As I write this review, it’s Memorial Day, 5 in the afternoon to be exact, and I’m a few Old Styles in. Why? Because scores of brave men and women died for my right to do so, that’s why. Such haphazard episodes of day drinking call for an equally haphazard soundtrack. Usually under these circumstances, I’d retreat back to any number of essential drinking/party albums: Wehrmacht’s Shark Attack, Raven’s All for One, Motörhead’s Ace of Spades. Instead, I checked out an album that within a couple decades might reach the same mythical status among hard partying headbangers as those I just listed.
Heavy Sentence may hail from Manchester, but don’t for a second compare them to the wimpy 90s alt rock bands who also call the city home. Musically speaking, these British brutes have much more in common with the sounds of the late 70s and early 80s than any time period afterwards, including the very one they currently exist in (the 2020s in case you lost track). If you haven’t gotten the hint by now, I’m talking about the golden age of the NWOBHM. Here’s the catch: Their debut album, Bang to Rights, isn’t your typical Iron Maiden/Saxon clone effort. The style of NWOBHM worship specialized here draws from the murkier side of the pool. Think Venom, Tank, Warfare, etc.
All the bands I just listed wouldn’t have existed without Motörhead, who are without a doubt Heavy Sentence’s biggest influence. Whether they’re bashing out breakneck speedsters (“Age of Fire”, “Broken Hearts”) or balls out rock n’ rollers (“On the Run”), Heavy Sentence have been blessed Pentecost style by Lemmy; the deceased rock god’s whiskey scented breath touching upon every last note that blares out of the speakers. Frontman G. Howells has the same gruff delivery as Lemmy, albeit with a melodic twist in the vein of Killer’s Shorty. I just wish his vocals were brought up a tad higher in the mix. The same goes for the bass, which is all but absent among a sea of ripping guitars.
Bang to Rights struggles from occasional sonic inconsistencies, but they’re not enough to sour the mood of the album, or the vast array of hard and heavy styles explored within. While motörcharged madness is the crux of their sound, Heavy Sentence’s incorporation of tasty twin guitars recalls the likes of Di’Anno era Maiden, Thin Lizzy, and even Praying Mantis. “Cold Reins” and “Edge of the Knife” are standout examples of this balance between chaos and melody. Perhaps most surprising are the occasional flashes of post-punk/goth heard on “Capitoline Hill” and “Possession”. A one trick pony, they are not.
Heavy Sentence is consistent enough to appeal to meat and potatoes metalheads, yet diverse enough to escape the clichés that would be heaped upon them by the online metal press (see yours truly). I almost feel this is the type of record Midnight and Toxic Holocaust WANTS to make, but are fearful of fully abandoning their crusty, filthy, vomit encrusted roots. I can’t blame them. I’d likely be the first to call out either for releasing an album like this under said monikers. But slap the “Heavy Sentence” name on there and you’ve got a rager and a half!
7 out of 10
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Motörhead, Tank, Iron Maiden