Vibrations of Doom

Even in its most primitive and rock-based incarnation, metal is a formidable sonic force that is rivaled by none in terms of its impact, hence the more traditional variant of it still maintaining its heavy description in the very name. But few bands were able to come up with a name to adorn their various LPs, EPs, and single releases that had flooded the market by the time 1984 rolled in that truly captured the art form's very essence, and arguably none did so as well as the long-lived yet not terribly prolific teutonic heavy metal band Samain. Though far from the most aggressive or extreme album to come of the then separate western German nation, Vibrations Of Doom is arguably the name that could best describe any band that cranks the amps to 10 and crafts a metallic anthem, past or present, in any of its various sub-genres. Then again, it can be safely argued that while a well realized and clearly guitar-oriented album, this lone LP in Samain's small catalog has such a strongly hard rock rooted and melodic approach that it finds itself being just shy of a middle of the road experience, even when compared with other offerings of the same year courtesy of Dio, W.A.S.P., Twisted Sister, Accept and several others.

Taking some cues from the more prog rock oriented side of the NWOBHM and a developing trend among the style as a whole, things begin on a decidedly spacey note with a near minute-long instrumental keyboard prelude that sounds like it could have been featured on Rainbow's Bent Out Of Shape. However, this first taste proves to be a largely deceptive, albeit charming curve ball that is immediately followed by a mid-paced crusher of a song in "Straight Hammered Creed". The riff work and generally slow-paced character has all the marks of what Herman Frank took to Accept's 1983 classic Balls To The Wall, with maybe a tad less crunch and a vocal display that's a tad less gravely, sort of like a German version of Bon Scott to Udo Dirkschneider's shrieking Brain Johnson. This template proves to be the dominant tool employed by this quintet, as the somewhat more melodically rich and fancy "Seven Tears" and the slow galloping anthem to Nordic splendor "Thor" are among the standout examples of the same sort of fist-pumping, slower paced fanfare that scored several classic songs for Accept and Victory in the mid-80s, tempered by a somewhat smoother vocal display and a slightly less abrasive yet nasty guitar sound.

When taken in its entirety, while there is no outright slouch among this collection of highly catchy anthems, this album's only real critical flaw is that it gets a bit formulaic and largely plays it safe in both the songwriting and tempo department. There are no outright speed-infused climatic points to speak of here such as a "Fast As A Shark", or even something that would pass for the fast-paced material off Iron Maiden's Number Of The Beast or Piece Of Mind. Some riff-happy rockers such as "Thank The Aerosmith" take things into slightly quicker territory and could pass for a moderately fast swinging affair similar to something like W.A.S.P.'s "School Daze", and the relatively quick cruiser "(Tale Of A) Giant Man" approaches Grim Reaper territory and sports some fancy, bluesy-tinged guitar soloing, but overall this album has about the same degree of tempo dynamics as AC/DC's Back In Black. On a somewhat tangential note, the more old school rock 'n' roll tinged offering "Gonna Swing My Chariot" is another somewhat faster offering, but comes off as more of a slightly more intricate reimagining of an old Chuck Berry song, which has a certain novel charm, but also is a bit out of place among an array of heavier sounding material.

Though Samain would continue to exist and play in some capacity until the mid-2000s, there was never a follow up LP, nay, even an additional song to be recorded over the course of the next 22 years. It's a rather sad situation considering the degree of stylistic development that might have taken place in the remaining years of the 80s alone, though the immediate future probably would have seen this band going a bit further down the keyboard-infused, Bent Out Of Shape AOR direction in order to maintain any degree of commercial viability in the mid-80s, at least if the concurrent offerings of Accept, Saxon, and several other heavy metal bands of the day were any indication. It's something of a historical curiosity for any present day metal fans, even among trustees of the current revival of traditional heavy metal, but there are enough good songs on here to make it well worth a listen or two. In the end, the greatest feature of this album is its name, which was good enough to inspire a website to adopt it and take on the cause of keeping this era of metal alive for the current generation.

Despite the overwhelming impact of the German (thrash) metal awakening during the first years of the eighties, many bands fell by the wayside. Sometimes it was a tragedy in view of their musical skills (Violent Force, Warrant, Iron Angel), sometimes it did not come as a surprise in view of outputs that suffered from rather amateurish compositions and / or a bad distribution (S.D.I., Metal Sword, Wallop). Samain also belong to those formations that never gained ground and I do not really know why they failed. Well, one thing is for sure, their unspectacular image and their traditional style of metal were not predestined to attract the attention of a broad audience. Musically, the guys of Samain did not leave the territory where Accept had already settled and avoided high speed eruptions. On the other hand, don't be fooled by the title of the debut. "Vibrations of Doom" has nothing in common with doom metal. Samain just played primordial Teutonic metal.

One can split the album in two parts which vary considerably in size. The first section consists, as much as I regret it, of just one song. The quasi-opener "Straight Hammered Creed", the first track is only a short and pretty superfluous intro, gets the highly popular Felix 1666 award for the most overlooked killer in terms of early German metal. Congratulations from my side! Even Noisehunter's "Fever", another widely ignored prime example of strong and stainless Teutonic steel, got more attention. "Straight Hammered Creed" holds a subliminal viciousness, its rasping guitars build the fundament for a riff that develops in a very good way. The bridge opens wide the gates and pushes the song on an even higher level. Yet I must mention another detail. After the first chorus, a hysterically screaming, faceless crowd appears and strengthens the feeling of discomfort. This part seems to be closely linked with the simple yet awesome artwork, but the slightly banal lyrics speak another language. However, a formidable tune.

Now let's talk about the second, disproportionately greater part. Generally speaking, Samain deliver a constant stream of decently flowing heavy metal. From today's point of view, these songs are the appropriate sound for a cosy gathering with some other metal freaks. Traditional metal is still the root of all sub genres and has proved its right of existence during the last decades in a convincing manner. But back in 1984 and 1985, everything seemed to be lame as long as it did not scream "Kill 'Em All" or "Show No Mercy". During a short time, even actually well-known and famous artists such as Dio or AC/DC seemed to be nothing but relics of the past. Pretty foolish, but the truth. Against this background, Samain fought a losing battle. Nevertheless, the songs are coherently designed, the conventional patterns do not overstrain the listener and the band proves its credibility while avoiding cheesy commercial stuff. Don't expect surprising twists and turns, but a solidly designed albums with some good riffs. Unfortunately, the voice of the lead singer is neither cold nor warm and leaves therefore a pretty ordinary impression. And to put insult to injury, a higher energy level of the entire band would have been helpful.

Yet even when considering these details, the adequately produced work does not suffer from major flaws. Nevertheless, today we know that only one outstanding track was not enough, although "Diamonds & Disgrace" was a second good (but not outstanding) track. It convinced with a somewhat dark atmosphere, while its abrasive guitars were obviously inspired by Accept's "Princess of the Dawn". Anyway, if one is interested in traditional metal or one just likes to go back in time, "Vibrations of Doom" is definitely an option. Of course, it is pretty strange that no band member ever appeared in another band's line-up, although Samain originated from a city in North Rhine-Westphalia which was not far away from the epicentre of German metal in the eighties. Yet this does not mean that the guys did not know how to make music.

Sometimes when I reflect upon my life I think I must really be a German, though my adoption papers apparently state otherwise. Is Dutch close enough? I certainly hope so, because I have such a man crush on German metal of the 80s that I feel it's deep in my blood. Either that, or so much of it was just so fucking great that it draws out a connection in any listener of taste. Samain are one such example, a band long lost to the 80s in which they produced their sole full length, Vibrations of Doom, through Roadrunner, no less, before suffering a number of lineup changes and eventually calling it a day. Truly a tragedy, because this album is so great that I could easily have pictured the band alongside the ranks of Accept and Running Wild had they continued to foster their charismatic hooks.

Yes, Vibrations of Doom is perhaps one of the best one-shot German metal legacies in all of history, though some of you lucky old tools out there might have access to their later demos and videotapes, which contain material not heard here. There are 10 tracks here, one of which is an ambient keyboard intro ("Vibrations"), the rest of which are unmitigated excellence. Samain had a very laid back, road ready style that most resembles Accept, Saxon and Judas Priest. They rarely ever explode with energy, choosing instead to maintain a steady escalation into each chorus, with calmly plucked rock mutes and big chords that you will feel. There is obviously a decidedly 80s flavor to the mix, but like so many records of that period, it's timeless, and the heart grows fonder with age. Peter Ancaster's vocals were quite blue collar, like a poor(er) man's Udo Dirkschneider without the AC/DC screaming, but when his presence is fused with the consistency of the guitars and rhythm section, the album takes on this wonderful, street level appeal somewhere between Accept and Motörhead.

This is felt in "The Seal of Jidda", the "Straight Hammered Creed", "Seven Tears" and the bad ass "(Tale of a) Giant Man", all of which are enormous fun, but there is another side the band: the epic lyrics. Whilst many of Samain's peers were singing about the ladies and the cars and the booze and the hard luck and whatever else the mustache slinging hesher could so relate to in the 80s, this German band was incorporating lyrics about Norse myth ("Thor") and gladiators ("Gonna Swing My Chariot"). This is regulated with a healthy heaping of 'rock' and 'metal' related material, of course ("Straight Hammered Creed", "The Metal Breaks My Senses"), but it's a killer balance. Personal favorites, aside from those mentioned above, include the dire "Diamonds & Disgrace" and the boogied ballast of "Thank the Aerosmith", in which Ancaster scales some of the highest peaks his throat will allow him. The deep groove of "The Metal Breaks My Senses" is also impressive, and there is not a single power ballad on the entire album to break the steady momentum.

Vibrations of Doom is not the sort of album you would turn to if you want infectious speed like that of Avenger/Rage, and it's not as grimy as the Running Wild debut, but it's nonetheless one of the most reliable records to reach for if you want that pure, European sound so prevalent in Germany, Sweden, Holland and the heights of the NWOBHM. The songs often feel lazy, but tasteful, and possessing the atmosphere that so many of today's young, trendy throwbacks completely ignore in their inbred race to infuse the modern speed of power and technicality to satisfy the post-metalcore crowd that actually buys their shit up. Sure, there may be a few predictable chorus parts here, and the term relaxed might 'rarely' be applied to traditional metal with any degree of fondness, but Samain's debut is perfect for a day on the highway, or if you're just kicking back with a beer or a joint in your flat, wishing you were 2-3 decades in the past. A pity it had to end here.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com