The First

Holy smokes! I've just come across the most exciting and thrilling obscure "sleeper" band from London, England, cryptically named Amulet. These five young British lads have fiercely knocked one out of the park "the first" time around with their incredibly engaging 2014 debut "The First". If you're into any kind of 70s era hard blues rock/ proto-doom such as Bang!, Clear Blue Sky and Pentagram and/or NWOBHM trailblazers Angel Witch, Pagan Altar, and Witchfinder General, well, I've got some riveting news : Amulet is right up your alley! If this phenomenal quintet doesn't fully turn your crank, I'll have to consider you bat shit crazy. Allow me to elaborate on how freaking awesome this release and why I'm so keen on promoting this unbelievable gem.

The explosive entree, "Evil Cathedral" launches the listener smack into the band's nostalgic darkness spectacularly illuminated by stunning moments of sheer musical brilliance. The song starts with Dave Sherwood's frenzied drum intro giving way to the guitarists' Phil Cope-meets Vincent Mc Allister (R.I.P.)-meets Alan Jones' style of melodic, haunting and highly pentatonic riffs and solos. Rhythm guitarist "Heathen Stephen" (Steve Marek) provides the dark, catchy and mainly cool sounding riffs. 'Nip' Blackford is in charge of the lead playing- and what lead playing! Whether they're introductory gate crashers such as the hell ripper tearing us a new one at the rousing behest of opener "Evil Cathedral" or more of the climatic garden variety (take your pick; they're not lacking), his ripping solos are hair-raising. Their timing is also very commendable. On "The Ripper" invoking "Glint Of The Knife", picture his wizened and spry dijyts twitching right before he lets loose a demonically bluesy solo following the eerie bell, which itself couldn't have been timed better. Urph! One particularly winsome lead left me utterly slack jawed and wanting to whip chairs around: the sleazy Billy-Gibbons style sizzlers on "Heathen Castle", a number which carries the same momentum as Deep Purple's classic, "Highway Star", or the lesser know "Smokescreen", by Pentagram.

Bill "Dozer" also proudly imposes himself here, as it's easy to sink your teeth into his jarring bass lines which benefit from a thick, bottom heavy tone. I dig how he mimics the closing guitar riff on "Mark Of Evil" when his band mates pause for a step. "Wicked & Cruel" plays out as a cautionary ditty on the nitty gritty of living in the city. Complimenting the rhythm section is old-hand Dave Sherwood, who's played in a variety of bands prior to finding his niche with Amulet. His tight use of the ride on "Bloody Nights" and conservative employ of the cowbell on "Nightmare" are prime showings of his innovative 70s rock cum proto-metale style. Combined, Dozer and Sherwood allow for a little Iron Claw/Sir Lord Baltimore type nostalgia on top of the whole doom/traditional metal thing going on.

Less than half-way through the proceedings, Sherwood's mates are given a break as he appropriately conveys a haunting 80s horror movie vibe with his short and lugubrious keyboard composition "The Flight". (I don't know why but this eerie interlude never fails to remind me of the 1983 horror flick Mausoleum starring scream queen of the times Bobbi Broese.) "Talisman" definitely sounds like a Witchcraft or Burning Saviors composition, while the next-to-last number on this masterpiece, "Nightmare", features some classic Stained Class era Judas Priest style riffs which also lend a clean and raunchy feel to it. An unexpected but frankly appropriate inclusion to Amulet's debut is a shockingly solid cover of "Wicked Woman", a 1969 hit by the female fronted psychedelic/occult themed rock band Coven. A tip of the hat to Elton for stepping up to the plate and not being thrown off by stepping into Jinx Dawson's shoes but instead making this superb choice of a cover song the perfect finishing touch to one of the best old-school doom rock/ traditional heavy metal albums to have emerged this century.

The vocalist, Jaimie Elton - who's incidentally a professional sound engineer - reminds me of a vast array of metal vocalists, the main ones being Jarvis Leatherby of Night Demon - especially on "Evil Cathedral" - and Witchcraft's Magnus Pelander, notably on "Heathen Castle"and "Wicked & Cruel" (you've to love the way he croons : "The way of the World is wicked and cruel!"). Alternatively, on "Bloody Night" and "Trip Forever", his gruffer demeanour appears to scream Algy Ward all the way. The former track (and single) showcases the band in a "hard rock" kind of light, something perhaps a bit more radio friendly but excellent and on par with the other songs. There are no weak moments whatsoever on The First. The album is essentially flawless, a "desert island" top ten in my book, representing everything I love about rock and roll and heavy metal in general. I can genuinely say I haven't been this excited about music since I unearthed Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden as a teenager or Pentagram over a decade ago. Heck, even the cover kicks ass!

I'll consolidate the fanfare with a genial summation regarding this ineluctable debut's stalwart, unforgettable chemistry and overall magniloquence. Each of the five members share similar if not downright identical influences and/or inspirations; in turn, they weave together an essential, dead-to-rights, irreproachable (as well as swimmingly "encrochable") cornerstone from which is fueled their savvy musical stewardship. At crunch time, when all their individual contributions are brought to the table and the entire nostalgic brew is stirred in the wizards' cauldron, truly amazing musical works emerge. Also, all five young lads possess solid musical roots and knowledge (three of the members write for Iron Fist). I expect the band will continue to impress us in the future. They are certainly due for another release coming of the heels of their 2011 EP Cut The Crap. The production of The First is fantastic and of very high quality whereas they went for a more roughshod countenance with the following four-track recording. It's certainly a great find for me as well, which is why I elected to submit both my Amulet reviews simultaneously. These are exciting times indeed for this style of criminally underrated music. Thanks to other modern day outfits (such as Blackslash and Forensick), more and more metal fans are jumping on the bandwagon.

In this case, if even just one of the bands I've likened to the subject matter of this review has at some point struck a chord with you, then by all means, be "the first" in your circle to behold the awesome power of Amulet.

There is a brand of healthy adoration within “The First” that is often unfulfilled. Amulet is genuinely influenced by NWOBHM, a classic brand of heavy metal whose influence has, unfortunately, dwindled down to a trickle compared to the Slayer tribute bands and Machine Head clones running amok. The olden elements are potent and felt powerfully throughout these dazzling little slabs of heavy metal magic, though to imply the dudes of Amulet are merely mimicking bands they enjoy would be preposterous. There are more than enough rocking riffs and nifty themes lingering in the horror/occult-themed atmosphere to boost “The First” beyond a rudimentary imitating of Angel Witch or Holocaust. It’s not out of question to find a nod to Mercyful Fate or Di’Anno-era Maiden, too.

Amulet’s style is up-tempo and lethal, an act of sifting around the ashes of a charred rock corpse for a shadowy brand of classic heavy metal. The songs are generally quick, straightforward bits of handfuls of cool riffs revolving around memorable choruses and stellar lead guitar work—many of the thirteen chapters hardly break the four-minute mark. The sequences and melodies are used to their effectiveness and then dropped, not milked beyond their worth just to run up the clock or appeal to some diluted idea of innovation. Swift anthems heavy on the goods honor the old-school aggression of Maiden’s bygone era and classic NWOBHM acts without coming off as dull tributes. Vocalist Jamie Elton, though possessing a British twang, appears somewhat atypical. I get a vibe of hard rock in his drawl, but I drink a lot, so keep that in mind.

The highlights of “The First” focus on the album’s thematic elements of horror and occultism, which greatly deepen Amulet’s atmospheric components. Stout riffs bud in once in a while that sound mugged from Michael Denner’s crypt of old Mercyful Fate demos, whereas the lyrical darkness and driving grooves of “The Sacrifice” or “Heathen Castle” bring out a semblance of old-school terror. I love “The Flight,” a keyboard-based interlude that conjures a vibe of 80s horror, and a perfect reflection of Amulet’s conceptual front. Certainly “The First” excels wonderfully in capturing its desired intentions. Thirteen tunes in all and not one of them manages to screw up Amulet’s style and consistency. A nice treat for fans of NWOBHM who want more than mindless nostalgia and a crap-free record worthy of its heavy metal goodness.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com