One can only wonder just how many bands may
have gone on to bigger and better things from the late 1970's and early
1980's if they had just managed to keep a stable line up together long
enough to crack it in the music business. Once you've 'made it' you can
pretty much change your line up as much as you like and still be able to
do well (see Megadeth and W.A.S.P. as examples here). However, there
are so many examples of bands from the NWOBHM era of music in the UK
that couldn't get their act together until their time had seemingly
passed.
Screamin' n' Bleedin' is Angel Witch's second album, the follow up to their wonderful eponymous debut Angel Witch
from five years previous. Despite the album being well received, the
band was unable to keep itself together, and the members all went their
separate ways. Eventually, band leader Kevin Heybourne decided on
revitalising his first success. He recruited Dave Tattum to sing lead
vocals, allowing himself to concentrate on guitar and backing vocals.
Peter Gordelier was recruited to play bass, while Dave Hogg returned on
drums from the first album. When I discovered that Heybourne would not
be singing on the album I was disappointed, I must admit. I had enjoyed
his vocals on the first album, and felt he gave that album a drive as a
result. Tattum is not a bad vocalist, and gives a good performance on
the material here, but for me it was less Angel Witch because of this.
The
album itself isn't outstanding, but it is a collection of good heavy
songs it an era where the NWOBHM era had faded, and those bands were
being replaced by bands who had been inspired by that first Angel Witch
album. Oh the irony! Angel Witch now competing against bands who
themselves wanted to be Angel Witch. This album is structured around a
solid pairing of drums and bass guitar, providing the base for the album
to thrive on. It may not be spectacular or scintillating stuff from the
rhythm section, but it does the job required of the songs. This then
allows Heybourne's guitar to weave its way through each song, dictating
which way it would like them to progress. Again, there may not be a lot
of electrifying solo pieces or imaginative riffs that have you sitting
up in awe, but they are enough to provide plenty of enjoyment
throughout. Tattum's vocals then tell the story of each song, and for
the most part are effective in their way.
Most of the tracks have the
basis of great songs, though without ever really living up to that
potential. "Who's to Blame" starts the album off well, and "Evil Games'
has some great touches to it, if only failing to push a menacing
undertone that would have suited it perfectly. The band is looking for
atmosphere in "Afraid of the Dark", in which it is almost effective in
pulling off perfectly. "Reawakening" starts off with the kind of guitar
and back beat that flicks a switch inside, and is backed up by solid
guitar riff and harder vocals from Tattum and Heybourne.
So where
is the problem? the answer is simple. It just lacks something, some
inspiration that is missing from this album but was there on the debut
album. The period of five years has allowed that spark to go missing, a
vital ingredient that could well have turned this album and its contents
into something more special. It's worth recalling that this is not a
bad album, just an album that doesn't live up to its predecessor. That's
not an easy task when your debut is regarded so highly, and there was
so much time between the albums. Anyone who enjoyed Angel Witch
will find enough here to enjoy, its just that you may well end up being
like me, and wonder what may have been produced if time had not been an
element.
Rating: The silence deafens him as moments pass like hours. 3/5
Having finally made the effort to search out
and discover what everyone had been talking about in regards to Angel
Witch and their early recordings, I decided that my enjoyment of that
should allow me to pursue their most recent release, to see what the
fullness of time has done in regards to their music.
The first thing I
noticed when I first put this album on was that it was certainly more
melodic than the only other album I have heard of theirs, which was
their eponymous titled debut. After a few listens, I felt that it sounds
as though it is trying to be bigger and on a broader scale than it has
to be. In the end, it feels as though songwriter, guitarist and vocalist
Kevin Heybourne is trying to reinvent the wheel, by making a grandiose
statement about the bands music that, realistically, probably doesn't
need to be done. Honestly, thirty years on from their excellent debut,
and with not a whole lot of recorded material in between, and with so
many bands competing for your dollar, maybe they have just tried a
little too hard to make something special.
That is not to slam
dunk the whole album. Openers "Dead Sea Scrolls" and "Into the Dark" are
good songs. The slower, monotonic wailing of "The Horla" seems to drag
out forever - dare I say it - like 2012 vintage Queensryche, until it
finally kicks into gear towards the end of the song. It misses its mark
with me I'm afraid. It suffers, as do most of the songs here, from being
just a little long in length without being able to hold your full
attention for the time span. This is especially true of "Witching Hour"
and "Upon This Cord", you find yourself drifting away from the music
when they are playing. "Guillotine" and "Brainwashed" are arguably the
best two songs on the album here, closing out the disc in the best way
possible.
There is no need to try and defend the album. It
sounds great, and is played excellently. Kevin's voice has held up well
over the years, though there is little to zero screams here in these
songs to extend his range. It almost sounds like it wants to be a rock
opera, which is about as far away as I would have expected this album to
be. If you can move past the attempts at trying to create an emotive
atmosphere, and enjoy the parts where the guitars and drums step up a
notch to create that classic metal sound, then you will be able to enjoy
this more than those who can't. In the long run, while I can see plenty
of promise in this, overall it just doesn't quite reach the best
conclusion.
Given my advancing age, the lack of a steady
supply of new material from my favourite artists, and the inconsistent
flow of listenable material from new artists, I have made a point of
trying to go back in time, and discover some of the albums that were
either an influence or a part of the very beginnings of the heavy metal
genre, especially those who were a part of the New Wave of British Heavy
Metal. Some of these are very difficult to locate, but occasionally my
digging in record stores and online stores brings forth some gold, and
that is what has happened with this gem from the past.
Given the
history of this band, it's a wonder that they managed to get this out at
all. Over the years there has been almost thirty people in and out of
the band, and having initially disbanded after this release, the whole
revolving door of band members must have contributed to the disarray of
their situation.
This album, though, has all of the right
components that should surely have driven further success. It is as raw
sounding as other great debut albums of the age, and full of great drum
fills, guitar riffs and soaring vocals. Listening to a 1980 album for
the first time with 2013 ears means that I can't possibly have the same
reaction to it as I would have as a teenager in the 1980's. More's the
pity, as I would love to have done so. But even with that being the
case, you can't help but enjoy this album. The energy through every song
is contagious. While it was probably seen as much darker on its release
than it would now, you can hear the roots of thrash and metal in these
songs.
I tried to put together a list of my favourite songs on the
album, and pretty much discovered that I couldn't split them. They all
complement each other so well.
Given the recent documentary about
the band Anvil, which not only showed that they somehow missed the boat
in the fame stakes when their contemporary bands made it "big", but
that they have managed to reinvigorate their career since that
documentary aired, one wonders if Angel Witch could possibly ride a
similar wave. This album should have been the start of a solid recording
and touring career. Instead, like many bands of the NWoBHM revolution,
they were unable to turn a great debut album into a career. 33 years on,
and having just found this album myself, I can only imagine what might
have followed had they been able to stick together.
"You're an Angel Witch... you're an Angel Witch!"
