Review 19

England's glorious NWOBHM produced probably more great bands, albums, singles, demos, etc. in the 1979-1982 time period than any country ever did in a similar period of time. These times generated some of the most exciting and flat-out kick-ass music the world has seen. With an influence from the early '70's hard rock scene & an energy level borne on the wings of mid '70's punk, we were treated to a host of killer outfits who lashed the dual guitar & Sab-crush of early Priest to a viscious attack producing storms of metal named Iron Maiden, Angel Witch, Diamond Head, etc. Still, some of my favourite bands of the day were the ones who trod slightly different paths, incorporating such things as darker vibes, prog elements, acoustic pieces & folk elements, all the while keeping the heaviness factor firmly at 11. Interestingly, some of the best of these more unusual bands are still going today, in one format or the other, including Legend, Saracen & PAGAN ALTAR, who are truly operating full-force! Having issued the spellbinding "Lords Of Hypocrisy" a few years ago, the mighty ALTAR have followed it up with "Mythical & Magical" and brother, let me tell you, this one is something! Truly, this is the kind of album that, while heavy in it's truest sense, it is also thoughtful and moving at the same time. Think of past masterpieces like "Sad Wings Of Destiny" or "2112," that's the kind of depth we're talking about here. You have killer blasts of NWOBHM glory like "The Cry Of The Banshee," "Dance Of The Druids" or even the disarming hard rock of "The Witches Pathway," harkening to something like Target or Dirty Tricks. But then, things are elevated to the truly "Mythical & Magical" level by wonderfully indescribable epics such as "The Crowman," "The Erl King" & "The Rising Of The Dark Lord." The former is a dark tale laced with acoustic guitars & yet crushing as well, bringing to mind things like early Manilla Road. "The Erl King" is an acoustic piece, and yet has such a sombre, eerie vibe as to challenge as one of the "heaviest" mood-inducers of the year. "The Rising Of The Dark Lord," preceeded by the lovely guitar piece "Sharnie" ties everything together in a volumnous epic of light, dark & shade that is nothing short of staggering. Through it all, the guitar of Alan Jones reminds me of Iommi at his best, not always in style but in versatility and touch, at once crushing as concrete and yet deft as an artist's brush. Over it all, Terry Jones' vocals command & soar with the tone of a wisened elder. I could go on & on about this monstrous album but instead I'll simply say this: English metal has on rare occasion been done as well but never better than this. Superb.