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Released by: Steamhammer Records
Released on: January 20th, 2015.
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"Who do they think they are? The TYGERS OF PAN TANG?"
That was my old pal "Metal" Greg back in 1984 when this, BATTLEAXE's 2nd LP came out. You see, contrary to the protestations of today's millennial whippersnapper metalheads who collect ancient vinyl and claim that every obscure slab from the "glory days" was prime ore, the truth is that the third tier was real. And BATTLEAXE were hanging out right there. But on "Power From The Unverse" they were reaching for the competency stars.
Firmly ensconced n the nwobhm movement, their first record was total amateur hour from its hilariously grade school crayon cover to the clunky playing and sub-JUDAS PRIEST riffs. But you know what? While these boys didn't have the TYGERS ferocious riffs or BLITZKREG's soaring vocals they had heart. These dudes were your buds from down the block who got a metal band together and just went for some cheap thrills. And we loved 'em for it.
By the time of sophomore effort "Power From The Universe" however our scruffy pals had graduated from lovably clueless to crudely effective. This is the JUDAS PRIEST album they banged out in one 10 hour studio session while passed out on Jaegermeister. Opener "Chopper Attack" slips on its own cloddish opening riff, but things improve fast with "Movin' Metal Rock" kicking into ballsy metal anthem territory and "Fortune Lady" seeing them grappling with a Dioesque moody epic and escaping unscathed. The playing is basic but drummer Ian McCormack is actually quite good. Bonus points for some tasty cymbal work. The album proper ends with the cool striver rocker "Make It In America" (sadly, not to be). But that ain't all folks. This 30th anniversary puppy has some nice bonus tracks of unreleased material from both LP eras. "Radio Thunder" is the best of these with some impressive vocals from Dave King (who had one of the best nwobhm voices).
Final metal verdict? Fun stuff and worth checking out. If you like metal meat and potatoes this baby'll fit the bill. And oh yeah, BATTLEAXE have reformed and recently released a new album called "Heavy Metal Sanctuary". And Germany is pleased.
