Daniel's Reviews
For those that aren’t aware, Bathory is essentially a solo project from a gentleman going by the name of Quorthon who released a string of seminal records sporting various different styles during the 80’s & 90’s, & in doing so, led to the formation of at least two major subgenres of extreme metal. Quorthon’s real name was Tomas Forsberg & his formative years were spent as a rebellious punk in the city of Stockholm where he started several unsuccessful punk bands. A pivotal moment in black metal came in 1981 when he was lucky enough to score himself a work experience position at his father’s record label Tyfon Records performing basic maintenance & administrative tasks which gave him his first real taste of the recorded music industry. Tomas continued to work there on & off for the next few years & in 1983 took it upon himself to create a band that was more in line with the darker metal & punk sounds he’d started to immerse himself in with heavy emphasis placed on bands like Black Sabbath, Motorhead, The Exploited & GBH. This resulted in the formation of the earliest lineup of Bathory.
The big breakthrough for Bathory came when Tyfon Records were putting together a metal compilation called “Scandinavian Metal Attack” in January 1984 featuring five bands who were signed to the label with each contributing two songs. Out of interest, popular Finnish heavy metallers Oz were amongst the bands included but anyway… One of the five artists had to pull out at the last minute due to some conflicting military duties & Tyfon was left to find a suitable replacement in quick time. Tomas jumped at the opportunity & put his band forward as a ready-made replacement. And one would imagine that his father provided enough encouragement to push the idea through so within days of the arrangement being proposed, Bathory found themselves in Elektra Studios recording their contribution to the compilation.
Once it was released in March 1984, the label were pleasantly surprised at the huge response generated by Bathory’s two tracks with the compilation quickly selling out & becoming Tyfon’s biggest selling release to date. It seemed that Bathory were the main drawcard too with most comments directed towards the young band so Tyfon swiftly proceeded to offer Tomas a recording contract; completely in the dark about the fact that the band had actually split up in the couple of months since the release of the compilation. That wasn’t going to stop Quorthon & after signing the contract he frantically began the hunt for a suitable backing band in time for their album recording in just one month’s time. Thankfully he managed to secure the services of bassist Rickard Bergman & drummer Stefan Larsson just in the knick of time & they managed to fit in one rehearsal before heading into the studio with Quorthon’s father (who goes by the name of The Boss throughout the Bathory story) taking on production duties.
It’s definitely worth noting that there were a number of obstacles for the band to overcome during the recording process due to the primitive nature of the equipment & facilities at the studio. Plus, the band were only able to afford a small amount of tape to record on which meant that they’d have to record at half speed & subsequently deal with a reduction in sound quality. But looking back, it would seem that (intentional or not) these issues have actively contributed to the development of the black metal sound. I mean when you really examine these songs closely from a stylistic & structural point of view there is very little going on that hadn’t been done previously. It’s really the primitive nature of the production & performances that contribute to the uniquely dark atmosphere that we now associate with black metal, along with Quorthon’s ultra-raw & abrasive vocal approach of course. The actual song-writing is mostly built on concepts that had been around for a while & didn’t generally sound as extreme as they’re presented here. I’d suggest that a good half of the eight songs included are simply speed metal tracks at their core with influence taken from the faster Venom, Tank & Motorhead material & a long-term love of hardcore punk. There are a couple of tracks that utilize the more subdued tempos of traditional heavy metal but Bathory mostly seem to enjoy a more up-tempo approach.
The musicianship is very primitive & I think this definitely contributes to the black metal atmosphere. The drumming is particularly dodgy & there are various moments across the tracklisting where you can noticeably hear the tempo drifting. When you really think about it, the lack of technical skills also might have drawn Bathory to take the musical direction they did. I mean pulling off something similar to Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica or Slayer was never really on the cards for them now, was it? And that may well be the difference between the Sodom’s, Hellhammer’s & Bathory’s in comparison to the Mercyful Fate’s or Destruction’s of the world. I’d be very surprised if their technical limitations didn’t ultimately contribute, in at least a minor way, to the formation of the black metal sound. Having said that, there are a couple of up-tempo numbers that transcend the speed metal core of most of the material & sound a bit closer to the modern black metal sound & this generally lines up with the more hardcore punk influenced moments which really shows us the importance of hardcore on early black metal. Think about it… the three main players in the early black metal movement were all influenced by Venom & Motorhead but also have a strong hardcore background. Was it just coincidence that none of them were technically capable of playing the more melodic & complex styles of thrash or classic heavy metal? Perhaps… but it’s worth thinking about. It’s also interesting that a large percentage of people seem to consider this record to be as much a thrash release as it is a black metal one but to be perfectly honest, there wouldn’t be more than one or two riffs on the whole album that resemble thrash & those both kinda remind me of Slayer’s “Show No Mercy” which is mainly due to the fact that it’s got a similar hardcore edge to it.
Motorhead’s Lemmy Killmeister has onviously had a huge influence on some of this material. Songs like “Sacrifice” & “War” are pure Motorhead worship with those jangly basslines sounding noticeably similar to Lemmy’s trademark sound. But it’s Quorthon’s vocals that represent the biggest advancement for the black metal genre. The world hadn’t heard anyone sound as tortured or evil up until this stage & it’s this element above all else that separates Bathory’s debut from the more bad-ass European speed metal that was out there at the time. As soon as you hear that unique vocal delivery you’re left in absolutely no doubt as to the genre of music you’re listening to. Quorthon seems to have combined the styles of Lemmy & Venom’s Cronos but put his own darker spin on it & it was an absolute master stroke that would make him a legend. It’s interesting that Quorthon has always denied the influence of Venom which is pretty obviously there for anyone familiar with their early works. In fact, there’s a case for this record simply being the result of pure Venom worship with Bathory having stolen several song-titles, lyrics, their image, their album cover & even their band name from their idols. This wouldn’t be the only time that Quorthon would lie to the media however as he developed a reputation for it over his career.
Despite the borderline plagiarism & crude composition & performances, it’s hard to deny that Quorthon had a knack for song-writing because this is a very consistent record. There’s just the one misfire in my opinion with the slower tempo heavy metal based “Necromansy” falling a little flat but the rest of the tracklisting is genuinely enjoyable. There’s a youthful energy about these songs that compliments the dark atmosphere & it gives them an infectious quality. The album’s intro track is doomy as all fuck too despite being a clear attempt to replicate the intro to Black Sabbath’s title song. Including the full three minutes was pure genius because it really does engulf you in a shroud of pure darkness. Despite the strong speed metal influence, the slowest track on the album, "Raise The Dead", represents its greatest highlight. It’s probably the purest & most well defined black metal number on offer with no traces of speed metal or hardcore punk about it. It’s worth noting that the song-title & lyrical concept were clearly stolen from Venom’s “Black Metal” album but it was a seminal moment for the black metal genre nonetheless.
There's been a lot spoken about the legitimate roots of the black metal subgenre over the years & there were definitely several earlier examples that clearly showed elements of the sound but probably didn’t quite nail all of the criteria to be able to stake their claim on the title. It’s also worth noting that NONE of those examples came from proper releases too. Instead they all took the form of crude self-produced demo tapes from underground European bands like Sodom, Holy Moses & Hellhammer. But it was "Bathory" that signaled the long-awaited arrival of the true first wave of black metal sound in my opinion. Unlike the vast majority of the black metal releases you've heard over the years though, this one offers an element of fun that gives it an infectious quality that easily overcomes its primitive construction; yet another element that Bathory seems to have borrowed from their idols Venom.
Genres: Black Metal Thrash Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1984
I recently read a pre-release interview where Jerry Cantrell said that they'd created a "unique record that's completely different from anything we ever did". Well after giving the record a few spins that comment seems like a bit of an exageration to be honest. From a production point of view "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" sounds very similar to "Black Gives Way To Blue" (4.5/5). In fact these songs could easily be out-takes from the same sessions.
The release of BGWTB in 2009 saw a return to the more metal sound of AIC's first couple of albums but with a distinctly clean & modern production that made it sound a little more accessible. The overall heaviness of the riffs prevented it from ever treading too close to AOR territory though. I feel they've toed a bit closer to that line at times with TDPDH. It's definitely more of a traditional grunge record & champions a lighter feel to previous albums which is not necessarily a bad thing as long as the songs stand up. And there are certainly some fantastic songs here (see "Voices", ""Lab Monkey", "Choke" or album highlight "Phantom Limb" for example) but probably nothing to rival the highs on the previous record. The album as a whole doesn't make as immediate an impact & although the songs are fairly straight forward I found that they took more time for me get into. Given repeat listens I was singing along to quite a few of these choruses though (especially the first four tracks). They haven't held back on indulging in some long running times on some of these tracks with most songs breaching the five minute mark. There are definitely a couple of flat songs spread across the tracklisting (see "Low Ceiling" & "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" for example) & given the overall length of TDPDH they could probably have dropped a couple of tracks without too much trouble.
Vocalist William DuVall seems to be a little more prominent on this record than he was on BGWTB when he was still the new guy on the block & spent most of his time sharing the mike duties with Jerry. He's definitely got a good voice & to be honest he probably contributes to the lighter feel of the album as he's a bit more clean cut sounding than Layne Staley was.
Overall I think "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" is a strong inclusion in Alice In Chains discography. Alice In Chains are such a class act & everything they do is worth listening to but there's enough top quality material here to leave me wondering how it's been so universally underrated. I guess it could simply be a comparative thing because it's not an instant classic like a couple of their other albums.
Genres: Alternative Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2013
1992’s “Dehumanizer” was a great return to a darker, heavier sound so I was hopeful that the follow-up would continue on in that vein however the return of former vocalist Tony Martin saw an immediate return to a less metal & more AOR-friendly sound. That's not necessarily such a bad thing as I quite enjoyed the previous three Martin-period Sabbath records. All of those albums had their weak moments but they also had some great ones & "Cross Purposes" seems to follow a similar pattern.
The first half of the record is really pretty strong. "Cross Of Thorns" is a pretty decent 80's-style anthem, album highlight "Virtual Death" is a druggy dirge that seems to have been copied straight out of an Alice In Chains songbook & the crunchy metal riffage of "Immaculate Deception" is particularly solid too. Unfortunately things start to peter off in the second half of the record though with the horribly commercial "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" being the clear low point & the decidedly flat "Cardinal Sin" not being anything to write home about either. Tony Iommi tries hard as usual but even his best efforts can’t drag the couple of weaker songs over the line.
Overall “Cross Purposes” shows glimpses of real class but fails to fully capitalize on it's potential & instead ends up sitting more in the category of "mildly enjoyable". I’ve always been a strong defender of Martin-period Sabbath & thankfully I've managed to extend my faith just far enough to encapsulate this largely under-appreciated record.
Genres: Heavy Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1994
Ronnie James Dio, Geezer Butler & Vinny Appice return to reform the classic early 80's lineup & they bring with them both a heavier sound & a more consistent record. Tony Iommi really brings the riffs on this album & there is definitely more of that classic Sabbath doom sound than we've heard from them in a long time. Geezer Butler's contribution is quite special & his bass lines really drive this material. Although I've enjoyed all of the Sabbath singers over the years there can be no denying that Ronnie James Dio is in a class of his own. His performance here does nothing to tarnish his reputation as one of the great heavy metal vocalists of all time. "Computer God" & "Too Late" aren't particularly to my taste but the rest of the album is very solid with "Master Of Insanity" & closer "Buried Alive" being my personal favourites. Songs like "I" & "Letters From Earth" quickly reignite old flames & leave you with little doubt that this was the best Sabbath had been since "Mob Rules".
Genres: Heavy Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1992
Unlike many people, I found some enjoyment in all of the 80's Sabbath albums. The Dio ones were clearly of the higher quality however each of the subsequent albums featured some great tracks & were well worth a few listens. It's a shame that they were generally held back by the inclusion of a few weaker songs as well. Their first 90's album "Tyr" was much the same. It's a mixed bag really. There are some really solid & anthemic heavy metal tunes here like opener "Anno Mundi (The Vision)", the fist-pumping "Jerusalem" & the epic "Valhalla". But then we also have a few tracks that don't really hit the mark at all like "Heaven In Black", "Feels Good To Me" & "The Law Maker". Strangely the album highlight for me is probably the seductive acoustic number "Odin's Court" which flows straight into "Valhalla" in what is the clear climax of the album. All faults considered there's certainly still enough quality to make "Tyr" a worthy purchase for heavy metal fans but it's a little frustrating that the band have yet again failed to put together a full album of high grade material. I think their previous album "Headless Cross" was probably a touch more consistent than this one but there's not much in it. Another decent Black Sabbath record that pulls up just short of where I'd like it to be.
Genres: Heavy Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1990
The last of Sabbath's 80's albums again features a decidedly 80's style in both the production & song-writing departments. This is understandably not to everyone's taste but being a child of the 80's myself... I don't mind it! There are certainly a couple of tracks where they veer too close to Whitesnake territory (see "Kill In The Spirit World" & "Black Moon") but the rest of the album is generally pretty enjoyable. The epic title track is the clear highlight with it's ridiculously memorable & highly anthemic chorus but tracks like "Nightwing", "When Death Calls" & "Call Of The Wild" are all quality heavy metal/hard rock songs. Tony Martin's vocals really soar at times & Tony Iommi again shows that he's not willing to be left behind by the 80's young guns as far as shredding lead solos go. "Headless Cross" is definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the band or 80's heavy metal in general.
Genres: Heavy Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1989
If you forget that this has the words "Black Sabbath" printed on the front cover & just accept it for what it is (which is a pretty decent example of 80's hard rock) then there's a fair bit to enjoy about this album. Tony's playing is great throughout & I really like Glenn Hughes vocal performance. There can be no denying that "No Stranger To Love" is a disgustingly cheesy abomination & "Turn To Stone" sounds a little flat but the rest of the songs are pretty decent really. I love the blues jam "Heart Like A Wheel" & to be honest it's probably my favourite track on the album. The production is very 80's with the drum sound featuring more reverb than was ever gonna be necessary but (unlike the previous album "Born Again") it's also nice & clear which gives the song-writing a chance of luring you in. It certainly sounds nothing like Black Sabbath & should absolutely not have been labelled as such but musically I feel it's an underrated release. Personally it does more for me than albums like "Never Say Die!" or "Technical Ecstasy".
Genres: Heavy Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1986
One of the more noteworthy events in heavy metal in 1982 was the unfortunate break-up of the world’s greatest metal band following the departure of singer Ronnie James Dio & drummer Vinny Appice from Black Sabbath with 1983 heralding what could only be regarded as a celebration of the subsequent resurrection of those two in the context of their newly formed Dio project. But the remaining Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi & Geezer Butler were not willing to rest on their laurels following the separation either with the answer to Sabbath’s drumming problem ending up being fairly straight forward. The band’s original drummer Bill Ward had quit the band several years earlier due to long-term drug & alcohol problems however Bill was now completely sober so a reunion with his the old crew was the obvious choice for Tony & Geezer. The question of their empty microphone stand however would prove to be a little harder to answer.
The band’s management (i.e. Sharon Osbourne’s father Don Arden) immediately set about proposing all of the world’s greatest front men with Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant & Deep Purple & Whitesnake’s David Coverdale high on the list. Interestingly enough they even received a demo tape from a young Michael Bolton which is surprising. Oh what come have been I guess. But the decision was eventually made to go with Ian Gillan; the amazingly talented front man from the classic Deep Purple lineup. Strangely this decision was made without Gillan even having jammed with the band. The arrangement was simply assumed it would be a winner. Gillan was originally a bit reluctant to agree however a night of heavy drinking was all that was required to convince him that he & his drinking buddies would make an appropriate union.
The new band was never intended to be a new lineup of Black Sabbath though. It was to be more of a super group of its own so that was the way that the band went about recording it’s first album together. But once the recordings were presented to the record label the band were informed that the final product would actually be being released under the Black Sabbath moniker whether they liked it or not. It makes you wonder if that sort of thing would happen today but I seriously doubt that labels have that much control now. Anyway.. the album would be released in August 1983 & would be known as “Born Again”. It featured such horrific cover art featuring a big red devil child on a bright blue background. Ian Gillan is reported to have vomited when he first saw it while Don Arden took pleasure in saying that it greatly resembled his offspring in reference to his well -known personal issues with his estranged daughter Sharon. This cover has gone on to be known as being amongst the worst in rock music history these days. I do think that’s a little harsh but it wasn’t the only obstacle that fans would be asked to overcome with “Born Again”.
Another problem was that the production was simply atrocious. It’s by far the worst sounding Sabbath record with a muddy & muffled sound doing it’s very best to nullify all artistic merit on display. The album includes some really heavy material but there can be no question that it takes effort to find it by sifting through the murky results of their studio labour. And the other major problem is that Ian Gillan seemed to really struggle to find his niche within the Black Sabbath sound. His bluesy style with his stunning higher register screams initially sounds quite out of place & most people have never been able to see past those initial feelings. Thankfully I’ve found “Born Again” to be a grower over the years after originally discarding it. A number of subsequent revisits have seen my opinions continue to rise until today I find it quite an interesting listen. The song-writing is generally pretty good with a couple of exceptions but there are no absolute disasters. There are a couple of ambient pieces included with varied results. The beautiful “Stonehenge” being a master stroke in my opinion & it led to the band including a hugely oversized prop for their stage show which would prove to be too big for most venues & subsequently became the inspirations for one of heavy metal spoof movie “This Is Spinal Tap”s funniest scenes. Tony’s guitar solos are excellent despite having to battle with the poor production while Geezer’s bass lines are as powerful as ever. There was so much potential here & I find it hard to believe that this record was never remixed because I actually quite like it these days even with the wealth of issues.
Genres: Heavy Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1983
While it’s clearly apparent that drug & alcohol abuse had started to take its toll on the band by this stage “Technical Ecstasy” isn’t a complete failure in my opinion. I’ve always quite enjoyed the opening two tracks (“Back Street Kids” & “You Won’t Change Me”) as well as the two that close out the album (“She’s Gone” & “Dirty Women”). It’s really just the four in between that let them down. “It’s Alright” was easily the weakest song the band had recorded to that time & “Rock ’n’ Roll Doctor” wasn’t far behind it to be honest. The album really lacks those couple of truly classic songs that were so apparent on each of the first six Sabbath records too. It feels like a compilation of random songs from a band that was struggling for direction which is hardly surprising given the band’s personal issues at the time. Whilst some of the material is directed towards a more traditional hard rock sound as opposed to their signature heavy metal one that's not necessarily a problem if the songs are there. Unfortunately half of the album doesn't quite reach the benchmark. Having said that, Tony Iommi really does try his best to drag the ship along & his performance is commendable. Overall "Technical Ecstasy" is not far from being a decent Sabbath album but the highlights aren’t quite impressive enough to carry the weaker tracks.
Genres: Heavy Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1976