following year when they replaced their bass player & vocalist. The new outfit released a five track E.P. by the name of “Fire Raiser!!” in 1982 which went on to be a lot more popular than anticipated & subsequently impressed their label enough to convince them to finance a full-length album. Torch’s debut album was recorded in the same studio & with the same producer as the E.P. & was released the following year in 1983.

If you take a look at the cover art it’s unfortunately quite easy to dismiss Torch without ever giving them a chance as it’s an absolute shocker. The title of the album was always intended to be “Sinister Eyes” & the label employed the same artist that did the cover art for the E.P. to do the artwork for the album based on that concept. The idea was that he was going to paint a picture of a beautiful woman who had the misfortune of possessing some evil looking eyes but when Torch got the chance to see the final product they were horrified as the result looks more like an angry blue metal chick neighbor who has come to your front door to complain after being woken up by the loud grindcore blasting from your home stereo at an ungodly hour. And the band rightfully rejected it of course but the label had their hearts set on it & ignored their pleas for mercy.  In fact, they celebrated with the artist & by all reports you can actually see whiskey stains on the artwork if you look hard enough. To add insult to injury the album title was completely forgotten & we ended up with the cover art we see today & a self-titled record.

Thankfully the music contained within the album is high quality, well performed & particularly metal. It’s not the most ground-breaking of releases with Torch opting for a tried & true classic heavy metal sound that’s high on Judas Priest influence but it’s extremely consistent with no weak tracks included. Musically, Torch keep things pretty simple by taking a no-fuss approach to their song-writing. The performances are all quite strong with Torch taking advantage of what was a very good production for the time. None of the musicians look to push their technical limitations here. They prefer to stick to what they’re good at & it pays off in my opinion. There’s a strong focus on what is best for the songs with the guitar solos being kept short & sweet so as not to intrude on the vocal & guitar hooks & there are no unnecessary excesses to be found in the arrangements. I find drummer Steve Streaker’s use of double kick to be one of the musical highlights as he employs it a lot more regularly than most metal drummers of the time. But the main talking point of Torch’s sound must surely be the vocals as singer Dan Dark sounds EXACTLY… AND I MEAN EXACTLY… like Iron Maiden front man Bruce Dickinson; so much so that it caused me to feel the need to investigate whether it actually WAS him. And when you add that element to a pretty strong heavy metal band with a noticeably NWOBHM influenced sound & a good production it makes for a fun & rewarding listen; if not a life-changing one. All Priest & Maiden fans will surely find something to enjoy here.

This 1983 debut album from London three-piece heavy rockers Ritual is quite an unusual & interesting release for the NWOBHM. Ritual actually formed way back in 1973 & took a full decade to get their recording career underway but you can definitely hear that in their sound as this is not your usual Iron Maiden or Saxon clone. Ritual’s sound is much more organic than the more modern & flashy metal music that was popular at the time & has clearly been built predominantly around warmer 70’s influences.

Although they unquestionably deserve their strong ties with the NWOBHM scene, it’s actually debatable as to whether Ritual are a legitimate metal band or not. There’s arguably more hard rock here than genuine metal but that's not a criticism because the band certainly possessed a pretty unique feel. This is some particularly dark music sporting a sombre atmosphere & lyrical themes based predominantly on the occult. At no stage do the band members really try to shred. They’re much more comfortable laying down deep layers of moss-covered doom rock with a noticeable psychedelic component to the guitar playing. In fact, we’ve heard a real revival of this sound over the last decade or so but this was the genuine article.

I actually think I might find this record to be much more metal if not for a strange production job that sees the guitars sitting miles too far back in the mix. The bass guitar is much louder & all of the instrumentalists need to contend with a thick layer of hissy analogue tape noise that only adds to a general feeling of authenticity in my opinion. Most bands wouldn’t be able to recover from this sort of dodgy production job but strangely it seems to suit Ritual even though it sucks nearly all of the heaviness out of their music.

The musicianship is nothing special but it doesn’t need to be, as this record is more about atmosphere than the actual performances. Guitar-slinging front man Gypsy Re Bethe sounds like he might be the older brother of Diamond Head singer Sean Harris in that he decorates each song with inventive vocal phrasings that aren’t usually equated with metal, only with a deeper register than the whiny Harris. His lead guitar work is where the psychedelics come into play & I get the distinct feeling that The Doors were a strong influence as his style is quite controlled but clearly targeted towards drawing a more cerebral reaction from the listener.

The two best songs are clearly the doomier numbers with both of them paying obvious homage to the title track from Black Sabbath’s “Heaven & Hell”. I also hear a lot of classic early 70’s Sabbath here & there’s one track that makes no attempt to hide a clear Motorhead influence too. The more rockin’ tracks often have a bit of a bluesy boogie feel goin’ on at times but not in a bad way. It’s actually kinda cool & I find a lot to like about “Widow”. It’s a real shame that it took the band so long to get going because I bet they were an awesome live act & they definitely represented something a bit different for the NWOBHM.

To add to Ritual’s troubles there was a major error made in the printing of the album covers which saw a good half of the sleeves being released minus the band name so many potential fans may have given “Widow” a miss thinking that it was in fact a record from Ritual’s NWOBHM counterparts Widow. That’s a pretty bloody huge mistake & you would have thought that it could have been resolved before too much harm was done but apparently not. I suspect that it didn’t prevent a young Metallica from picking up a copy though because when you hear the opening riff from the song “Rebecca” it's very hard to deny the similarities with the main riff from Metallica’s “For Whom The Bell Tolls”. Ritual’s performance was admittedly very sloppy but I don’t think I’m out of line to assume that this was plagiarism.

There is some enjoyable stuff on this record & I think it manages to transcend it’s production issues. If you enjoyed Witchfinder General & Pagan Alter's early records then I’d recommend you check this out too. 

The 1983 self-titled debut album from Salisbury five-piece heavy metal outfit Tokyo Blade had seen them firmly entrenching themselves within the unfortunate group of bands that only just managed to sneak in on the back end of the NWOBHM movement. And while the band certainly showed potential, there were a number of major flaws on that record that I found impossible to look past. Most notably the shocking production, the blatant Iron Maiden plagiarism & the unnecessary extension of their track lengths; particularly during the guitar solos which seemed to go on & on with little development in the accompaniment. So overall, I found that first record to be overrated & disappointing. But that brings us to 1984’s follow-up release entitled “Night Of The Blade”; an album that saw Tokyo Blade taking a much more polished & professional approach to their music & one that features some notable characteristics that have polarised some of their fan base.

Now it’s worth highlighting up front that even though he doesn’t appear on the final product, original Tokyo Blade front man Alan Marsh was still a part of the band right up until the recording of the album was completed. In fact, the whole album was done & dusted before Tokyo Blade’s record label Powerstation Records decided that the recording could benefit from a more commercially accessible front man like Van Halen’s David Lee Roth & proceeded to unceremoniously dump poor Alan. You wonder if that sort of thing could still happen these days, don’t you? I mean, do record labels still possess that sort of power? I suspect not but regardless… 17 year-old Vic Wright was cherry-picked as Alan’s replacement & he was promptly tasked with re-recording all of the lead vocal tracks in a very short space of time with only Alan’s backing vocal tracks left intact. I have to say that I think the change ended up having the desired effect because Vic definitely brings a level of polish & accessibility to Tokyo Blade’s sound. His delivery reminds me of Guy Speranza (the vocalist from the classic lineup of US heavy metal icons Riot) & he brings some quite similar things to the table really. Vic possesses a genuinely pure & natural singing voice that definitely works to open this material up to a new audience which was clearly the label’s intention.

The production job is a huge improvement on the debut as it sports a cleaner & more professional sound with a glossier edge to it without ever losing its ties with its NWOBHM roots, so the band now had no excuse for failure. Those guitar solos I mentioned earlier have been shortened & tailored more towards what suits the song-writing this time which is a big improvement while the accompaniments now have more variety too. Both guitarists are very capable with the Eddie Van Halen influence that was so evident on the debut still being quite visible here.

But probably the most talked about aspect of “Night Of The Blade” is in the overall style of the music. Whereas the debut focused all of its attention on jumping on the Iron Maiden band-wagon, the follow-up sees Tokyo Blade venturing further afield. There are a couple of tracks here that are pretty close to genuine speed metal while on the other side of the coin we see the couple of more commercially focused songs falling straight into the US glam metal bucket with the rest of the material sitting somewhere in between. Sadly, I’ve noticed that most reviewers tend to concentrate on the more commercial aspects of the album which is unfair in my opinion. Sure there’s a hefty dose of the poppier Van Halen & Dokken output in songs like “Rock Me To The Limit” & closing number “Lightning Strikes (Straight Through The Heart)” in particular but the rest of these songs all have more of a classic heavy metal feel to them that's not too dissimilar to Riot’s “Fire Down Under” album. It’s a fair way from being the obvious attempt at Def Leppard arena success that so many seem to label it as. The Iron Maiden influence is still a part of the Tokyo Blade sound but it’s nowhere near as strong as it was. “Warrior Of The Rising Sun” would be the obvious exception to the rule but it’s a very solid track in its own right so it can be forgiven.

Overall, I find "Night Of The Blade" to be a big step up from Tokyo Blade’s self-titled debut & it's also a pretty enjoyable listen despite the few weaker numbers included. I'd recommend it to fans of the NWOBHM.

Tokyo Blade were a five-piece NWOBHM outfit who formed in Salisbury, England in the late 70’s. They went through several name changes over the next few years before settling on their final moniker & eventually found their way into the studio to lay down their self-titled debut album which was released in 1983. Now I don’t know about you but the name “Tokyo Blade” didn’t tend to instill a lot of confidence in me & I have to admit that I was half expecting to hear some sleezy glam metal upon first listen. But that didn’t end up being the case & I was pleasantly surprised to find that Tokyo Blade were pushing a more traditional NWOBHM sound & quite a metal one too. But one thing that DIDN’T leave me pleasantly surprised was the production as it sounds much more like a demo than a proper album release. The guitar sound is certainly very metallic but if I had to guess I would say that the record was recorded completely live in the studio with no overdubs because one of the rhythm guitars drops out during every guitar solo leaving an awful gap in the sonic spectrum. And the levels of the two guitarists are also unbalanced at times with one sounding much louder than the other which is kind of inexcusable if you ask me. It’s a very raw recording but that’s not to say that it’s unlistenable by any stretch of the imagination.

The two guitarists actually possess some very impressive technical skills & the lead guitar work & heavy, well-structured metal riffs are very entertaining for the most part. In fact, they’re definitely the highlight of the album in my opinion. The same can’t be said for Alan Marsh’s vocals however as he puts in a very patchy display indeed. He’s clearly not a big vocal talent but the couple of songs that I enjoy are inevitably the ones where Alan manages to hold it together the best. It’s a really inconsistent performance by him actually as I have no problem at all with some of these tracks & then he sounds well out of his depth & quite pitchy on others. The rhythm section doesn’t do anything terribly interesting & the drummer’s use of kick drum isn’t really up to scratch but that’s not a major concern. Classic heavy metal is really all about loud guitars & anthemic vocal hooks & Tokyo Blade have one but not the other.

I suspect that they were also a bit short of material for this record because it’s really pretty obvious that they’ve tried to extend each song far beyond the length that they should naturally run for with the guitar solos being especially guilty of needless self-indulgence. Look, being an obsessive guitarist I clearly love my guitar solos but if you’re going to double the length of your solo then you also need to keep your backing track interesting by utilizing changes of riff or key & Tokyo Blade clearly haven’t realized that because they just continue on with the same riff & drum beat for what seems like an eternity while their band mate burns away over a greatly diminished backing due to the lack of his rhythm guitar track. You can tell I’m a bit annoyed by it because I can hear the promise in this band. They’ve actually got a good energy about them & understand what the NWOBHM was all about. It’s just a shame that they didn’t have the technical knowledge to pull it off in the studio. I suspect they probably slayed live though.

Iron Maiden is clearly Tokyo Blade’s major influence but they don’t sound like they’re plagiarizing them at any stage. The more accessible tracks also give off an early Def Leppard vibe at times too with one of their songs even being entitled “On Through The Night” which was the name of Def Leppard’s 1980 debut album. But the flaws here mean that I unfortunately won’t be recommending Tokyo Blade’s debut. It sounds very much like a work in progress at this point & you're left with the distinct feeling that Tokyo Blade's next record could be much better (which it was).

1983's self-titled album saw Belgian five-piece Acid kickstarting their career in fine fashion with one of the earliest legitimate speed metal releases of any note (see Exciter's "Heavy Metal Maniac" for the other). Well Acid wasn’t satisfied with resting on their laurels & not only did they manage to record & release their sophomore record later in the same calendar year but they also managed to top it with an album that’s faster, more aggressive & more professionally put together on all levels.

“Maniac” sees Acid’s sound showing signs of development over the rawer debut which was roughly a 50/50 proposition with regards to speed metal & Acid’s earlier traditional heavy metal sound. “Maniac” on the other hand is more like three quarters speed metal with drummer Anvill continuing to pound away on his double kick in worship of Motorhead’s Philthy Phil Taylor throughout most of this material in exciting fashion. Female vocalist Kate sounds a little more aggressive here too as she spits out her lyrics in a slightly more spiteful fashion while the production is cleaner, thicker & more powerful than the one we heard on the debut. The metal audience had been hearing some pretty raw examples of speed metal production to that time& I guess that stems from the Motorhead & Venom influence but this cleaner sound is pretty much spot on for speed metal in my opinion. I prefer to be able to hear all the nuances & let the song-writing do the talking rather than having to rely on raw intensity all the time. The guitar solos are probably the weak point of the album as they lack authority & don’t really serve much purpose but they’re relatively short & fly by without you noticing too much.

Interestingly, my favourite track from the debut was one of the more traditional heavy songs in the anthemic ode to being a metalhead “Hooked On Metal” & once again my two favourite numbers are probably the couple with a more classic metal sound. In fact, the slowest track on the album, “Prince Of Hell & Fire”, is absolutely brilliant & is the clear album highlight in my opinion. It’s got a dark Judas Priest meets Black Sabbath feel to it with plenty of space & a ploddy brooding tempo ala Sabbath’s “Heaven & Hell”. Amazing stuff! There is the one blemish on the tracklisting however in the punky speed metal track “No Time” which sounds half-baked to me but the other seven songs are all worth listening to.

Fans of Exciter or the faster Motorhead, Venom, Raven & Judas Priest material will definitely get into this album. It’s high quality stuff indeed. In fact, I'd suggest that it was the strongest speed metal record the world had seen to the time.

Acid were a five-piece speed metal outfit who formed in the city of Brugge in Belgium back in 1980 with their debut self-titled album eventually being released in 1983. It had been a while since the metal underground had heard any major contributions coming out of Belgium by that stage & we'd have to look back a few years to Killer’s 1980 debut album “Ready For Hell” to find the last release of any significance. But there was more to Acid than just another run of the mill heavy metal band. Not only were they noteworthy for being amongst the very first speed metal outfits but they were also one of the few metal bands to include a female vocalist at the time which is interesting.

Acid’s self-titled debut album was released in January 1983 & it featured a raw production that emphasizes the energy & enthusiasm of the young band & I feel that it perfectly embodies what Acid were trying to achieve. A cleaner production would likely have nullified some of the youthful exuberance that was one of Acid’s main strengths in my opinion & the sound here offers the listener a much more honest portrayal of what the band were really about. You can still hear all of the instruments perfectly well but the rough edges are almost celebrated at the same time.

The musicianship on display is fairly basic & you’re not going to be blown away by extravagant solos or overly technical riffs. That’s not the point of this music. It’s primarily focused on simple & traditionally structured songs at high velocity. Having said that though, drummer Anvill employs some impressive double kick work throughout the album & he was clearly heavily influenced by Philthy Phil Taylor from Motorhead in that regard. He just takes that element of Phil’s playing & explores it a little more comprehensively than Phil ever did. Vocalist Kate is a really great front woman in my opinion. Her delivery achieves a beautiful balance of melody & aggression & has a noticeably bad ass quality to it that I find very appealing. She’s the main drawcard for Acid really & if you like her you’ll like this record. Her lyrics are really pretty childish & basic but that’s obviously been contributed to by the fact that English was not the band’s first language & I actually find this element to make Acid even more appealing as it adds an endearing quality to the overall package.

Not all of the songs here are flat out. There are a few more traditional heavy metal songs scattered across the tracklisting as Acid actually started out with a more traditional sound but the majority of the material is pretty much pedal-to-the-metal. Punk rock was unquestionably an influence on the band & that can easily be detected in the attitude that Kate exudes. But the primary influences I can pick up are Motorhead, Venom, Judas Priest & Raven which is not surprising as these bands are generally regarded as the Godfathers of speed metal. The tracklisting is very consistent with only one of the ten songs not appealing to me. These songs are simple & accessible but vicious & exciting at the same time. The only thing that’s probably lacking is the inclusion of a couple of real classics as this is all good stuff but it likely won’t find its way onto anyone’s best albums charts. The very catchy "Hooked On Metal" is probably my pick of the bunch. It’s not one of their faster efforts & sits more comfortably under the banner of traditional heavy metal but it’s annoyingly catchy & infectious even though it is pretty dumb from a lyrical point of view. But then again… we’re metalheads! When did we start caring about shit lyrics?? 

"Acid" is a fun, refreshing & engaging listen that should appeal to all speed metal fans.

This debut release comes from a four-piece outfit from Sunderland, England who began life under the name of Warrior in 1980 before later swapping to the slightly cooler & metal-as-fuck moniker of Battleaxe. The band initially cut their teeth in the local live music scene & worked hard on developing a tight, heavy & well-defined sound before recording a demo tape by the name of “Burn This Town”. Thankfully Roadrunner Records liked what they heard & agreed to release the first full-length Battleaxe studio album (also entitled “Burn This Town”) in 1983. And it’s this release that we’ll be discussing here today.

Once the master tapes were supplied to Roadrunner, the label asked the band for their ideas for an album cover concept, at which time Battleaxe engaged a friend of theirs to draw up a rough sketch of a metal warrior on a motorcycle holding aloft a large battleaxe in the centre of a burning town. The idea was that the band would send the draft to the label & once it was approved they’d have the artist put together a much more detailed & impressive final product. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Roadrunner weren’t on the same wavelength & went ahead & printed 2000 copies of the album with the draft cover art. Now if you aren’t already familiar with it I encourage you to press the BACK button & check out this artwork immediately because it’s gone down in metal folklore as one of the most amateurish album covers in metal history. It’s really quite embarrassing, but thankfully for Battleaxe it didn’t do their careers any harm as the album sold quite well. Possibly more so due to the attention it received over the hilarious cover art.

The music on “Burn This Town” is anything but amateurish though with Battleaxe proving themselves to be quite capable metal musicians. The production is very good for a debut NWOBHM release too as it achieves good separation between the instruments without losing any of the band’s raw energy. Stylistically this is just about as NWOBHM as it gets. In fact, it’s almost like a tribute to the movement as it celebrates all of the trademark characteristics of the New Wave while making no attempt to add anything new to the equation. This is fast & energetic stuff with Judas Priest, Saxon & AC/DC being the main influences on display but I can definitely pick up a little bit of Motorhead thrown in here & there too. The simple & traditional song structures are quite well composed & executed to be fair but there’s a distinct lack of the X-factor required to make this a memorable listen & as a result I find Battleaxe to sound like a more than decent NWOBHM covers band. They simply lack the class to compete on the same level as their more well-known peers. Vocalist Dave King is a prime example as he can certainly sing in tune but his voice is lacking in charisma & identity.

It’s not all bad news here though as there are a fair few fun metal tracks on offer. It’s just that none of them are good enough to balance out the 3 or 4 weaker numbers. Overall, you won’t find “Burn This Town” to be an offensive listen but I doubt you’ll find yourself feeling much urge to return for repeat listens.

Up until 1983, Swedish heavy metal fans had really only had the melodic & anthemic Heavy Load flying the metal flag to any reasonable level in their home country. But things were about to change with the arrival of a new player, & one that should be fairly familiar to most of you, although possibly not for reasons you’ll feel comfortable with. That’s right ladies & gentlemen, the four leather-clad young lads I’m referring to are of course Europe, whose 1986 smash hit “The Final Countdown” absolutely ruled the airways for a year or so & made them into global megastars overnight. Fortunately for us though, Europe didn’t always follow the decidedly adult-oriented rock direction they became known for. In fact, Europe first formed back in 1979 under the name of Force before changing their name in 1982 due to the similarities with Swedish neo-classical guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen’s band Rising Force. The bands seem to have another link actually, as they traded bass players at one stage too.

Anyway.. Europe’s big break came shortly afterwards when they were lucky enough to win the Rock-SM rock band competition against 4000 other bands & the prize was a recording contract with Hot Records. This self-titled album was the result & it’s probably the only release in Europe’s back-catalogue that can be regarded as legitimate metal with very little to be found on subsequent releases. But make no bones about it, the band’s debut is unquestionably a metal release. You can certainly hear the band’s tendency towards a more melodic sound with smatterings of synthesizers & cheesy pop hooks here & there but the bulk of this material is fully-fledged heavy metal with some songs even having a proto-power metal feel.

20 year-old pretty boy front man Joey Tempest has a very good voice for a hook-driven metal band & he does a an excellent job here. As does the more than capable rhythm section. But the real star is 18 year-old lead guitarist John Norum who can shred like a bastard for such a young fella. In fact, I get the distinct feeling that he’s spent a fair bit of time with Yngwie because he showcases some of Yngwie’s signature moves here & makes a great fist of it too. It’s a pity his lead guitar sound isn’t a bit fuller. Overall the production isn’t too bad for a self-produced debut though.

The quality of the song-writing is pretty inconsistent & ranges from terrible to excellent but thankfully this is an example of an album where the three or four highlight tracks are strong enough to carry the weaker moments & I find it to be a pretty reasonable listen overall. From an influence point of view I’d suggest that Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Rainbow, UFO & Def Leppard have all played a part but there’s also some progressive elements here & there & a distinctly neo-classical feel at times. The album ended up reaching number 8 on the pop charts in Sweden & it was largely off the back of the main single “Seven Doors Hotel” which is an absolute belter & got into the top ten in Japan. It’s amongst the best heavy metal songs of 1983 in my opinion. Fans of European heavy metal should find "Europe" to be an entertaining listen.

1983's "Chained & Desperate" is the debut studio album from a four-piece heavy metal act from Cheltanham, England going by the name of Chateaux, which is a pretty ordinary name for a metal band it has to be said. Chateaux seems to have been the brain-child of guitarist Tim Broughton as he was the only band member still around to take part on Chateaux’s second album the following year so it’s a pretty safe bet that he was the main song-writer & contributor here. Tim formed the band as a three-piece under the name of Stealer back in 1981 with bass player Alex Houston handling the vocal duties. It wasn’t until two years later that we’d see the release of Chateaux’s first full-length recorded output & interestingly it features Grim Reaper vocalist Steve Grimmett behind the mike in a purely guest capacity. 

There are a number of distinguishing features of the album that are worth mentioning. Firstly, the production of the guitars is extremely raw, intense & over-the-top. The distortion level was maxed out, creating a wall of out-of-control noise that would suck a fair bit of the commercial appeal out of the material but would also give it a unique personality by creating a point of difference. It’s bold & uncompromising & I’ve gotta say that I kinda like it. I’d be very surprised if it wasn’t an influence on someone like Tom G. Warrior from Hellhammer & Celtic Frost. Just check out the similar style of riff at the start of “Straight To The Heart” which comes complete with very similar grunts to the ones that Tom would later become known for. Pure coincidence? I don’t think it is.

Tim Broughton is far from a proficient lead guitarist. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that he’s very sloppy & has little to no understanding of musical theory, however the unusual production job gives his largely inadequate guitar solos an element of cool factor that manages to overcome his clear lack of technique. The rhythm section doesn’t do anything too flashy but they provide an effective accompaniment that allows the song-writing to do the job it was intended for. Chateaux are a fine example of a band that overachieves by working predominantly to their strengths. You can expect simple but effective song-writing from a band that know their skill sets well & don’t try to be something they’re not.

The other main talking point is Steve Grimmett’s soaring vocals which are nothing short of outstanding. He’s a classic heavy metal singer with a bit of Foreigner’s Lou Gramm & Whitesnake’s David Coverdale about him. I’m honestly not sure that “Chained & Desperate” would be worth listening to without him. He gives some of this material a genuinely anthemic quality & there are a few songs that really get under my skin. In fact, I’d go so far as to claim a couple of them as genuine NWOBHM classics. It’s a real shame that Steve would only appear on this album before moving on to concentrate on his own band Grim Reaper because I’m a big fan of his work here.

Musically, Chateaux push a style of heavy metal that’s not uncommon for the New Wave but their sound definitely helps to separate them from the pack. Label-mates Savage spring to mind as they also sport an ultra-heavy guitar sound that enhances their overall package. Chateaux build their songs around big guitar riffs in a similar way to Witchfinder General or Diamond Head’s first record & I find that an appealing prospect right from the start. It’s a really interesting record that had the potential to compete with the tier one bands if not for a couple of weaker tracks. Fans of the NWOBHM should definitely give it a few spins.

Sweden's 220 Volt are a five-piece heavy metal outfit that formed in 1979 & have gone through various incarnations over their long career but they're still together today after a succession of breakups & reformations. The first few years of 220 Volt’s rock ‘n’ roll career was fairly uneventful however things took a noticeable step up when their debut single “Prisoner Of War” gained some surprising radio attention in New Jersey of all places. This led to CBS offering them a recording contract & 220 Volt’s first full-length studio album was released the following year in 1983. It ended up being quite popular too & went on to sell over 10,000 copies in Sweden alone with countries like Japan, Germany & the USA also showing a strong interest in the band.

220 Volt’s debut sees the band taking what are inherently hard rock song structures & presenting them in a heavy metal context. This is mainly due to the approach of their twin guitarist attack with the performances of Mats Karlsson & Thomas Drevvin being the clear highlight of the album. Both are more than capable shredders & the lead work is really quite accomplished for a debut release. Randy Rhoads-period Ozzy Osbourne seems to be their primary influence from what I can tell & that should give you a reasonable idea of the way 220 Volt balance their commercial aspirations with a heavy metal sound, although fellow Swedes Heavy Load seem to have had their hooks into the band as well which isn't a good thing as far as I'm concerned. 

And just like Heavy Load’s debut album, there’s one HHHUGGGGEEE problem here & that’s the extremely questionable vocal skills of front man Jocke Lundholm. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that his performance is so inadequate here that he completely ruins the album & makes it pretty close to unlistenable for me. There’s even a ballad where he teams up with an equally unqualified female vocalist & they make an absolute meal of things, resulting in one of the most cringe-worthy songs I’ve had the displeasure of experiencing. This a real shame because even though 220 Volt aren’t offering us anything we haven’t heard many times before, they’re clearly quite musically proficient & possess a guitar sound with an appealing metal streak running right down the middle of it.

Unfortunately the empty feeling I’m left with at the end of the album is strong enough to discourage me from ever wanting to return to this record again. I have to say that giving it a few listens purely for review purposes alone was a real challenge for me. I thought Swedish heavy metal couldn’t get any worse after Heavy Load but unfortunately I was wrong.

This is an outstanding example of atmospheric sludge metal from Polish act Blindead. It's got all of the ingredients you look for in this type of release. It's crushingly heavy & intense with plenty of tension & release. The production is top notch too. Don't expect to hear anything dramatically different from other bands from this genre but when it's done this well it doesn't really matter. The more ambient sections are nearly as impressive as the heavier parts with the vocals being a highlight throughout. I noticed lots of Neurosis-style tribal drumming which can only be a good thing. It doesn't get much better than this for fans of post-metal.

Four-piece heavy metal outfit Steeler were formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1981 by budding young singer Ron Keel who would only have been about 20 years old at the time. Ron would later go on to become Black Sabbath’s vocalist for a short period after Ian Gillan left the band to reform Deep Purple in 1984 & that remains Ron’s main claim to fame although he didn’t get the opportunity to record anything with Sabbath with Glenn Hughes taking up the vocal position for 1986’s “Seventh Star” album. Now Ron had managed to put together a pretty decent band in Steeler with the group taking their moniker from the Judas Priest song of the same name. But a trip to LA’s Sunset Strip very quickly opened his eyes to the possibilities & saw Steeler swiftly relocating to Los Angeles to chase their fortunes. Former W.A.S.P. bassist Rik Fox joined the band a short time afterwards & it wasn’t long before Steeler drew the attention of Shrapnel Records head Mike Varney who had only recently been responsible for releasing Exciter’s “Heavy Metal Maniac” album.

Shrapnel was still a small-time label operating out of Mike’s bedroom but Mike certainly knew what he liked & that was ultra-shredding lead guitar solos. In fact, Shrapnel would later go on to become the biggest name in instrumental guitar shred records & are still running today. Mike had a good ear for talent & could see an opportunity with Steeler so he wasted no time in pushing them to upgrade their guitarist. He invited Ron over to his place to spend a day going through what Ron describes as “literally thousands of tapes”. But there was one tape that stood out pretty obviously from the rest & that was the demo of a 20 year-old Swedish neo-classical shredder by the name of Yngwie Malmsteen. Ron only wanted the best & Yngwie was indeed the best so Mike Varney made contact with him & made him an offer. Yngwie wasted no time in accepting the offer to join the band & frantically made plans to relocate to the US while Ron held off on signing Mike’s contract until Yngwie received his green-card & arrived into the country.

The story goes that, with the exception of one full song & a short one-minute intro, the resulting self-titled Steeler album was pretty much written before Yngwie joined the band which would be why Yngwie’s signature sound can’t be easily identified in the riffs on offer.  But there can be no doubt about who is completely nailing every solo because the kid was already a complete phenomenon. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the world hadn’t seen the level of virtuosity that Yngwie possessed before. He completely blew the competition away & has rarely been matched since. I’ve recently read an interview with Ron Keel where he stated that Yngwie was only in the band for about four months in total before leaving to chase his own career by joining LA hard rockers Alcatrazz who were fronted by former Rainbow front man Graham Bonnet. Rainbow were a huge influence on Yngwie so it doesn’t surprise me that he’d be attracted to the idea of joining Alcatrazz. Yngwie had about two months with Steeler before the recording of the album & Ron says that he struggled to develop much of a relationship with him during that time as Yngwie just wanted to keep to himself & practice continuously.  He clearly had big plans for himself & there were few moments in his day when he didn’t have a guitar in his hand.

So what is the Steeler album actually like then? Well it’s a pretty decent combination of heavy metal & the US commercial hard rock scene around them. Ron is a decent enough front man but Yngwie is the obvious superstar here & he’s the main reason that most people will have heard of Steeler. It’s a shame that his rhythm guitar tracks are too low in the mix but his solos are the definite highlight of the release. He’s already the full package here with all of his trademark techniques being fully entrenched in his kit bag even at this early stage in his recording career. 

I have a fair bit of time for around two thirds of a tracklisting which relies mostly on catchy singalong hooks digging their teeth in rather than aggressive metal riffs getting your head banging. I think bands like Dokken are not a bad point of reference as they worked with a similar framework of memorable poppy choruses & mind-blowing guitar solos. If that sounds like it might appeal to you then don’t let the cheesy hair metal image put you off. There should be enough quality here to keep your interest & the three minute unaccompanied guitar shred intro  to "Hot On Your Heels” is worth the price of admission alone.

It really is pretty amazing when you think of how far Swiss thrashers Hellhammer had come musically in just a nine month period since the first of their three demo tapes “Death Fiend” in June 1983. The quality of the song-writing & musicianship has been improved upon by a huge margin in that time & it just goes to show what can be accomplished when you’re young & driven. I remember that time in my life quite vividly so it’s not hard to imagine that Tom & the boys would likely have thought about nothing else but metal for that nine month period. So what’s the music like then?

Well Hellhammer’s first couple of demo tapes were extremely primitive. And although they presented some good ideas at times as far as atmosphere went, the band generally lacked the technical skills to pull them off. But with 1983’s final demo, “Satanic Rites”, we finally saw Hellhammer achieving the sort of quality that they’d only hinted at previously. Their sound was a real mish-mash of thrash, hardcore punk & doom metal but the atmosphere had a noticeably blackened feel to it with an over-arching coldness enshrouding the overall package. I think the band had really defined their sound there & “Apocalyptic Raids” doesn’t see them deviating from it a lot which isn’t terribly surprising given that over half of the duration of the EP is made up of re-recorded material that originally appeared on “Satanic Rites”. There are a few subtle differences however.

Firstly, the musicianship is once again a little tighter with the rhythm section in particular sounding more solid. Bruce Day’s drumming is very simple with rolls & fills kept to an absolute minimum however his sound is tough & powerful & he does a great job at emphasizing the weight of the riffs. He does still drift a little timing-wise on a couple of occasions during riff changes & I think the impact of that could have been minimized had he gone for more rolls to tie the different sections together but from what I've read it would appear that he simply wasn’t technically capable of that at the time. The basslines of Martin Eric Ain are quite simple but combine very well with the other two musicians to give the songs that extra oomph. Could Martin’s presence have been a major factor in the steep jump in quality between the “Triumph Of Death…” demo & the “Satanic Rites” one that was recorded just six months later? He didn’t even play bass on “Satanic Rites” as far as I’m aware but it’s possible that his guidance was crucial to the transformation because Tom’s approach doesn’t appear to have changed all that much between releases. His simple yet effective riffs sound as colossal as ever & are still the clear focal point of the Hellhammer sound. His technique still possesses all of the rough edges that it did on the demos & I wouldn’t say that he was a master of his instrument by this stage but that was half of the appeal of a band like Hellhammer to be honest.

There’s a glorious feeling of crawling death about Tom's guitar sound that’s quite distinctive & has proven to be highly influential in the decades to come. The simplicity of his approach to song-writing is enhanced by an uncanny understanding of the power of space too; an often overlooked element in extreme metal. He doesn’t try to overcomplicate things or play fast for the sake of it. Everything he does serves a purpose & he exercises a controlled restraint a lot of the time that’s no less powerful. The use of repetition within the song structures is worth noting as Tom has a good understanding of how to milk a riff for all its worth which not only ensures maximum impact & memorability but also leaves the faster numbers sounding quite open & accessible.

On the early demos we heard Tom utilizing some much harsher & more abrasive vocals that would provide strong encouragement for the link to the black metal subgenre but now Tom sounds much gruntier & more consistent & I’m not sure that I can justify that link any more even though his tortured performance on “Triumph Of Death” was unquestionably a big influence on the early black metal underground. It’s been a mostly positive move really as his more intelligible delivery gives the vocal hooks a much better chance to dig their teeth in; again making for a more accessible & memorable Hellhammer. The production is still quite raw though which seems perfectly suitable for a Hellhammer record to be honest. I just don’t think they would have benefited from a cleaner sound but as it is you can easily hear all of the elements in perfect clarity while maintaining the cold atmosphere of the “Satanic Rites” demo.

Back on that black metal topic… I do think that the common consensus that this is a blackened thrash record is incorrect. The early demos certainly had a right to that tag but “Apocalyptic Raids” is another story in my opinion. It offers less of the hardcore punk influence that was so obvious before & I’m much happier with a straight-up thrash metal tag as the three shorter tracks see the band sounding as thrashy as they ever have. Also, Tom’s over-the-top vocal performance on the epic ten minute signature track “Triumph Of Death” may be as iconic as any from the supposed first-wave of black metal but the song's slow dirgy riffs seem to sit far more comfortably under the doom metal banner despite possessing a fair amount of the atmosphere of genuine black metal. Prepare to feel unsettled if you’re not already familiar with "Triumph Of Death" as Tom screams his absolute head off & it’s hard to deny that he’s left nothing in the tank. I’m not one of those Hellhammer fanboys who will tell you that it’s clearly the band’s best track though. In fact, my favourite Hellhammer tracks aren’t even on this release. Personally, I think songs like “Messiah”, “Buried & Forgotten” & “Crucifixion” from the “Triumph Of Death” & “Satanic Rites” demos were the pinnacle of the Hellhammer sound but there’s little doubt that “Apocalyptic Raids” is the band’s most consistent work to date & I generally have the most time for it as a result. That’s not to say that I absolutely love it mind you. It’s always been a part of my collection since my very early days with thrash metal & I enjoy its unique charms but it won’t be making any of my best-of lists. 

The early French heavy metal scene didn't exactly set the world on fire during the early 80's with only a handful of bands managing to make any sort of impact on the global metal market. H-Bomb, Blaspheme, Trust & Warning were amongst them however there was one band that well & truly led the charge when it came to French metal in the 80’s & that was Sortilège. Their self-titled debut EP has gone to become somewhat of a classic release over the years but I have to admit that I've always struggled to understand the appeal of what is essentially a fairly unexciting attempt to emulate the band’s NWOBHM idols, despite the fact that it’s still regarded as the pinnacle of French heavy metal to this day. Fans of Sortilege generally bow down in worship at the very mention of talented front man Zouille however I found his overly theatrical delivery a bit too much to take at times & that won’t change too much with 1984’s “Metamorphose” album which earned Sortilege a similar level of critical & commercial success to its older brother.  

The band had certainly matured in the year since the EP with the production job being a remarkable improvement to put it mildly. This record sounds very good in comparison to a lot of the rougher sounding New Wave-influenced releases of the time & it’s not surprising that Sortilege were placed on a bit of a pedestal in the French metal scene. But that’s not the only improvement here with the song structures being much more complex with a noticeably progressive edge being apparent on most tracks. Where the EP focused predominantly on a more traditional heavy metal sound that had already been perfected by Iron Maiden & Judas Priest, “Metamorphose” is a much more ambitious undertaking. The use of odd time signatures was a clear focus & the rock solid rhythm section does an excellent job at keeping things sounding fluent & smooth despite the complexity of some of the rhythms. The two guitars are panned to either side of the mix which is a little annoying given that the all of lead guitarist Stephane Dumont’s solos seem to come from the left hand side of the stereo spectrum on my copy but the chops that he showcases here well & truly make up for it. He’s a very talented shredder in his own right & I find his performance to be one of the most appealing elements of the album despite the fact that some of his more lengthy excursions verge on over-indulgence. Another thing that leaves me scratching my head at times is that a few of the solos don’t have a rhythm guitar track underneath them & they definitely sound a little empty because of it. I’m not sure what the intention was there really but I think it was a strange decision.  

Zouille certainly pushes his voice up into the stratosphere on this record but can I honestly say that I enjoy him on a similar level to someone like Queensryche’s Geoff Tate? No I can’t. His talent is undeniable but his delivery annoys me a little & he even touches on a European power metal feel on occasions which is not a positive thing as far as I’m concerned. I’d much prefer a more aggressive vocal style if I’m honest. Plus, I don’t think the song-writing is anything too special despite some creative instrumental composition. Musically this is a far more interesting release than the EP was though. The incorporation of the more progressive sounds of bands like Rush & Queensryche is most welcome & there’s also a strong Black Sabbath influence at times which wasn’t as obvious before. Japan’s Loudness often spring to mind for some reason too. I think it’s the progressive influence & the approach to some of the vocals. The fourth song “L’gende” even crosses over into full-blown power metal territory which can be a good or bad thing depending on your particular tastes. There are a couple of ballad-ish numbers included which don’t shy away from the cheese but I think I’m now starting to see why someone like Chuck Schuldiner from Death held Sortilege in such high esteem. I can hear some of the influence on the Death sound here (particularly the 90’s records)  & I can only assume that Chuck was able to accept & embrace some of the elements of the Sortilege sound that I struggle with.  

I like this album a little more than the EP but I still can’t say that I enjoy the experience very much. Given the band’s reputation though, I’d suggest that our listeners should give “Metamorphose” a chance & decide for themselves.

French five-piece heavy metallers H-Bomb were a band that enjoyed a short but fairly well-acclaimed career spanning just 4 or 5 years. Their story began in November 1981 with the band doing very well to be snapped up by the thriving Rave-On Records label who were on a bit of a hot streak at the time following the release of several high quality EPs (Mercyful Fate, Evil, Sortilege, etc.) along with the infamous “Metal Clogs” compilation. The Rave-On deal ended up resulting in H-Bomb following the label’s trend of the time & kicking off their recorded music career with a 6-track EP going by the name of “Coup de metal” & these days it’s regarded as one of the few French heavy metal releases to give a gentle nudge to Sortilege’s undisputed reign as the Gods of the local scene. And this brings us to H-Bomb’s follow-up release; their first & only full-length studio album entitled “Attaque”.

The “Coup de metal” EP is known for its faster & more fierce brand of metal & perhaps that’s why it’s slightly more popular with critics, but “Attaque” sees the band taking a more controlled & accessible approach that saw the album reaching an increased level of commercial appeal. The production job is excellent for the time which gives the songs their best chance of fully realising their potential. There’s lots of space in the mix with a real organic warmth & plenty of mid-range in the guitars while the driving kick drums offer good depth & are a real highlight. This is simply constructed but well executed NWOBHM-inspired heavy metal that’s not overly complex or dense but maintains a strong sense of melody throughout. The uncomplicated arrangements have a hard rock edge to them that keeps things easily accessible with an open feel that might not sound all that intimidating or heavy but is catchy as hell nonetheless. If you’re particularly picky then you could say that it all sounds a little safe but I think the hooks are easily strong enough to compensate & it’s certainly heavy enough to capture the metal audience while also offering some significant crossover appeal for the wider music market. In fact, I can definitely discern a bit of a Van Halen influence during some of the singalong moments & it’s a credit to the band that I even reference singalong moments when the lyrics are all sung in French. I don’t find this an obstacle like I do with other bands & I think that’s in no small part due to the skill sets of front man Didier Izard whose performance is a real highlight & I actually think that he carries some of the weaker material on the tracklisting & gives it the energy & charisma to offer a reasonable amount of appeal. He’s got a particularly European sounding style to my ears; similar to some of the German metal front men with a gnarly snarl balanced out with equal amounts of melody. Plus he has a King Diamond level ultra-high pitched scream on him when he wants to let it rip.

The rhythm section puts in a great performance here & the use of double kick is outstanding for the time. Gerard Michel has a lot more fluency & control than most of his peers & the result gives the impression of speed metal even if the riffs don’t quite match them for intensity. In fact, you can find a lot of the speed metal tools employed readily across the tracklisting but it’s rare that the tempo manages to cross the line over into genuine speed metal territory for long even though the energy levels are generally quite high. Don’t get me wrong. These guys really know how to rock & they mostly remind me of bands like Saxon & Accept with the more commercially driven moments more in line with Judas Priest’s more accessible moments.  Bass player Philty Garcia ties in with the drums beautifully to add some extra professionalism & class while the guitar solos are all quite simple but very effective nonetheless. You even get some of those trademark NWOBHM style guitar harmonies to add interest here & there & it all adds up to a very enjoyable listen that I favour very comfortably over the much more highly regarded Sortilege "Metamorphose" album from the same year. Sadly H-Bomb disintegrated shortly afterwards in 1986 but at least they've left us on positive note as I think most fans of classic heavy metal should find something to enjoy here.

Now Belgium hadn’t exactly set the world on fire in regards to high quality metal releases up to 1984 with only Motorhead-inspired Antwerpen heavy metallers Killer & Brugge-based speed metal originators Acid having releasing anything terribly substantial to date so it would seem that the country was a little slow out of the blocks in regard to our most beloved genre. But things were about to change with the beautiful medieval town of Ghent giving birth to arguably the most celebrated exponent of the traditional heavy metal sound the country has ever produced in five-piece outfit Ostrogoth who would prove themselves to be a substantially more interesting heavy metal band than Killer & would give the well-regarded Acid a decent run for their money too.

Ostrogoth first formed in 1980 & immediately set about trying to emulate their idols; releasing a couple of demo tapes in 1981 & 1983 before finally producing their first proper studio release later in 1983 with the well-regarded four-song E.P. “Full Moon’s Eyes”. I’m afraid I’m yet to hear that particular record but it seems to receive some pretty positive reviews around the internet so I feel that I might need to change that at some point. The band’s moniker refers to a member of the eastern branch of the Goths; an East Germanic people who played an important role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire & conquered Italy in the 5th & 6th centuries AD. It’s a suitable enough title for a heavy metal band I guess but I’ve certainly heard better.

But all of this leads us to 1984 & Ostrogoth’s debut full-length studio album entitled “Ecstasy & Danger”; a release that would further cement the band’s claims to the title of Belgium’s elite heavy metal outfit. That’s not to say that you’re likely to hear anything dramatically different from the classic heavy metal sound we’d been hearing until now. In fact; there’s really very little to separate this album from the myriad of NWOBHM releases that had been flooding the market from a purely stylistic point of view. It’s very clear that Ostrogoth have taken their influences from the New Wave movement & the noticeably raw & unpolished production job gives this package a very similar feel too. There’s an authenticity to it that I strongly associate with the more underground British bands from the early 80’s & this inevitably gives Ostrogoth a lot of appeal for New Wave fans. But unlike many of those British bands, Ostrogoth are categorically a pure heavy metal band. Sure there’s a fair bit of hard rock about their guitar sound (too much so in fact), but you won’t hear any AC/DC worship going on in the band’s riffs even though they do seem to draw some influence from 70’s hard rock in their song structures & compositional style to an extent.

Despite the fact that the guitar sound is a fair bit thinner & a little softer than I’d like it to be & the overall package is a little rough around the edges, Ostrogoth offer us some reasonable compositional & harmonic complexity here. Perhaps a bit more than their technical skills will allow them to pull off at times but it’s certainly interesting. The musicianship isn’t exactly mind-blowing but each member performs their role admirably & it really is a case of the sum of the parts far exceeding the individual performances. Front man Marc de Brauwer is the real drawcard though as his voice possesses genuine power & I find it hard to shake the feeling that he would have made a truly great singer for a 70’s hard rock band with his David Coverdale style delivery seeming perfectly suited to such an undertaking. And thankfully the general consistency of Ostrogoth’s song-writing ensures that Marc’s talents are never wasted.

I really like “Ecstasy & Danger”. It’s got a good energy about it & possesses some of that live electricity & youthful exuberance that the better underground NWOBHM bands built their reputations on. For a point of reference, I’d suggest that Iron Maiden, Saxon & Grim Reaper are a pretty good start but there’s definitely a bit of 70’s Scorpions about them too. This is undeniably a couple of steps up from Killer’s “Ready To Kill” album & while Ostrogoth do sound a little tame in comparison to the wealth of more thrashy speed & power metal fueled releases coming from the Germans, Ostrogoth make a good fist of their chosen formula & even manage to step out into genuine speed metal territory with their most extreme outing “A Bitch Again”. Fans of NWOBHM-inspired heavy metal should find a fair bit to enjoy here.

Colarado’s Jag Panzer began life as a four-piece way back in 1981 under the name of Tyrant. Well…. to be 100% accurate they actually spent some time under a number of different monikers before eventually deciding on Jag Panzer (a German term that means “tank destroyer”) once it became obvious that the Tyrant moniker was already taken by a prominent Californian band on the Metal Blade label. Interestingly enough though, Jag Panzer decided to name their debut E.P. “Tyrants” in reference to their early days under that moniker & it’s a four-song affair with a low-budget production job.

The band certainly doesn’t sound as polished as they would on their debut full-length just a year later. In fact I’d go so far as to say that the weak production job has a significant impact on my overall enjoyment of the music here because it doesn’t’ present the overall heaviness of Jag Panzer’s music well at all. "Jag Panzer" really sounds much more like a demo than an official release to my ears.

Vocalist Harry Conklin’s voice is definitely the main focal point & even though this is a much rawer & less polished performance than his later works, it’s already pretty clear that he’s a talented & powerful front man even at this early stage. None of the other band members make a particularly lasting impression on me but the NWOBHM influence is pretty noticeable throughout with Iron Maiden clearly being Jag Panzer’s biggest point of inspiration. Particularly the first couple of Bruce Dickinson-fronted albums in “The Number of The Beast” & “Piece Of Mind” & you can certainly pick that up here. The band have often referenced other influences such as Witchfynde, Scorpions & even early Def Leppard but they don’t really sound like any of those bands much to be honest. Angel Witch is a much more accurate reference point because their chunkier style of riffage is very much in line with what we hear on the Angel Witch debut. Also, while Jag Panzer are often referred to as power metal, don't expect to hear anything too schmaltzy here as this is very much in the US style rather than the more melodic & cheesy European one. Only closing number “Iron Shadows” hints at the European model & unsurprisingly I find that song to be comfortably the weakest of the four songs included with its cheesy guitar melody reminding me very much of what we would hear from Norwegian blackened folk metal outfit Isengard 12 years later. 

This is some pretty heavy stuff at times though. Heavier in fact than most of the NWOBHM material that influenced them & I’d be surprised if Jag Panzer wasn’t somewhat of an influence on some of the early thrash metal bands that were about to pop up around the US. I can definitely hear a lot of Exodus, Death Angel & even a little Anthrax in their sound at times. But don't be fooled into thinking that this immediately translates into a rewarding listening experience. The “Tyrants” EP is a pretty uneventful entry into the world of recorded music for Jag Panzer with only the opening track “Battle Zones” managing to overcome the poor production job & keep me genuinely entertained. They’d do a lot of improving over the next year or so before the release of their highly celebrated debut full-length "Ample Destruction" so you may want to give this E.P. a miss & head straight for the big guns.