N.W.O.B.H.M. Wednesday: Race Against Time-Time Waits For No Man

HR Records
2015

Today's "N.W.O.B.H.M. Wednesday" coverage of Race Against Time is long-overdue. But then again, so is this compilation. "Why?" you might ask be asking. The answer to that question is quite simple. Before there was Hell there was Race Against Time. And as for the one time leader of both of these bands? Well, that would be the late great Dave Halliday. This well-assembled compilation helps to serve as another good reminder of the legacy that this one of a kind front-man left behind and while this N.W.O.B.H.M. band might not be as well known as Hell is they are nonetheless just as important! Formed out of the ashes of two club bands (Captain Hippo and Heavy Water), Race Against Time hailed from Chesterfield/Matlock and was rounded out by Al Short (bass, keyboards, vocals) and Geoff Green (drums, percussion, vocals). With gnarly lead singer Dave Halliday taking care of the guitar duties, Race Against Time created a sound that was all at once metallic and melancholy (check out "Bleed You Dry"). It's also somewhat menacing so when you find out that Hell later re-used Race Against Time material it makes sense. Style-wise and vibe-wise you could draw a straight line between Race Against Time and Hell. The fact that they were both bands to which David Halliday belonged only strengthens the sound argument, but even without that tremendous voice connecting them there is more than enough here for Hell fans to appreciate. Speaking of connections, Race Against Time and Hell were also a part of the "East Midlands Band Co-Operative" and so were Paralex and Radium. In essence The "East Midlands Band Co-Operative" was a good way for these four bands to look out for each other. And  considering the state of the N.W.O.B.H.M. scene back then (in essence it was crazy swamped with every new band trying to out-due the next one!) it was a wise decision to band together in this way and potentially help each other. Or at least it ended up helping the bands Paralex, Radium and Hell as all three bands were all able to release vinyl singles. Sadly Race Against Time found themselves staring in on that party from the outside with the closing door slowly but surely putting an end to this English band. While they were still together though, Race Against Time managed to have to their well-received song "Bedtime" placed on the excellent "New Electric Warriors" compilation and they put out cassette tape entitled "Demo 1980"!  "Bedtime" alone is worth the cost of admission and it's only one of the great songs that make up this excellent compilation CD! Just like it did on the "New Electric Warriors" compilation this rather cool number closes "Time Waits For No Man" in style, but not before we're treated to the demo's three tracks, "The Harbinger Of Death", "Bleed You Dry" and a different version of "Bedtime"! Interestingly enough the song "Bedtime" was supposed to be released as a single, but (long story short) after finding themselves out of a deal at the last moment it ended up being released as part of the demo. And the demo was supposed to be an officially-released EP with "Harbinger Of Death" and "Bleed You Dry" serving as the other two songs. When that didn't happen it became a demo release. Either way these three songs are quite good in their own right and had the EP been a reality maybe Race Against Time would have ended up being held in the same high regard as Hell? It's a interesting thought and it does make you play the "What If" game. But anyway, in-between these various tracks you'll enjoy the instrumental cuts "Killing Time" and "Time Waits For No Man" as well as "Nothing To Fear (But Fear Itself)", "Leap In The Dark" and "Tough". "Nothing To Fear (But Fear Itself)" was apparently intended for another EP release while all three of these numbers ("Nothing To Fear (But Fear Itself)", "Leap In The Dark" and "Tough") come from old studio sessions. According to bassist Al Short the album's two instrumentals were "pretty much jammed live at the end of one of the sessions", but all things considered they sound perfectly fine!Of course all of the material on this Andy Sneap-complied collection sound fine so please don't let the idea that these were "demo" recordings persuade you from picking up "Time Waits For No Man"! If you're a fan of Race Against Time, Hell, or David Halliday then this fine collection ends up being a must-have! But, even if you are just a casual fan of the whole N.W.O.B.H.M. scene there is still plenty to love about this compilation. Not only do you get two different versions of the excellent "Bedtime", but cool metal numbers like "Harbinger Of Death", "Nothing To Fear (But Fear Itself)" (love the wicked vocal work of Dave here!) , "Leap In The Dark" and "Tough". This loving tribute to Dave Halliday is also a loving tribute to N.W.O.B.H.M. sound of old and too good to pass up! Snag and bag it while you can friends!

Hell-Curse & Chapter

Nuclear Blast Records
2013

Having grown up in a Christian household rock music was considered dangerous. As I listen to Hell's
second full-length album, "Curse And Chapter" for the second time now (and that's after UPS dropped it off sometime last night after 7pm!) I'm drawn back to my youth when the devil wasn't so much in the details, but rather taking center stage for all to see through the likes of Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Iron Maiden and hundreds (thousands?) more! I spent grades 4-8 in a private Christian school where we had anti-rock crusaders* come in to preach to us ("The Devil inside" by INXS was about demonic possession? Really?) and I had the misfortune of being forced to sit and watch anti-rock preachers on VHS tapes (for those youngsters out there a VHS tape was what we used to watch movies on back in the days of cavemen and dinosaurs!) tell me how everyone from Cyndi Lauper to Queen was helping to usher in a new hell on earth! I always kid that at least being forced to watch the video tape turned me onto some great acts like The Lords of the New Church! But, now that I hear this new Hell about I must admit that maybe the devil, who is said to have all of the best bands anyway, is pulling the strings of this British occult metal act? No, not really. The real evil in is this world isn't found on an album like "Curse & Chapter". If you won't to see real evil then find yourself a map and look for Washington D.C. What we have with this traditional heavy metal five-piece is a band that is effectively lead by the theatrical David Bower who, in addition to be a splendid lead vocalist (think Rob Halford with a bit of King Diamond mixed in for good measure!) is also a part-time actor! In addition to David Bower the band features David's brother Kev (guitar and keys), Tony Speakman (bass), Tim Bowler (drums) and, last but not least, the exceptionally talented Andy Sneap (guitar). Musically Hell really doesn't sound like anyone other then Hell. Sure, you could draw parallels between Hell and the likes of Judas Priest, Merciful Fate/King Diamond, Satan and even Iron Maiden. But that would be selling both Hell and their sophomore recording short. "Deathsquad" for one features great keys that come across as partly Uriah Heap and partly potential soundtrack mater for Dr.Who! And really the opening of "Something Wicked This Way Comes" rivals anything Lars Ulrich and his bandmates released on Metallica's first three LPs! For a band like Hell, which arose from the ashes of Paralex and Race Against Time back in 1982, "Curse & Chapter" is a remarkably fresh revelation that traditional heavy metal still has plenty of lifeblood left in it! Speaking of Race Against Time, that group's cool track "Harbinger of Death" is covered here and it's a real keeper! And thanks to tracks like "The Age Of Nefarious", "Darkhangel" (possibly the best cut on "Curse & Chapter"), "Deathsquad", "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and "Land Of the Living Dead" this is one release that is sure to make the "Best Of" lists of many a fan and critic alike! Now for the million dollar question. Is it better then it's predecessor, "Human Remains"? In some ways yes, I'd say that it is. With more original compositions it feels more complete (if that makes sense) and relevant. It's hard to find a fault with "Curse & Chapter" other then it's (overly) critical and cynical viewpoint of Christianity. Considering that Christians are the last group left that you can still hurl vile insults at without any public outrage (no to mention the fact that you can disparage Christians and discriminate against them without fear of legal repercussions) it's just far too easy a target. Some of the lyrics, try "Deliver Us From Evil" for example,  are so cheesy and anti-religious that I felt like I was listening to a recording by Cronos! I normally try to refrain from mixing music discussions with religion discussions, but if a band like Hell really believes that Jesus Christ is the biggest threat our world is facing then they haven't been living on the same planet as I have for the last 40 years! The band is better suited (and much more original and interesting in my opinion) when they cover historical events or go after the greed of men (and yes, quite a bit of organized religion!) then when the go after a man who said to "love your neighbor as yourself". Just my two cents though and it's not a topic that will keep me from recommending this release and/or adding it to my "Best of 2013" list!

* No names please, but we were subjected to a set of (twin) gentlemen who, on more then one occasion, told us that everything we liked back then (in my case it was everyone/everything from AC/DC, Ratt and Heart to INXS, U2 and the Beach Boys) was just flat-out WRONG! Then, as a twenty something year old, I remember having one of them ring the doorbell of a party I was at of my then girlfriend/now ex-wife's Uncle's house. It was strange seeing this individual who had once condemned my choice of music now serving as a real estate agent!  Even more so I think I showed up at the front door with a beer in my hand! I'm not sure I ever got the full "benefit" of private school now that I think about it!

N.W.O.B.H.M. Wednesday: Hell-The Age Of Nefarious (Single)

Nuclear Blast
2013

When I first covered Nottingham, England's (re-formed) Hell back in March of 2011 I had no idea that their come-back album, "Human Remains", would be as good as it ended up being. Granted I did suspect that it would be pretty solid given how well their previous single, "Save Us from Those Who Would Save Us / On Earth as It Is in Hell", sounded. But, I didn't expect the album to be as epic as it was! Now, Hell is back in  the spot-light thanks to this 4-track, 22 minutes long "Single" that features one new track, "The Age Of Nefarious", as well as three live tracks (" On Earth As It Is In Hell", "Blasphemy And The Master" and
"The Oppressors"). Here's the thing though. From what I've read it seems as if Hell has tried (for some unknown) reason to distance themselves from the N.W.O.B.H.M. scene. But, even if this British-based 5-piece doesn't necessarily identify themselves as being part of the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement, which is kind of weird when you take into account that the heavy metal-leaning Hell was first formed back in 1982 when the movement was in it's prime, still kicking major ass and quite alive (thank you very much), the reality is Hell is just about as close as you can get to being a full-on N.W.O.B.H.M. act from their style (straight-ahead heavy metal with a major dose of Venom/Merciful Fate satanism/mysteriousness) to their stage presence (costumes and imagery are a huge part of their theatrical live shows!) and even their substance (Hell's music feels like classic British metal)! Formed by members of Race Against Time and Paralex, and sadly never making it past the demo stage the first time around, Hell comes to the party fully-loaded with the metallic fury that is "The Age Of Nefarious" and, if this is any indication of the direction that the group plans to take on their next album, then the follow-up to "Human Remains" should be a great heavy metal platter! Now, I'll admit that coming into this "Single" I wasn't sure what direction to go with this review. Yes, I loved "Human Remains" and found myself becoming a huge Hell fan as a result. That being said I did feel a bit let down after a l-o-n-g talked about e-mail interview that I set up with Hell never came back to me. At the time the group was still in the "we need press and we need it now" stage and, after going back and forth with the group's manager (and doing a crap-load of research to make sure that my interview questions were well thought out and covered a lot of ground), I obliged and looked forward to getting the answers back. Well, follow-up requests proved to be fruit-less endeavors and I ended up adding Hell to the (growing) list of group's who never replied to e-mail interviews. So, my personal feelings toward Hell might be one thing, but their music is another. And while these guys might still be crafting (lyric-wise) cheese-feast worthy songs, which (let's face it) was the lone-downside of "Human Remains", the actual music is dastardly and "The Age Of Nefarious" is no different! With the band's long-anticipated sophomore album, "Curse And Chapter", due for release towards the end of November it will be interesting to see how it stacks up side-by-side with "Human Remains". With lead vocalist David Bower sounding as spooky as ever on both the lone studio-track and the three live cuts it certainly seems to suggests that Hell will be, once-again, "in for the win" with album number two. Original members Kev Bower (guitar and keys), Tony Speakman (bass) and Tim Bowler (drums) are also all returning for album two so (consistency-wise) one can't help but get a little excited for the prospects of "Curse And Chapter". Of course no one can forget about someone as important as guitarist Andy Sneap whose skills did a lot to help shape the epic "Human Remains". I'm a big fan of both his playing and his work behind the scenes so if he's on board once again then (fingers-crossed boy and girls) this "Single" is just the beginning of what stop be a cool wrap up for 2013's heavy metal scene!



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