Twelve Pounds, and No Kinks!

NWOBHM Rarities Review #13

This album rocks, straight off the bat. From the outset, Bitches Sin provides a tour-de-force of the NWOBHM genre. A thundering mix of tracks and raw talent makes this an excellent sampling of leading NWOBHM. This is one of the first NWOBHM singles I got, around 2002 or 2003 and it really kicks plenty of ass. Bitches Sin would go on to relative success, cf. the majority of the bands of the genre, who would release only one album to their name.

The opener “Down the Road” kills with galloping Steve Harris-esque thunder. Whining guitar leads shred out at around the 75% mark over galloping bass, before kicking back into excellent chorus work. The riff-age is great and its a winner in every aspect. The second track, “White Lady” slows down the pace a bit, and grants such classic lyrical chants as “there’s no escape from heavy metal”, while retaining the guitar-lead infusion of the first track. A real “Stoner” style sound is evidenced in “Ice Angels”, which sounds distinctly Sabbath-esque. Even the Lyrics are reminiscent of Sabbath, bringing to mind such songs as “Snowblind”. The self titled track “Bitches Sin” is a noisy, heavy-riffed anthem, with whining vocals, thumping bass, and dirty, 70’s style riff-age. The track “Tighter than Tight” is a favorite, starting up slow, and whipping into dirty “Classic Rock” style vocal stuff.

On the downside (?) is the recording quality, which is typical of NWOBHM demos of this kind, but i feel this adds to the charm. All round I’d say it’s another great little edition to any NWOBHM/Classic Metal fan, offering up some great cuts to enjoy some lagers in the company of a couple of good buddies. Upbeat, stoner-style at times, with evidence of guitar proficiency and a genuine feel.

-DeathRiderDoom