Graveyard: Hisingen Blues (2011)

Review

Even if Sweden doesn't have a total monopoly on the retro metal fad, they have all the biggest names, with Ghost, In Solitude, and Portrait being among the best. Graveyard goes even further back than Ghost, to the proto-metal bluesy hard rock days of 1968.

I'm a little late to Graveyard's party, as they had their debut in 2008 and the follow-up Hisingen Blues was released all the way back in April. Around the time this came out I was digging into Blue Cheer and the first four Led Zeppelin albums, but this would have scratched that itch just as well. In fact, the Swedes sound a lot like those bands, from the fuzzy guitars down to the Robert Plant-like vocals.

Blood Ceremony: Living with the Ancients (2011)

Review

The whole retro doom vibe is something that really interests me, and there are a few bands who shake up the formula just enough to make themselves stand out. Like Jex Thoth, Blood Ceremony uses a female vocalist to do the trick.

Living with the Ancients is the Canadians' second full-length, and it doesn't have anything to make it seem consciously retro. Instead, they've adopted the old school and made it their own, making the guitars sound much thicker than the old and the production much clearer. They use electric organ on many tracks, like other bands channeling the 70's, but on other tracks they've done something different. Flutes. It seems like a good idea, maybe?

Hour of 13: The Ritualist (2010)

Review

Hour of 13 is an old-school/retro heavy/doom metal band from North Carolina, and The Ritualist is their second full-length. If you haven't already, you may want to first read my review of Orchid's Capricorn, as my impressions of the two albums are linked.

Like Orchid, Hour of 13 sound a lot like Black Sabbath. Specifically, they sound kind of like a cross between Dio and Ozzy era Sabbath, as if they're from an alternate universe where the original lineup stuck together but still made a fantastic comeback. Like Orchid, all the tones and vocals are similar to Sabbath. But here's the difference: Hour of 13 don't sound like they're trying to be Sabbath, they just happen to sound like Sabbath--but distinct. Everything, including the vocals, has its own unique quality that's subtly different from Sabbath, and never comes off as blatant ripoff or unabashed mimicry, but instead like they could have arisen from the same Birmingham scene as the original metal band.

Why I Hate 80's Retro Metal

Retro metal is a really big fad right now. It may be a response to the perceived lack of quality songwriting in more modern forms of metal, or to modern production, or something else. But whatever the reason, it's really big. It comes in a variety of forms: so called "re-thrash", which mimics old school thrash metal, "old-school death metal", or 70's style heavy metal. I have no problem with any of these, as they all seem to be genuine homages to styles worth revisiting. I'm not particularly thrilled by re-thrash, but old-school death and 70's metal are welcome additions to the fold when done very well.

But I hate the 80's revival.

This issue really came to a head for me on a recent discussion at Invisible Oranges. It made me realize a couple major issues. First, it doesn't mimic the good parts of 80's metal like Iron Maiden, Venom, or Celtic Frost; the 80's revival mostly mimics hair metal, and I see no reason why anyone would want to resurrect that idiot offshoot of metal. It was huge in the 80's. As noted in Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, it was the biggest style of music in the world in 1986. As a metalhead, anything that gains a broad popular following is immediately suspicious, and in the case of hair metal that suspicion was thoroughly warranted. It was music made for the masses, and specifically for the lowest common denominator. Hair metal should be something we should disown, not celebrate. And besides, we already have something that celebrates all the cheesiest aspects of metal. It's called power metal.

Metalheads older than myself might not feel the same way. To many of them, it was the gateway into the world of metal, and it gives them warm fuzzy feelings, or whatever. But to those who fit that bill, I ask: When the nu metal revival comes, how will you feel about it? Now, there were certainly some good things about pure heavy metal as it existed in the 80's, just as surely as there were some good things about nu metal. But the way the revival pictures it highlights many of the negatives.

In other words, it brings back everything that makes metal seem like a joke to the mainstream. As a budding metalhead, I used to cringe whenever I heard some of the solos in my Metallica albums because they reminded me of the joke that was hair metal. It took me until I heard Mercyful Fate before I realized that solos can be a good thing.

The second problem I have with the 80's revival is its insincerity. Even Terrorizer, which openly endorses and celebrates Enforcer, questions their authenticity. I see no question whatsoever. They not only sound like hair metal, but they have also adopted the look. I could let them slide if that's all they were mimicking. But on top of that, they release some of their music on cassette, and mimic the cheesy poses of the era for photo shoots. I can get down with parody as long as it's done with an actual sense of humor. Metalheads are probably the biggest fans of Spinal Tap, and I can't get enough Metalocalypse. But parody without a sense of humor is called irony. And ironic love for something is the very definition of hipster.

So, far from being a return to the true roots of metal, I see the 80's revival as a hipster movement. I don't see how it can be anything else.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. I grudgingly admit that I enjoyed Holy Grail's Crisis in Utopia. Pressed for a reason why that's any different from the rest, I can't give you a good one. Maybe I had just enough of a taste for this phenomenon that I had room in my heart for just one band or album. I don't really know. Which got me to wondering what other exceptions people might make.

So, I want to know what you think about retro metal in general, and about the 80's revival in particular. I also want to hear whether there's an exception that you make--a band or album that you love, but you usually hate that kind of music.

Orchid: Capricorn (2011)

Review

Retro metal is turning out to be a pretty big fad right now. There are quite a few bands aping the more embarrassing side of 80's metal, in image as well as sound, and I can't figure out why anyone would want to do that. Thankfully, the Blue Öyster Cult-influenced Ghost is only the most visible member of a 70's revival. San Francisco's Orchid is another.

As you might guess from their name, Orchid is influenced by Black Sabbath. Actually, "influenced by" is probably the wrong way to put it. This is unabashed (original 1970-1978) Sabbath worship in every respect, from their name ("Orchid / Lord of this World", in case you missed that), to their psychedelic band logo, to their promo photographs, to every single aspect of their sound and dark/occult lyrical content. Vocals, guitar tones, bass, drums, every part of it sounds like the bluesy, psychedelic metal of Sabbath. And like the progenitors of heavy metal, Orchid writes some catchy songs.

Again, maybe "writes catchy songs" is the wrong way to put it. More accurately, they offer up alternate versions of Sabbath classics. "Black Funeral" is "Hand of Doom", "Down into the Earth" is "Into the Void", and "Albatross" is "Planet Caravan", to cite only a few examples.

That might not be such a bad thing. After all, even Black Sabbath dropped the Black Sabbath sound more than 30 years ago, so anyone else should feel free to pick it up again. And if you're going to carbon copy a band, I can't imagine a better one. On the other hand, doing something different with it wouldn't have hurt them a bit. The old-school production isn't as heavy as I'd like, and it's a tad quiet, and there would have been no harm in bringing some kind of modern musical flavor to the proceedings at some point. Orchid also seems to take a narrow view of what Sabbath was all about--even though they take some cues from not-so-classic tracks like "Who Are You?" (see "Electric Father"), their pace is always a doom pace. Sabbath played a lot of fast songs, too, or did we forget "Paranoid"? I was also a little disappointed to find "Black Funeral" wasn't a Mercyful Fate cover (hearing Sabbath covering Fate, even if it's not the real Sabbath, probably would have made me crap my pants).



The Verdict: Many of Orchid's songs are catchy (like the title track). But after listening to the album, I sometimes found the original Sabbath tunes stuck in my head, even though I hadn't listened to them in a few months. And then I just wanted to listen to Sabbath some more. You might want to do the same, and pass this one up. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Ghost: Opus Eponymous (2010)

Review

Perhaps no debut album of 2010 was hyped more than Ghost's Opus Eponymous. Even though much of the hype is based on a misguided idea that "actual songs" are disappearing from metal, I have to say that Ghost deserves the hype.

These Swedes have not revealed their identities, and claim that they try to make ultra-accessible music in order to seduce people to Satan. If you believed their stated motive for even a second, I pity you, because with the cheesy "evil pope" outfit worn by the frontman and the Mercyful Fate-esque lyrics, it's pretty clear this is all just a show. And what a show it is. They've often been touted as Blue Öyster Cult meets Mercyful Fate, but outside of the image the MF influence is much more subtle than the obvious BÖC similarities.

"Prime Mover", the most metal track on the album, contains some very modern experiments in dissonance. But if you throw that out they sound like they could be from the 70's, old-school classic rock vocals and electric organ in tow. "Satan Prayer" is the most classic rock-sounding cut, but you'll hear it everywhere (like the opening to "Ritual"). The organ is used very cleverly, especially on "Con Clavi Con Dio" and album standout "Death Knell". There are some forays into more metallic riffs, but like BÖC they straddle the boundary between metal and rock. The guitar and bass even have a similar tone. The bass tone has been a point of contention for many. It's mixed very well and has a good sound on the surface, but its sound is not particularly rich; I would guess this was a conscious decision to sound more like an old-fashioned recording.



What makes the album work is the memorable melodies and catchy choruses in every song. And who's ever heard such catchy choruses with such disturbing lyrical content? The ballad "Elizabeth" ("Forever young, Elizabeth Bathory in the castle of your death"). The crazy-good "Ritual" (This chapel of ritual / Smells of dead human sacrifices / From the altar"). And, catchiest of all, "Stand by Him" ("It is the night of the witch / It is the night of the witch tonight / And the vengeance is hers for as long as she stands by him"). It's all part of the fun.

The Verdict: No, I don't think memorability is the be-all end-all of what makes music good (interesting is more important than catchy). And I don't believe Ghost are single-handedly bringing it back (bands like Unleashed have been doing it all along, and bands like Dawnbringer are pumping new blood into it all the time). But nobody's doing it any better than Ghost, either. Opus Eponymous is an incredible album. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Holy Grail: Crisis in Utopia (2010)

Review

Holy Grail is a California traditional metal band formed by three former members of White Wizzard. Crisis in Utopia is their first full-length, and it demonstrates the band has everything it could ever possibly need to start filling stadiums in a few years. Perfect production? Check. Memorable riffs? Check. Catchy choruses? Check. Crowd-pleasing vocal technique? Check.

Their style is instantly recognizable as traditional heavy metal, influenced by all the usual suspects. It's not quite over the top either--I'd say it's right at the top. They never turn into a joke, like most others in the trad metal revival (I'm looking at you, Enforcer). You probably won't notice the bass, and the drums are basically here to keep it moving forward. The real stars here are guitar and vocals.

First, the guitars. The pace ranges from middle to fast, and the riffs are memorable (especially check out "The Blackest Night"). Occasional pinch harmonics are thrown in, and the solos tend toward the neoclassical; I'd never say they shred (no Zakk Wylde in the bunch) but they can definitely play their instruments. Give them another album or two of experience, and I would expect these twin axes to chop off some heads.

The vocals are both an asset and a liability. The backup vocals provide the very occasional growl, which doesn't really hurt or help anything, it's just there. On the lead vocal front, Luna's talent is undeniable, in range (Halford-esque), lyrical content (Vikings and battle), and the ability to write a stadium-ready shout-along hook ("Rage! Fire! Born of your desire!"). If you're not singing "Run your sword through the enemy!" by the end of "Call of Valhalla", you might want to turn in your metalhead badge right now. On the other hand, his throaty, high singing has a bit too much resemblance to the douche from Avenged Sevenfold. It's never bad, by itself, and if that band had never existed it probably wouldn't bother anyone. But at times (e.g. the title track) it's hard to shake that impression.



Still, if you can get past that, it's hard not to sing along. It will probably broaden their appeal to a more mainstream audience, potentially making them the next gateway drug of choice to more extreme things. And thankfully, none of the music is remotely metalcore.

The Verdict: Holy Grail has a hell of a lot of potential, and Crisis in Utopia is a fun listen. It's not perfect, but it's one of the best trad metal debuts in a while. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.