Blitzkrieg “Judge Not” (Mighty Music)
Most people will probably know Blitzkrieg for their self-titled song, which Metallica covered for the b-side of their “Creeping Death” single… and it’s funny playing the original song today as the main riff sounds so much like “Hocus Pocus”, by Focus… which I’d never noticed before.
I don’t know a lot about Blitzkrieg as our paths never really crossed, bar getting some hate mail from either them or a fan over a live review I did, probably 12 to 15 years ago, when they supported, I think, Saxon, in London.
I remember I wasn’t that impressed with them that night, so to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this album… but how wrong could I have been?
One big problem I have with a lot of the bands that had success in the 80s, or if they’ve reformed to try again, is that they release new material that either can’t hold a candle to their earlier material, or they have zero relevance to their own band name.
As with so many bands that have been around for a few decades, with Blitzkrieg close to hitting 40 years since they first formed, they sound nothing like they did when they began. In the case of Blitzkrieg, only frontman Brian Ross remains from the 80s and to be perfectly honest, he has a much better voice than he did back then. Musically too, this is so far ahead of their 80s sound. Even though their original sound was great, for that era.
Now, it’s a much more measured approached, a bit like the Dio era of Sabbath, especially on “Falling Into Darkness”. But the slower, sort of Doomier approach is mixed in some more rockier moments and they’ve got the balance spot on. My only criticism is that some of the lyrics are cheesier than a French cheese factory, especially on “Loud and Proud”… which sounds like a camembert version of Saxon (or it could possibly be a tribute to Saxon based around “Wheels Of Steel” and “Dallas 1PM”). But it’s not a major concern. After all, I like the Scorpions and Whitesnake, and neither of those two would win any literacy awards.
All joking aide, Blitzkrieg have moved so far away their more primitive beginnings that they don’t sound like the band I remember, but this album sounds so fresh and invigorating, that it doesn’t really matter. I can only applaud the band for creating something so vibrant, when many of their counterparts have gone to seed.
Like the new Judas Priest album, Firepower, this album is still flying the flag for Heavy Metal.
https://www.facebook.com/BlitzkriegUK/
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