Review 1

I love MERCYFUL FATE. I have "The Oath" on picture disc. My wife's name is "Melissa". Hell, I even named my dog "King Diamond"! Wait, that last one was a lie, but my dog can't read anyway. The reason I am telling you this is because I remember how I felt when I first heard the mighty FATE (the closest thing to musical heroin that there is) and I recently had that feeling all over again when I spun this disc from the almighty PAGAN ALTAR. This is their second full-length release, unusual for a band that has been around since the late seventies. A true "Underground" band if there ever was one, elevated to "cult" status based exclusively on well-circulated demos, crude bootlegs, and constant gigging in merry 'ol England.
There are 8 songs of absolute pleasure here; songs that had such a widespread influence over the musical community that you can hear bits of PA in many classic bands. Bands like IRON MAIDEN, LEGEND, and MANILLA ROAD owe some respect to PA for starting something that became so big for so many. The songs here are re-recorded versions of classic tunes that have existed for years, but have now been properly recorded and released. One great aspect of this old school approach is the vocal sound from Terry Jones (not the dude from Monty Python). His crooning reminds me of Ian Anderson at times (if he sang for a doom band). The record contains three songs that are linked by their lyrics and content; "Armageddon", "The Interlude", and "The Aftermath", kind of like a concept album within the album. These dusty gems are brought to life by the use of ambient sounds, such as the clean female vocals and eerie synth stuff coupled with some acoustic guitar (as evidenced in the title track) . Next comes the vintage rocker "Satan's Henchmen" which has ten guitar solos if it has one. This tune has been known to cause cancer in lab rats. The church bell intro to "The Sentinels of Hate" calls to mind classics like "Black Sabbath".
The band has gone through many line-up changes throughout these years, but has now stabilized with the Jones brothers (Terry and Alan), Mark Elliott, and Trevor Portch. I almost wanted to cry when I heard this disc, because for all the crap that is out there today, the shit on the radio, the bastards you see on MTV's "Cribs", and all that fucking country music, these guys deserve to be canonized for the beautiful noise they have created.
They had no money, no record deal, and rode around in a fucked-up bus/car/contraption with a working coffin on top! Still, they cranked out awesome music to anyone that would listen. They were offered a tour in '83 with a up-and-coming band called METALLICA, but had no money to get to the States. Imagine what could have been! I am elated that these songs were re-recorded by the band; songs that are well more than 20 years old. PA started in '78, I was a wee tyke then, but after I heard this effort, I wish someone turned me onto their shit 20 years ago! Did I give you enough reason to visit www.paganaltar.com and grab this gem? If you are into any of the above-mentioned bands, NWOBHM, or metal at all, you need to own this. Hey, if you don't realize the extent of PA's influence, ask SAVATAGE where the opening to "Out on the Streets" came from. If they don't tell you that they ripped it from PAGAN ALTAR'S "Armageddon".... well if I'm lyin', I'm dyin'. "Come to the Altar..."