HEIR APPARENT – Graceful Inheritance [Remastered]

Although many orthodox Metal fans associate Power Metal with dragons, unicorns and omnipresent cheesiness, that genre started off as something completely different. Such bands as Savatage, Riot or Manila Road really did live up to their names – because it was nothing but Metal with a lot of power to it. Of course, most of those bands would come from places that had their Metal scenes thriving already, but as they say: if there’s a will, there’s a way. Because if there’s a place that is known as the cradle of Grunge – like Seattle – it might be a bit difficult to make it to the top as a Metal band based there. But one called Heir Apparent did make it to be heard outside their country, perhaps nowhere near as much as the Grunge bands from around Seattle… but that’s still better than not getting heard globally at all. Despite having been around for almost three decades, Heir Apparent have made it to release three full-length albums so far. Their debut record Grateful Inheritance came out back in 1986; over three decades after its release the guys decided it would be good to remaster it.

First thing that needs pointing out is that this remaster is supposed to have a “clearly audible bass”. One might assume that the original record sounds like the infamous (as far as bass goes) …And Justice For All by Metallica… but the original recording seems to have the bass balanced just perfectly, whereas this one seems to be all about that bass. There is no doubt that the bass lines here are absolutely beautiful – something that might bring those of early Iron Maiden to mind – but that bass really does stand out too much. It’s actually the guitars that could do with some boost.

The album itself is definitely decent: plenty of catchy and not really simple riffs, fast and melodic solos and powerful vocals (the early 80s bad boy Iron Maiden sure would have done just great with that singer onboard) – all that topped with the crazy bass lines. If it wasn’t for that crazily loud bass, this band would sound much like some German Power Metal classics such as Metalium. The songs are mostly short, but that’s what high energy music should be about. Many of the songs have that 80s Power Metal feel to them, although one that sounds fairly different is the tenth one, titled “Dragon’s Lair”. It very much sounds as if the original lineup of Van Halen decided to replace Michael Anthony with Megadeth’s David Ellefson from Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good! era. It is also worth mentioning that that song has something that sounds like binaural beats in the intro – perhaps there is a secret message encoded in it somehow. One never knows!

One good thing about the songs off Grateful Inheritance is that they’re anything but repetitive. They may have that overall Leatherwolf or Savatage feel to them, but there are some fairly Thrash sounding tracks here, such as the 12th track, titled “Nightmare (Faces In The Dark)”, which brings some East Coast Thrash bands to mind, mostly Overkill. Some other songs, such as the 4th track, titled “Tear Down The Walls” could do with a bit more of the overall heaviness. To sum things up, Grateful Inheritance is a decent record, although it probably did not need that much boost on the bass. Yes, these fills are crazy, but not even Motörhead or Pantera would ever have the bass this high in the mix. For those who love the Power Metal as it should be, before all the dragons and unicorns took over, Heir Apparent is going to be a beautiful gem from the past to check. And if someone loves the four strings above all – they may really love this remaster.