In Days of Heavy Metal... Reborn

Let's play a leisurely game of "What's Wrong From This Picture". The setting? Either Fubar rock-u-mentary, starring Albertan beer-swilling headbangers Terry and Dean, from 2002 and 2010. The elements: Creeper, Sweet, Thor, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Girlschool, Poison, Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer.

So what's the problem here? More precisely, which Calgarian, early 80s hard rock/ heavy metal outfit is shamefully absent from the soundtracks to both Fubar instalments?…

Breaker, that's who!

You may or may not have heard of this compelling quintet from days of yore. If you have, the more power to you! If not - and I know untold bands sport the same moniker, thus confusing things - well, that's what I'm here for. Released on 12" vinyl under Iron Head in 1982 when, at three years old I was too busy rocking out to stuff like Foreigner and (please don't laugh too hard) Boy George's "Chameleon" to notice, this four-track/ twenty odd minute long, old school gem aptly titled In Days Of Heavy Metal is one heck of a pleasing throwback to the pre-thrash era of evoked Spinal Tap tomfoolery and hell raising mayhem.

What stands Breaker apart from the well-known spoof, however, is the fact this legendary one-time wonder produced a beast of a release venerated to this day judging from its panoply of Metal Archives praise. I figured I'd join the fray, seeing as how much of a kick I still get out of "Satan's Lyre" and "Living Free", legendary tracks which epitomize everything I love about rock 'n' roll and heavy metal in general.

First of all, IDOHM's production is very warm, very bass-y and it's only by pure chance I discovered it sounds a lot like Griffin's Flight Of The Griffin and to a lesser extent, Warlock's Burning The Witches, both from 1984 (a golden year!) and landmark heavy metal albums in their own right. Vintage analog sound withstanding, the songs are fairly simple - aside from the extensive 10.5 minute long title track - and possess a gripping, instant-appeal quality as well as a loose, noncommittal feel which make this demo ideal for cranking on the car stereo while high tailing it across town to that show you and your pals are keenly anticipating. The opener, "Living Free" perfectly exemplifies this. It also lifts my spirits threw the roof every time I hear it thanks to a super cool chord slide at its inception, its congenial and pounding - albeit simple - bass and drum overtures and not least of which, the singer's wickedly captivating, devil-may-care verses:

"Remember twenty years gone by
The nights were young and we were high
The one and only and it used to be fun
Remember when you were the only one

Good looking, you're shaking
You slept around but you gone too far
And your passion with the burn-out voice
You got it made no matter where you are

Living Free...
Living Free, yeah!
Living free…
Living free, yeah!"

Along with its nifty, no frills bridge and radically epic solo this track really does make one feel free. As I much as I dig its lift though, it's really "Satan's Lyre" - my first glimpse of this buried treasure - which turned my head around (watch Tank call and demand its catch phrase back). I mean, the lyrics here are the coolest ever! You've just gotta love the front man's dramatic, succubus fearing admonitions which run from beginning to end. Add to this a mean, rumbling bass line and tone, sick chord sliding, steadying single note riff-age and demented, free-wheeling, swath-cutting soloing…What more do you need?!

Also suitably bacchanal, "Easy Rider"' features an opening guitar riff highly reminiscent of the KISS staple "Detroit Rock City" but to its credit projects less of a tongue-in-cheek "rock star" image despite an inherently contrived cheesiness (I mean, the Peter Fonda/ Dennis Hopper/ Jack Nicholson classic biker movie preceded it by a long shot) which should be forgiven by the other material on offer (it's the weakest track nevertheless). Admittedly, the title track starts off with carnival-esque whimsy soon followed by a King Arthur evoking mellotron break but fear not dear reader as some heavier-than-its-time, chugging guitar riffs take over and here on in it's one twist after another, somehow coming on top throughout it all. The singer's eventual crooning isn't too bad - I've heard much worse and besides, it adds a bit of harmless fantasy to this already diversified track. Stick around until the half-way mark though as the riffs and solos which take over soar above and beyond most of what was coming out of the radio at the time. I didn't take to this long-winded track instantly like I did to the others, but it's well worth the wait in the end.

Its novelty is now slowly wearing off but man, there was a time when Breaker's In Days Of Heavy Metal was THE soundtrack to my existence. If you've never heard it, I strongly recommend doing so on youtube as the original vinyl is not only super rare but a very expensive collection piece as well…Give'r!

"By day she's as white as lace
She'll never let them see
Who she is
When the lights go out
She's down on her knees
Driven by lust and desire
She's burning and her soul's on fire
Oh! yeah

A neon flashing in the air
Headlights passing with a deadly glare
She survives by the will of her soul
Another black patch in her hair and you'll stare
She's been firing her own black lather (leather?)
Flying higher
She's going to go for ever
Oh yeah!

Angel disguised as the Devil!
Angel disguised
She's a devil!"

(insert sardonic laughter here!)

Back in the dark ages of the early eighties, when heavy metal was still fairly close in proximity to its hard rock forefathers, all ears were turned towards that cluster of islands to the northwest of Europe that was once the epicenter of Anglo hegemony. Granted, all that gleamed with metallic luster was not British, at least in a national sense, as a host of solid acts from Germany and Sweden were also making the rounds, but even these bands could not help but exhibit a lot of the same quirks typical to the NWOBHM. The short-lived Canadian outfit Breaker perhaps best exemplifies this tendency both towards emulating the exploding British heavy metal scene, as well as its ongoing affinity with a number of consequential hard rock outfits of the seventies such as Uriah Heep, UFO and Blue Oyster Cult. Their lone studio offering and rather ambitious EP In Days Of Heavy Metal would seem to imply a sense of reminiscing upon the earlier days of metal/rock ambiguity that dominated the 70s, complete with having a 60s pop veteran in Van Louis as producer and a British born vocal extraordinaire in Rik Anthony at the helm, and yet it also manages to anticipate much of what would lay in heavy metal's future.

There are a number of similar acts that were already making waves in the British scene that likely had a sizable impact on this album, ranging from Tygers Of Pan Tang on the lighter side to even some occasional riff happy moments reminiscent of contemporary works by Saxon and Diamond Head. There's an overall vibe of partying and living large that was not all that uncommon to metal at the time, with steady rockers in "Living Free" and "Easy Rider" cooking at a steady, upper mid-tempo stride and lending themselves quite well to that sort of arena rock vibe that became more exaggerated among many NWOBHM bands by the mid 80s. On the other side of the coin is a somewhat more chugging and aggressive rocker in "Satan's Lyre" that definitely brings in a bit of that Diamond Head vibe, particularly when that shred happy guitar solo kicks in and all but pays direct homage to the one that kicks off "Am I Evil?". Truth be told, the flashy guitar playing is something of a staple of this EP, as each solo section gets pretty close to anticipating the explosion of technical guitarists that would ensue in the next couple years.

For all the ways in which this thing exhibits a lot of typical features of heavy metal in the early 80s, it also comes with a fair degree of unique quirks that puts it in a class by itself. Most of the chorus sections of each song are rather large in scope and dense, likely being the consequence of Van Louis importing those trio and quartet vocal group practices during his tenure in the 60s music scene. But the deviations from common practice really come to a climax on the ten and a half minute metallic epic of a title song "In Days Of Heavy Metal", which shuffles in a lot of moving parts that recall the ambitious progressive ideas that were a bit more common in the mid 70s. It isn't quite as heavy hitting as Iron Maiden's "Phantom Of The Opera" or "Hallowed Be Thy Name", but it definitely goes to a similar place in terms of ambitious songwriting and gets pretty well outside of the verse/chorus box that generally dominated things at the time.

The first inclination that one tends to have when discovering an enthralling piece of history that has largely been forgotten since is to question why it didn't reach a wider audience or make the same impact upon the scene as more prolific contemporaries. However, the economics of the day and the likely clash in personalities between the instrumentalists, all of whom worked together under the name Iron Head prior to Anthony's entry, with said vocalist were an all too common tale and it is something of an accomplishment that this outfit put together over 20 minutes work of music rather than fizzling out after recording a lone single. Finding the original vinyl pressing of this is about as difficult and costly as one can imagine, but with the advent of the internet this piece of early heavy metal history may find a much wider audience, and hopefully it will.

I know what you all might be thinking right from reading this band's details and yes, Canada did produce some amazing metal records throughout the 80s, but what's really obscure about Breaker's only release is that it is just so ahead of its time in terms of musicianship and raw talent. 1982, a year where the NWOBHM was at its peak and almost all bands at the time played a reasonably similar style and shared almost the same sound, regardless of it being, to me, the most important metal wave in history.

But, what really surprised me when listening to this record was the overall creativity in their song-writing, where they also played a style reminiscent to bands like Warlord or Omen, basically in the vein of the later power metal bands. "Living Free" takes its influence from NWOBHM bands, as their sounds are quite apparent, along with that ever-so enchanting chorus we all know and love from these bands. "Satan's Lyre" is probably the least enjoyable track on this EP, as the riffs and singing that back them up are almost bland-like and don't really conjoin with one another. "Easyrider" is a fairly fun song to jam to, very similar to Iron Maiden with a power metal twist, especially in the chorus, which easily reminded me of what Di'Anno would sing. The title track is truly a remarkable piece of work. Clocking in at over 10 minutes, the band creates waves of sounds through different effects that harmonize so beautifully together. And in those 10 minutes, it is quite difficult to get bored, as the riffs are constantly changing, new sounds are introduced (choir like section, for example) and tempos shift drastically. Epic is all that needs to be said throughout the song, and for it being 1982 during the recording session, these young men were surely gifted of some sorts, and although often overlooked, Breaker could easily be identified as the pioneers of epic metal (in Canada, that is) with just that one song. For all you muthas who actually own a copy of this gem, I salute you. Prepare to spend up to 300$ for this classic!

Written for HeavyMetalGems.blogspot.com

It's time to honour some great bands from the country where I am living right now, the beautiful maple leaf giant Canada and I want to start the discovery with this rather unknown heavy metal act from the early eighties. The music of "Breaker" is heavily influenced by the so called New Wave of British Heavy Metal but they had the special certain something to get further attention but it sadly didn't quite work. A debut EP of such a good quality at that time was stunning and rare and even if the band sometimes reminds me of the early days of Iron Maiden, they are still original and progressive enough to stand out without losing their straightness and their traditional sound. They simply had everything to become a great Canadian metal act. They were catchy and used to mix commercial choruses with some interesting progressive influences without getting lost in overwhelming structures

"Living free" begins slowly and develops into a mid tempo heavy metal track with many atmospheric breaks that are influenced by a slight progressive or even psychedelic rock tendency. The chorus is simple and catchy and the presented mixture of smooth heavy metal and progressive rock works very well with the first part being highly dominating. That's a nice opener and it really reminds me of Iron Maiden's debut works.

"Satan's lyre" has nothing really dark or evil as it is simply a song in the key of the albums of Judas Priest that came out at the same time. Some technical, almost future like industrial sounds with some interesting effects mixed with some straight riffs and an enjoyable chorus form a quite original and entertaining song. The young guys from Alberta really show in here that they are innovating and open minded and even convince from a technical point of view. They really went further than many other traditional metal bands at the time and took a glimpse at the near future of metal music.

"Easyrider" is probably the straightest and edgiest song on the record and liberates a huge amount of energy. This song reminds once again of a song from the early Iron Maiden years. This is a great melodic heavy metal track that is only slightly flawed by some annoying background noises towards the end.

"In days of heavy metal" is the epic title track that clocks at over ten minutes of playing time which was quite rare for a band of that genre at the time. The positive thing is that the song never gets much boring and takes its time to develop an interesting mood that underlines a mystic tale. There are mystic passages with choirs and decent keyboard sound effects, also pumping mid tempo heavy metal parts and also faster and straighter rhythm orientated passages. This song could have been a prototype for later epic heavy metal songs and must not behind the epic tracks of the masters of metals of that time.

To keep it short, this little gem is really worth your attention and may prove that there were already good Canadian heavy metal bands at such an early state. It's easy to find the songs on bootlegs or in the World Wide Web while a purchase is heavily expensive and also rare to find. You should just head for this little masterpiece if you want to listen to good old heavy metal music with some diversity but without any overwhelming guitar solos, endless instrumental passages or stupid lyrical themes. Don't follow modern nostalgic bands or groups that are still stuck into the past if you can get the best stuff right from such a historical source. This music has nothing lost of its feeling of freedom and fascination and it's a sad thing that this kind of culture has become quite rare nowadays. It's refreshing to just listen to some honest and faithful great heavy metal from Canada from time to time even for someone that is experimenting and discovering a lot like me.

…of heavy metal that is. Which while primarily was located in England, wasn’t exclusively part of the United Kingdom. This little beaut’ of an EP teaches that’s a lesson, not to be taken lightly. Hailing from the land of the red & white maple leaf Breaker are not to be confused with their overrated Cleveland, U.S. Counterparts, who share the same band name and formed around the same time In The Days of Heavy Metal, This EP is anything but mediocre.

The four track vinyl begins with the feel-good, fun-loving anthem Living Free instantly sharing something pretty special out of the vaults of early obscurity. Apparent youthful nostalgia in such a non-manufactured genuine warm-hearted way, is not achieved often and treasured when found. Trying not to be too sappy it’s the perfect song for looking fondly back upon your best youthful memories.

Emphasizing the differences between early “New wave” metal and everything that followed would be a good way to begin an impression of how Breaker sound. A lot of people argue that NWOBHM doesn’t exist as a genre but only as a movement. While this is an easier viewpoint to argue I disagree. You’ll notice after you’ve listened to a lot of NWOBHM there’s a certain groove and attitude that envelopes. A groove that musically takes a lot more from the 70’s where music was less formulated or bound to common musical hooks/progressions. And an attitude that takes more from the 50’s through to 70’s where music had that fun analog wholesomeness. Digital technology was coming into play in the 80’s, music was becoming not dare I say more sterile but defiantly more mechanical (Especially in metal – take thrash for example). That’s what Breaker and other “new wave” bands had in common some of the hooks and heavier style-ings of the 80’s while keeping the groove of the 70’s and feel-good nature of earlier decades. Some good examples of this groove can be heard in songs like Satan’s Lyre and Easyrider the two grooviest and lightest hitting songs found here.

Though not clones in anyway two main musical factors do place Breaker in early Angel Witch territory, or rather Kevin Heybourne territory. Rik Anthony sports that same youthful accented upper range of Heybourne. In fact the only difference really is the way they accent their singing. Imagine if Heybourne grew up in Canada rather than England and you’ve got Rik Anthony. The second main factor being Shaky and Kevin Bradley’s guitar work being very similar to Heybourne’s early Angel Witch work. Imagine mixing Angel Witch’s S/T LP with it’s energetic fast guitar solos and phased acoustic guitar passages with something a little less occult and more youthful like Anvil’s 1981 debut Hard ‘n Heavy that’s basically what we have here. However it should be mentioned that the title track is total epic metal that would be very complementing for fans of such early U.S. acts like Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol and Brocas Helm. With it’s ceremonial upbeat orchestrated intro, galloping verses, desperate phased acoustic passages with choirs and total rocking climax with energetic solos.

Tying things up fans of early “new wave” heavy metal whether it be the U.K., Swedish, U.S. or whatever, should enjoy this gem quite a bit. The price of owning an original copy on vinyl will hinder quite a few though as it’s current price ranges from $150 - $270 US depending where you get it from. But in my opinion is one of those rarities that’s worth every penny.