I'm fully stoked to dive into today's Retro Spin. Before yesterday, I'd never heard of Warlock and only got their albums after coming across them on a list of heavy metal bands from the 80's. Admittedly, it was the incredibly reasonable pricing that got me to take the plunge on their four studio albums. After playing through yesterday's Burning The Witches, their 1984 debut, I considered myself an immediate fan. Will it stay that way? I hope so, but let's find out as I continue with their sophomore released, Hellbound (1985).
A disastrous distribution and poor financing, which not only hindered the band's commercial momentum, but derailed their support tour, led to Warlock switching labels from Mausoleum Records to Phonogram. With distribution handled by Vertigo Records, the band entered the studio to record and release their second album.
With its release, the band garnered attention around the UK and Germany, granting them the opportunity for a full European tour. This would eventually bring them to Camden Palace Theater in London, where they recorded the concert film, Metal Racer, released that same year. The UK embraced Warlock, naming them Best New Band that year in Kerrang! magazine. Doro Pesch would also be voted Best Female Singer by readers of Metal Forces.
After performing at Metal Hammer Festival, alongside Metallica, Venom, Running Wild, Pretty Maids, Nazareth, and Wishbone Ash, things seemed to be on a trajectory of onward and upward. Warlock had carved their name in the wall in the annals of heavy metal.
Had the newness worn off already? Or was I just being picky at this point? Hellbound, while good, didn't deliver as well as Burning The Witches. It was a solid listening experience, in particular the guitar solos of Rudy Graf, and Peter Szigeti.
Disappointingly, as a whole, things weren't as catchy. What I noticed in reviewing the track listing was that whereas in their debut Graf and Pesch were the main songwriting, for this album, not only are all the band members credited, but so too are several outside sources. Could this simply be a problem of too many hands in the pot? Possibly. When you have five or more people each trying to put their own stamp on a tune, things can get muddy really quickly.
Again, it's a good album. It just doesn't have that oomph that the previous did. What it also doesn't have is many standout tracks, of the nine, I picked two, Shout It Out, and Catch My Heart. However, unlike Burning The Witches, which left me wanting to play it again, Hellbound is a relatively one and done for me.
The Hellbound tour would also serve as the last for Rudy Graf, who would leave after it ended. Though it's not been confirmed, it's speculated that tensions internally with other members, and the intense, demanding nature of the band's rapid rise led to his exit. Niko Arvanitis would replace him.
Unlike a lot of other bands, there's not much history being provided between Warlock albums, so tomorrow, I'll just jump right into 1986's True As Steel and keep the music flowing.
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