759. Holocaust / The Nightcomers. 1981. 3.5/5

From the moment I first put this on, there was little doubt that it came from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era,  when young heavy metal bands were trying to force their way out of the pack to gain attention, back in the late 70's and early 80's. Holocaust's story is similar to most of that vintage. They fought to get a record deal, they were able to get some of their music published before the band split apart, only to be reformed by one member who continued on with the name.

Listening to the album today, there are the mixed reactions to many albums of this vintage. There are songs here that are almost groundbreaking, carrying the elements that could see them being the forebearers of leading the band to fame and fortune. There are also the songs that could possibly be described as average fodder, filling the gaps (or falling between the cracks perhaps) where the better songs leave off. The production appears surprisingly good for the era it was recorded, which helps to elevate the good songs to a decent level.
"Smokin' Valves" has a strange meshing of sounds, to me it's almost a crossover between the styles of Alice Cooper and Gary Moore. It is reasonable enough once you get used to it, but certainly strange to start with. Gary Lettice's vocals are not one of the big strengths of this album. They aren't terrible, but they do seem to stick to the one register and stay there for the length of the album. Very one dimensional, which can get a tad disillusioning after awhile. This is especially so during "Mavrock", where the monotonal moaning seems to stretch out each note of the song, elongating a process that doesn't improve a song that is already overblown by incessant guitar and drums being played almost in freeform exploration rather than uniform song writing. "Cryin' Shame" sounds like an AC/DC backbeat musically, without the attitude that the vocals require to make it a serviceable song.

The highlights of the album include "Death or Glory", a punchy metal song with good solo breaks and riffs, and "Heavy Metal Mania" which duplicates the feeling of a real breakthrough heavy metal song with great drum work and terrific guitaring styles throughout, with anthemic vocals and lyrics. These two songs are where Holocaust show the diversity they required to be a standout, it's just that after these two songs the rest of the album doesn't do enough to stand out from the pack. Interestingly enough, both of these songs were solely written by John Mortimer, who was to push onwards with Holocaust on his own following this album.
This album has obvious influences in later work from other bands. Listen to the end of "The Nightcomers" and tell me you don't hear Cliff Burton playing the end of  "(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth". Uncanny, or a tribute? That Metallica later covered another Holocaust song is probably answer enough. Gamma Ray has also covered two songs from this album. The band has continued to the present day with John Mortimer as the sole surviving member, which shows that the longevity was there as well. For me, this album shows the promise of the time, mixed with the issues of creating an album with more than just a few highlights. In the long run, perhaps this is more of a monument of the time and era than a shining light to act as a beacon for those that came after this release.

Rating:  I've got heavy metal music in my blood  3.5/5

Holocaust - Death or Glory - on YouTube

Holocaust - Heavy Metal Mania - on YouTube