Forgotten Gems-Voltz-Knight's Fall

I'll probably pass away before getting to hear every band from the NWOBHM that was worth hearing. That comment may be a statement about me being older than dirt as well as being a compliment to the amount of quality bands that popped up in the UK in the early 80's. Voltz formed in 1980 and knocked this their one and only album two years later. It's a bit of an oddity for it's time and the scene it came from. Don't be expecting them to sound totally like Maiden, Saxon or one of the more prominent very metal type bands. Opener "After Armageddon" is a bit regular metal than some of their songs, but the pace is varied and not at all straight forward and that's part of the charm of their music. Unlike some of the denim and leather moving forward in the 80's peers, Voltz have a strong 70's influence at the heart of many of their songs although they do eventually pull in some 80's ideas. They probably liked Nazareth, Uriah Heep, pre-British Steel Judas Priest, early Rush and others. These were pretty polished for only going at it for two years and they had a unique take on heavy music. There's nothing on this album that screams "radio friendly". Instead an album full of lots of twists and turns that's as fun as it is unpredictable. The upbeat feel might not appeal to every NWOBHM fan, but I found it refreshing and it fit very well with their music. This is also an album where each time you hear it you find something new to enjoy about it. Truly a forgotten gem.