STEVE GRIMMETT – Personal Crisis

Whenever the subject of great Metal singers comes up, inevitably the likes of Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson are mentioned. A name not as often uttered, but up there among the powerful voices of Hard Rock, is Mr Steve Grimmett. During the decadent decade (the 80s) he immortalized fun Heavy Metal music as the shouter for NWOBHM legends Grim Reaper, and his high-pitched performances in numbers like “Rock Me ‘Til I Die” (from the immortal Rock You To Hell platter), are still guaranteed to send shivers down your spine and make jaws drop to the floor, or leave heads shaking in disbelief – possibly all at once.

After a quick stance in Onslaught, resulting in mixed reviews for the ultimately disjointed In Search of Sanity release, Grimmett spent the 90s onward fronting the more melodic Lionsheart, which saw him taking on a course more likened to a Bluesy type of Hard Rock, and the last disappointing release that was Abyss (an all too appropriate title, unfortunately), the vocalist is again starting up anew with a his band project simply dubbed The Steve Grimmett Band. For this debut release, though, the cover simply says Steve Grimmett, and so it is for now. The musical direction sees a return of sorts, and could be likened to be a mixture of his past ventures. It takes on a slight more Metal course likened to Grim Reaper at times, yet retains much of a Lionsheart nature as well.

Basically, all has taken on a better course since Abyss; the songs are certainly stronger as well as the performances (not the least Grimmett’s vocals). The man reaches closer to past glories with his voice than the jaded impression he gave last time around. Lionsheart guitarist Ian Nash is still on board, whilst drummer Pete Newdeck is of course no stranger to working with NWOBHM-era singers, having toured extensively with former Iron Maiden nutter Paul Di’Anno. The until now, practically unknown Ritchie Walker rounds out the lineup on bass.

“Lonely,” one of the strongest numbers on offer, is a slower number with a dramatic sense that has a particular late 80s feel surrounding it. The band’s musical mix is displayed to great effect in tracks like “Promises,” where hard-driving guitars accompany the catchy, commercial chorus. Or, at least, this would have been seen as commercial twenty years ago. Whether or not this album will gain new listeners to the Grimmett cause remains to be seen, but should appeal to long time fans. And heck, that’s saying something considering the bloody good material the vocalist has previously produced. The enjoyable tracks overshadow the more forgettable (but not awful) tracks. Even the old Grim Reaper nugget “Wrath Of The Ripper” gets updated treatment and Steve Grimmett has come full circle. Overall, a warm, welcome return for the powerhouse vocalist, with a solid band to boot.