For the better part of my life, the term “proto-metal”, valid as it is, bothered me. It certainly has its place, and does a fine job summing up the likes of late ’60s acts like Blue Cheer, Vanilla Fudge, Led Zeppelin, and so forth. However, how could the term be used to describe early ’70s bands such as Budgie, Lucifer’s Friend, and Sir Lord Baltimore, when they all existed simultaneously alongside the first metal band, Black Sabbath? By my logic, after February 13, 1970, you were either metal or you weren’t…only one problem: It’s not as if Black Sabbath purposely set out to be a “metal band” or play “heavy metal”. They just happened to do so, as did all the other bands I just listed. So going off the basis that Judas Priest were the first metal band proper, in the sense that they were the first band to consciously play a genre called heavy metal and embraced a visual aesthetic synonymous with said music, any metal bands who proceeded them can be described as proto-metal, early metal, ’70s metal…you get the idea.
Now that the semantics are out of the way, fast forward to this past weekend: I’m blindly scrolling through my Facebook feed and come across a sponsored ad for a new album from a self-proclaimed proto-metal band. The band is Fangus and the album, their first, is Emerald Dream. Now 99% of the bands I discover in this manner, I don’t even give a second glance. The good ones are D-level Greta Van Fleet wannabe Zeppelin-core bands. The bad ones are even worse. Yet because this week has been pretty light on new releases that caught my attention, I figured, “Sure, let’s see what these proto-metallers are all about.”
Well, I’m sure glad I did, because from top to bottom, Emerald Dream is the most blatant Uriah Heep worship album I’ve heard in ages. Sure, there are similarly natured retro flavored acts who toe the line between ‘eavy and ‘umble. Hällas immediately comes to mind, as does Phantom Spell. Yet whereas those bands incorporate influences from various other hard, heavy, and progressive acts of yesteryear into their sonic brew, Fangus literally sounds like the reincarnation of Look at Yourself era Heep the way Greta Van Fleet conjured the spirit of Zeppelin II in their EP era.
Admittedly, frontman Screamin’ Jim Laflamme lacks the vocal virtuosity of David Byron, sounding much more rough around the edges by comparison, and there are the occasional trappings of modern day stoner/doom à la The Sword, Uncle Acid, etc. that find their way into the riffs (i.e. “Howling Hammer”, “Time Gambler”). However, when one breaks down the overall arrangements, the riffs, the solos, the tones, the drumming, and most prominently, the organs, it becomes evident that this band bows at the altar of Mick Box and company. Just get a load of proto-metal ragers like “Pyre of Love”, “Quest for Fire”, and “Shapeshifter”. Sure, there are shades of Purple here and there, but with their emphasis on psychedelic trip-out passages to even out the ‘eavy, and brash Hammond heroics that come off as more Hensley than Lord, it’s clear as day where Fangus’ proto-metal heart lies.
Even though the songs that make up Emerald Dream itself pale in comparison to those ancient Heep hymns of 55 years ago, they still resonate a hell of a lot more than 99.9% of the acts clogging up the stoner/doom/psych niche today. The band provides a raw, fresh, and captivating take on a musical approach that feels as old as time itself at this point, vindicating bands like Heep, Atomic Rooster, and any other heavy Hammond pioneers in the process of doing so. Sure, hail Iommi, but also, hail Box, Byron, Hensley, and so forth! Hail Heep, and hail their great white northern bastard grand-spawn, Fangus!
7 out of 10
Label: From the Urn Records
Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
For fans of: Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Atomic Rooster
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