Skull Fist
Heavier Than Metal
6.8
The band name, album title and cover artwork for this EP might be all that's necessary for a review in the case of a number of our readers out there. Whether or not the rest of you need pay attention to Heavier than Metal depends on how strong a threshold you have for young throw-back bands apparently born three decades too late. I admittedly flinched when I saw the promo pics of these young Canadians -- like Wyld Stallyns busting out of a dilapidated phone booth with George Carlin in tow. I lived through the time when bands I often respected weren't afraid to tie a bandana around a pair of pointy half-boots, but I sure as hell never wore them myself. Then again, I wasn't exactly playing lead guitar in bloody Sacred Rite, either. Anyway, if the idea of a band being so ensconced in early 80's hard rock and heavy metal that they abuse their PayPal accounts to procure vintage Japanese sunrise Akira Takasaki guitars and Ultimate Sin shredded t-shirts is something that's likely to irritate the hell out of you, you'd best scuttle on to something else. If not, there's probably a fair amount of material on this EP that you'll quite enjoy. It's not terribly serious, obviously, beyond being absolutely intent on sounding like an opening band for W.A.S.P. circa 1984 and getting hammered while doing so, but these guys do show a true love of the sound that's aptly delivered with an obvious skill for their respective wares.
The nature of Jackie Slaughter's often piercing voice gives Skull Fist's mostly NWOBHM sound a little more of a glam flavor, like Battleaxe colliding with Dangerous Toys, early Crüe mixed with Savage, or perhaps a more aggressive Malice with a stronger emphasis on infusing ample doses of "weedly-weedly" guitar shredding. And if those band names mean shit to you, that's likely another indicator that Heavier than Metal isn't exactly something that should hit the top of your 2010 "to do" list. But, like I said, I appreciate the finesse with which Skull Fist manages to pull off the old sound, and those folks who pitch serious tent over bands like Sweden's Enforcer will find more than enough to enjoy throughout this EP's 21-minutes. To the rest of you, and for those of us who still have records from the era these four are trying so hard to emulate, I'd say Heavier than Metal comes across as fun, but expendable in a year that's closing out with so many strong releases.
