BLITZKRIEG – Theatre Of The Damned

It is fair to say that Sins And Greed, Blitzkrieg’s last offering, was a disappointment after the excellent heavy display the British Metal legends showcased on Absolute Power, which had functioned as somewhat of a comeback for the band in the new millennium. A couple of spins of the new album, and the happy report is that Theatre Of The Damned puts Blitzkrieg back on the right track — thank you! The patented Blitzkrieg heaviness that was strangely watered-down on Sins And Greed is once again allowed to muster, and the listener is immediately transformed to the cozy factors that are typical of this band’s style, and the sound that despite of being steamed in tried and tested formulas, is really unique and better off unmolested.

Then you have the voice of Brian Ross … well, it wouldn’t be ‘kin Blitzkrieg without him, would it? ”The Phantom” further ties in an Iron Maiden connection of sorts in terms of lyrical dealings (both bands have touched upon the old Prisoner TV series in the past as well). Ross pulls off what could be described as a ghost-like voice in one of the album’s more memorable choruses of said track. By another token, how many Metal singers could also manage to sing lines like ”My love for you will never end, I love you more each day” and ”It makes me feel so happy to know that you are mine” and still come off as truly sincere? It’s this combination of sensitivity as well as the role of Metal machoness that makes Ross such a powerful front man. His attitude really comes off as authentic as does the music of his band.

Speaking of the band, their talent should of course be mentioned; this may be Blitzkrieg’s strongest line-up to date, which the upfront production job of Saxon’s Biff Byford demonstrates to perfect effect. The guitar playing of Ken Johnson and Guy Laverick is particularly impressive; their trade-off work is splendid throughout and serves as a school of exercise in how to play utterly authentic Metal guitar with flashy, yet song-complementary leads. At times very melodic, as in the short instrumental ”The Passing,” or more technical as fast-paced ”Spirit Of The Legend” demonstrates. Perhaps they should produce an instructional video consisting of riffs and solos based off of Blitzkrieg’s songs.

Back to the new CD … apart from the ten main tracks featured, fans are treated with extras such as mpeg’s of the band’s performance at last year’s Sweden Rock Festival. Also featured are new versions of classic songs ”Armageddon” and ”Blitzkrieg.” Hardly necessary, these bonus tracks should be viewed as nice perks and nothing else, as this band writes just as good of stuff in the present. Then again, Blitzkrieg, as well as Diamond Head, would sadly probably not have gotten even half the recognition they’ve received if it wasn’t for the hugely successful Metallica covering their material. That aside, another strong release from Blitzkrieg, Theatre Of The Damned once more shows why this band should have been up there with some of the bigger names that belonged to the same era, had there been more justice in this world. At least their work is there for all to still discover and enjoy, and hopefully the band will keep churning out albums of this nature for considerably further years down the line.