Retro Spins: Grim Reaper - See You In Hell

 

Today I'm on to a band that I was one hundred percent unfamiliar with. My co-worker swung by my office one morning, after many of talking about 80's metal, and asked, "Have you heard of Grim Reaper?" With that question, I was off to Google, and then eventually ebay.

What I learned about was a band who began in England in 1979, released three albums in the 80's, two in the 2010's, and were mocked relentlessly on Beavis and Butt-Head.

Well, the latter certainly doesn't help their cause. I mean, if Beavis and Butt-Head are mocking you, that means you're probably not as metal as you think you are. Still, I found myself intrigued, and willing to take the chance since it was coming as a recommendation.

What I noticed when tracking the three 80's entries down was that there were multiple options, and none of them necessarily cheap. First up were the Japanese pressed versions. These ranged between $20.00 and $30.00. This was followed by the 2000 remastered releases from Spitfire, which ranged between $30.00 and $50.00. The last, and the one I went with, was the Grimm Chronicles from Reaper Records.

Though not usually my go to format for collecting albums, this omnibus set contained all three albums from the 80's, each on their own disc, for $20.00. While I would have preferred to own each album separately, I simply couldn't justify the price of each separately. Frankly, I also didn't want to put in the effort of tracking them all down individually. In this case, the box set simply made the most feasible and cost-effective sense.

Who would have thought that a song called, See You In Hell, could have such a peppy chorus? It's the track that kicks everything off, and while I'm not necessarily a fan of lead singer Steve Grimmett's high pitched vocals, when he tapers this back, it does get rather enjoyable. I think for me, the standout tracks, in addition to the above opener, were Liar, The Show Must Go On, and All Hell Let Loose.

Music wise, it's 80's metal through and through. Speedy instrumentation, with a howling madman belting out the vocals. Mix in thrashing guitar solos, and of course drums that thunder across each song. To borrow from the band's Wiki page, "Since achieving mainstream success, Grim Reaper has been known for embodying every single aspect of cheese in heavy metal and going over the top with poppy hooks and edgy lyrics."

I'm actually looking quite forward to diving into their next album. For as cheesy as it is, I'm really enjoying what I'm hearing so far. When I dive into 1985's Fear No Evil tomorrow, I'll also back pedal a bit, and touch more on the band's history. Until then, that's about all I've got for this one.

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