Review of Pentagram - Turn To Stone

With many new bands forging on ahead and pioneering new and exciting metal genres, Pentagram takes a step back to the past. Actually, it's a step back to the dawn of time, metal time anyway. I totally got early Black Sabbath vibes throughout the album. This wasn't from the song writing or unfathomable talent you hear from Black Sabbath, but more from the sound of the instruments and the song structure. These guys are truly the essence of old skool. "Turn to Stone" isn't a new album or anything, it's actually a compilation of some of their stuff released through Peaceville Records from 1993 - 1994, so that can give you an idea of the decades they have traveled across to achieve their sound. Just because they sound similar to Sabbath doesn't mean that they are actually GOOD. The song structures are VERY simplistic and, well, boring. There is one riff repeating over and over and over again, constantly and relentlessly. Then, each song pretty much follows the same formula of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, extended chorus, and finally, the ending. It is sort of cool to see a band giving a nod to the grandfathers of metal, but then you just see that we have come a long way since then and there's really no point in trying to duplicate it. Imitate, yes. Duplicate, please don't. There really aren't any standout tracks, not even any standout riffs, really. When the CD was done, I had no tunes stuck in my head and couldn't even remember how any single track played out, I had to go back and skim through in order to remember. This, obviously, is not a good thing. Along with the old skool sound comes some seriously old skool production. It is possible that it is intentional, but some of the things that should be clean and crisp, like drums and vox, simply aren't. I can understand the "classic" distortion on the guitars, sort of a raw, muddy feel. But they could have really cleaned this up quite a bit. The lyrics don't exactly add to the experience either. Most songs basically state that they are undead, evil, insane, burning in hell, or some other horribly cliché combination of the above. But it's done in a very "innocent" way compared to today's standards of evisceration and satanic slaughtering of the innocent. I wasn't in pain or anything while listening to Pentagram, but I don't foresee it entering my CD player any time soon, if ever. Fans of the OLD-old-skool sound will feel right at home with this disc. I personally don't want to hear new stuff that sounds like it was recorded directly from the floor of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame using the original instruments and recording equipment. If you are feeling nostalgic, better stick with the genuine article and go play your copy of "Paranoid". And I know you have a copy of Paranoid, or else you wouldn't be looking at this review on this site in the first place.

Release Details

Pentagram

Turn To Stone

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