Battleaxe - Power From The Universe

If you never heard of Battleaxe, this is your chance to hear some bonafide old school NWOBHM, my friend.There are few metal genres more lauded than the fabled New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Sadly, amongst the Iron Maidens and Motörheads, you have bands no less crucial to the movement that tend to get forgotten in the tide of time. Thankfully, notable NWOBHM band Battleaxe's sophomore release Power From The Universe is enjoying a 30th anniversary re-release.

Everything you'd expect from an English band of the late 70s and early 80s is here in spades: Gruff, working man vocals, blues-tinged licks, stories of bravado and celebration and - most importantly - chugging grooves over seismic drums abound. I'm happy to say this music holds up pretty well for the most part. After 30 years of all sorts of metal evolution it's natural to be waiting for some real distortion to kick things into high gear, but to be fair, it's bands like the former that paved the way for the latter.

The Bottom Line: If you missed the train the first time it left the station, Battleaxe is worthy of attention if only for its place in NWOBHM history. You can easily hear elements of later bands like Quiet Riot or Mötley Crüe in their rhythmic explorations. Good stuff.

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- Genghis thinks he maybe needs a leather vest...