┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + Axewitch - Pray For Metal + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Rls Date..2020-04-19 Encoder......LAME 3.100 ║ │ │║ Genre.....Heavy Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │ │║ Year......2005 Khz/Bitrate..44.1 / VBR kbps ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Ripper....Anthem Songs........16 ║ │ │║ Source....CDEP Covers.......Yes ║ │ │║ Url..http://www.axewitch.com ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Notes ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Artist : Axewitch ║ │ │║ Album : Pray For Metal ║ │ │║ Label : Metal For Muthas ║ │ │║ Cat.No : MFM-1016 ║ │ │╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Description : ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ While there is a clear case to be made that the NWOBHM was ║ │ │║ a style unto itself that can be made distinct from other ║ │ │║ adherents of traditional heavy metal due to its closer ║ │ │║ affinity with 70s rock, there is one glaring flaw in the ║ │ │║ name, and that is its implied national exclusivity. ║ │ │║ Granted, it goes without saying that any band that traces ║ │ │║ its origins back to the late 70s is going to have a close ║ │ │║ proximity to the hard rock paradigm, but a fair number of ║ │ │║ bands outside of the U.K. could be qualified as in the same ║ │ │║ style due to parallel influences being expressed in the ║ │ │║ same way. Case and point, the early 80s Swedish outfit Axe ║ │ │║ Witch, which goes back to '79 under the alternate name of ║ │ │║ Hazy and features a quintet of musicians who were never ║ │ │║ involved in any other bands within the metallic spectrum. ║ │ │║ Their formative output could best be described as rock ║ │ │║ music being played too loud to actually be rock, and ║ │ │║ despite their earliest demo containing a cover of Judas ║ │ │║ Priest's "Beyond The Realms Of Death", don't prove to be ║ │ │║ quite as dynamic and speed happy as said British icons. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Featuring a topless amazon with golden hair hanging down to ║ │ │║ her knees, before a candle-lit altar while standing on ║ │ │║ ground covered in flames, this outfit's debut Pray For ║ │ │║ Metal has all of the makings of an early twin of Manilla ║ │ │║ Road, if visuals are any indication. However, the impact ║ │ │║ factor is notably restrained by even the standards of 1982, ║ │ │║ only occasionally showing glimmers of that proto-thrashing ║ │ │║ riff work that Diamond Head and Sweet Savage put forth a ║ │ │║ year or two prior despite having a fairly meaty sound. ║ │ │║ There are some hints of brilliance in the guitar work, much ║ │ │║ of it relegated to the swift-paced cruiser "Heavy ║ │ │║ Revolution" and the occasionally galloping mid-paced ║ │ │║ crusher "In The End Of The World", showcasing the best ║ │ │║ performances of every instrumentalist in attendance, but ║ │ │║ particularly the rhythm section. It's otherwise all along ║ │ │║ the lines of a mid-paced rocking affair, and the somewhat ║ │ │║ bellowing baritone voice of Anders Wallentoft plays into ║ │ │║ this fairly well, though his performance comes off as a bit ║ │ │║ clumsy and off-pitch at times, sort of like a middle ground ║ │ │║ between a trained singer and a drunken patron at a bar ║ │ │║ doing Karaoke. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ It wouldn't be much of a stretch to assume that much of ║ │ │║ this material was written prior to 1981, as it functions ║ │ │║ more as an extension out of the late 70s rock sound than a ║ │ │║ trailblazing album after the heart of something by Angel ║ │ │║ Witch or Blitzkrieg. There is definitely a punch factor ║ │ │║ that works for this band, but this feels like it's a couple ║ │ │║ years behind the curve and doesn't quite manage to deliver ║ │ │║ the caliber of hooks or riff work to make it work as a ║ │ │║ derivative outing. It has more of a demo when looking at ║ │ │║ the quality of performance, though the guitar sound is ║ │ │║ notably stronger and clearer than what one might have heard ║ │ │║ out of an early demo out of a typical early 80s ║ │ │║ NWOBHM/heavy metal outfit. It's more of a historical ║ │ │║ curiosity than a full on classic, though the heightened ║ │ │║ interest in music of this style at present due to the ║ │ │║ ascendancy of what many come to call the New Wave Of ║ │ │║ Traditional Heavy Metal, the Polish-based Skol Records did ║ │ │║ a 2019 reissue with both the 1982 and 06 demos, and a ║ │ │║ sizable collection of unreleased live performances from the ║ │ │║ mid-80s. It's a feast for those who devour all things old ║ │ │║ school like candy, but more of an occasional snack for ║ │ │║ everyone else. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Tracklist ║ │ │╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ 1. Born In A Hell 4:16 │ │ 2. Heavy Revolution 3:33 │ │ 3. In The End Of The World 4:35 │ │ 4. Death Angel 3:38 │ │ 5. Axewitch (Demo 1982) 3:37 │ │ 6. Nightmare (Demo 1982) 6:29 │ │ 7. Beyond The Realms Of Death (Demo 1982) 5:37 │ │ 8. We Salute This Town (Demo 1986) 3:25 │ │ 9. Dance To The Music (Demo 1986) 5:00 │ │ 10. Four Wheel Drive (Demo 1986) 4:23 │ │ 11. It's A Lie (Live 1985) 3:04 │ │ 12. City's On Fire~Shadows Thrugh The Night (Live 9:16 │ │ 1985) │ │ 13. Back To Reality (Live (1981) 3:33 │ │ 14. Four Centuries Ago (Live 1981) 4:04 │ │ 15. Back In Trouble (Live (1981) 3:01 │ │ 16. Antisocial (Live 1981) 4:16 │ │ │ │ │ │ Total Length : 01:11:47 │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘