"See You in Hell," "Fear No Evil," "Rock You to Hell"
Spitfire Reissues
By Vinnie Apicella The return of Reaper Madness!! Well actually that was more like when their "Best Of" came out several months earlier. But take it another step forward and this is even better than having both feet in the grave! The long awaited reissue series of the first three and only Grim Reaper albums. The band, a cult classic before anyone even knew who they were in the first place have been both dismissed as a laughable joke band and a serious slash to the throat of the burgeoning dark side of Heavy Metal that prevailed so greatly upon the 1980's. Interestingly, the band probably influenced more than their fair share of the bands that would follow though you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who even sounds like them or remotely resembles their awkwardly aggressive style built on gloom, gore and guts. They weren't pretty but they did what they had to do and shall forever remain one for the catacombs of Heavy Rock classics. Grim Reaper, talented enigma though they may have been, really busted loose during the formation of the NWOBHM movement that swept through the early '80s-yes, they were a part of it but not until later and never received the accolades they should've been due. Blame their style or lack of fashion or whatever the reason was but they were there-not very long, but anyone who's anyone in the ranks of Metal will likely point to their '84 classic "See You in Hell" as one of the better releases of the time that's only grown better with age. An album that seemingly was released all covered in dust and cobwebs, the sound was as primeval as anything of the age. And how refreshing indeed to hear them again-music recorded at such a deficiently crude level, updated and available on CD recounting all of the grim details. They weren't always at their most creative during their run but the two integral parts constituting their make up, vocalist Steve Grimmett and guitarist Nick Bowcott proved a viable force when it came to performing-mixing gruesome fascination with occult related lyrical phenomena and haunting melodies-they were inescapable, bold and at times downright annoying-but they were consistent. "See You in Hell" is inarguably their best record with the killer title track smoking through the darkness, alongside other such memorable "lowlights" as "Dead On Arrival," "Wrath of the Ripper" and the melancholic charm of "The Show Must Go On," power ballad for the damned! '85s "Fear No Evil," was basically directionless by comparison and sounded like it was rushed. Besides the stellar title track, there wasn't a lot of distinguishing characteristics between the songs aside from Grimmett announcing the corresponding song titles during the openings. The chorus's were basically "dead on arrival" and the melody was all too lacking even if the hard driving punch remained in tact. A terrific album cover which featured the Reaper crashing through a stained-glass window on his bike is vintage! "Final Scream," which sounded ridiculous in its opening father and son exchange proved a strong finisher for a relatively weak album. But they stormed back in grand fashion with '87s "Rock You to Hell," their most commercially viable release and unfortunately their last. Again noteworthy for kicking off with the expectedly strong title track, there was more variation and style going for this one and garnered the band their share of hard radio play without the sacrifice of their trademark sound-now whatever became of the lambs donated in the name of the unholy I couldn't speak of. Fantasy driven evil abound in this commercially led release that spawned such standouts as "Lust for Freedom," "Wasted Love," and the hilarious "Suck it and See." sheer brilliance! Don't quite know why or what happened after this one. but alas, Mr. Nick Bowcott does the honors for us with his careful commentary that begins with the first and continues on in storylike fashion to the last record-and sets the record straight. There's little in the way of extra catches with these simultaneous reissues-no hidden B-sides or unreleased material nor some thirteen year book of band photos or rarities of any sort. though it matters little-their original three finally released on disc is a feat unto itself and who knows, might this finally signal a new beginning to what once was an untimely end? |
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