Heroes, Saints & Fools

Musical revolutions, and the sub-movements that they tend to spawn, are not always an exercise in cohesion. More often than not, what will tend to unify a particular grouping of artists is the time period from which they arose, rather than any clear sonic commonality. To be fair, wherein the NWOBHM was concerned, there was a generally working class character to how each band sought to expand upon the emerging evolutionary leap from rock into metal that had been brewing for a little over a decade prior to the onset of the 1980s. With this sensibility came a tendency towards a heavier sound, and naturally some were a fair bit heavier than others. On the lighter end of the spectrum were a number of bands that seemed more keen to maintain as much of an affinity with the sounds of the 1970s rock scene as possible, and a few even going to far as to blur the line between heavy metal and progressive rock to near non-existence. In addition to the one-off throwback to the days of Deep Purple in future Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers' first band White Spirit, a quintet of blokes from Derbyshire dubbed Saracen were quite keen to look to the past for inspiration, though in their case it was the spacey, keyboard-adorned musical ponderings of Rush, Yes, and even Styx that would set their heavy metal template apart from the pack.

This strong resemblance for the mid-70s days of lengthy compositional concoctions with almost meandering structures and dense atmospheres makes a lot of sense given that this band dates back to 1976 under the name Lammergier, but for all of its past-centric qualities, Saracen's debut LP Heroes, Saints & Fools fits nicely within the context of 1981. The generally drawn out songwriting and punchy guitar work out of Rob Bendelow (who looks like he was moonlighting as a Brad Delp lookalike in a Boston tribute band) give things a bit of a sword and sorcery tone that could almost predict the upcoming barbarian swordsman craze that would envelope heavy metal thanks to the popularity of the Conan The Barbarian film. By the same token, the counterbalance of the jam band sense of looseness that comes in with the performance of drummer John Thorne and bassist Barry Yates, both of whom would sadly vacate the fold before a follow up could be recorded (though Thorne did provide some additional percussion in a guest capacity on their sophomore outing) and the spacey synthesizer melodies provided by Richard Lowe, give things a bit more of a campy early 80s quality along the lines of a lower budget fantasy cinema romp like Excalibur or Hawk The Slayer, featuring more of an everyman sword-wielder rather than a musclebound titan.

When combined with the airy, iconic 70s croons and falsetto-driven wails of front man Steve Bettney, this mixture of highly distinctive musical contributors results in a fairly curious hybrid of 70s swagger and early 80s camp. More often than not the resulting sound is quite metallic, as the otherwise proggy character of opening anthem "Crusader" has a solid, hard-hitting riff set driving it, along with a tighter presentation by the rhythm section that is pretty close to that vintage Saxon and Judas Priest sound that already ushered in the 80s on a brilliant note just a year prior to this album's release, though the wild drum outro that Thorne closes the song off with reeks of old time John Bonham worship on steroids. More upbeat rockers in "Rock Of Ages" and "Horsemen Of The Apocalypse" also sport more of a powerful, metal-infused take on things and come off more as a slightly less kinetic take on the Judas Priest model with a lot of keyboards along for the ride. Then again, the lighter grooving and happy-go-lucky "No More Lonely Nights" almost sounds like a slightly heavier response to Styx's "Blue Collar Man", while the quirky, keyboard steeped instrumental prog-fest "Dolphin Ride" sounds like the long lost musical child of Rush and Tangerine Dream. Rounding out the album are two longer nods to Rush with a bit more meat to them in the title anthem and the massive closer "Ready To Fly", which goes pretty heavy on the virtuoso musicianship and seems as much a display of the band's technical chops as it does a song.

One doesn't really go into the heyday of the NWOBHM expecting anything other than the unexpected, so the generally quirky and stylistically mixed character of this album should play pretty well to those normally drawn towards the music of said era. It's a testament to a time when metal was searching for its own identity, but also one where pretty much anyone willing to play a little bit louder was welcome, regardless as to whether they were brining along a side order of punk, jazz or spacey prog rock influences into the mix. Perhaps one should expect nothing less from the same music scene that produced such radically different sounding acts as Venom and Tygers Of Pan Tang. This album goes a bit heavier on the progressive rock angle than most, to the point where it occasionally gets difficult to spot the early heavy metal elements, so it will probably find an even more welcoming audience among fans of Rush and other 70s acts that were on the lighter side of the coin, though Rob Bendelow's guitar work packs a bit more force than what one would usually expect out of the Alex Lifesons and Peter Banks' of the world. There are three kinds of people in the heavy metal world, but regardless of whether one be a hero, saint or fool, all are far better than simply trying to win as they teach you in school.

Let's be honest, the NWOBHM scene was pretty geeky. Never was there a greater coalition of nerds, weebs, and D&D enthusiasts - except of course my high school lunch table - and together they penned some of the boldest interpretations of our beloved genre to this very day. They blurred the line between metal and prog rock, tucking the listener within blankets of warm synth, neoclassical solos, and unrestrained vocals. Examples that immediately come to mind are Angel Witch, Omega, Saracen, and a very obscure band that you may have heard of called Iron Maiden.

Heroes, Saints & Fools is an especially charming example, owing mainly to its quirky idealism that comes off as both dated and futuristic, simultaneously. It's kinda like those fuzzy 80's car adverts that proudly present red velour seats and fully digitized instrument clusters. Did you know there was a Camaro model actually nicknamed "The Starship" in 1985? Saracen's sweeping synth solos are delivered with similar audacity. This isn't your typical twinkling keyboard contrivance employed by late 80's metal bands on their deathbeds. Instead, we have crisp, punchy, meaningful squaretooth synth that profoundly punctuate 'Dolphin Ride' and the bridge of 'Rock of Ages'. They follow similar proggy flourishes to Rick Wakeman, but with about one million less notes.

Rest assured, guitars have their fun as well, such as the crescendo of the Rush-esque title track, featuring graceful fretwork intertwining with synth stings. Kind of like Yngwie Malmsteen's 'Evil Eye', but with one million less notes, again. This album isn't exactly a powerhouse, but it was never intended to be. Heroes, Saints & Fools instead commands a dreamy, melancholic ambience likely in response to 70's progressive masterstrokes like Satori and Sad Wings of Destiny. The heaviest this album gets is likely 'Horsemen of the Apocalypse', but even this song is enveloped in a funky, disco-like backdrop. If there was a halfway point between Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings of Destiny, I'd wager it'd sound a lot like this. And unfortunately, 'No More Lonely Nights' sounds a bit like British Steel. Perhaps Diamond Head's Canterbury, if I was feeling more generous.

Not many albums from this time period could escape having a callow slice of forgettable pop metal jammed inside it. This commercialized dross feels like waking up from an amazing dream. Gone are the knights and jesters, replaced by the obnoxious, mid-tempo buzzing of a glam rock alarm clock. The time, as merciful as it is capable of being altered, reads 7:00 AM. You swing out of bed, joints clicking in protest, as you trudge once more into the reeking maw of this bleak hell we call the real world.

“Now you know the final answer – kneel before the necromancer. Yes your day of judgment is coming – can’t you see the horsemen running free”

Saracen are not your average by the numbers NWOBHM act. Ever so often – you come across a band not content to trod the oft’ beaten path – straightforward 70’s rock – with a heavier edge – you know the deal. Anyway, Saracen are more of a progressive band, with a unique sound. I loathe using this term – we all know it gets thrown around far too often – but it’s EPIC. While this is not a concept album – as are later works from the outfit, this one has several similarly themed medieval tracks, and weaves a cool feel throughout album; heavy use of keys and driving sounds, with great riffs bring this feel to life. There’s also a couple of long, serious tracks; ‘Ready to Fly’, ‘Horsemen of the Apocalypse’, ‘Crusader’ and the emotional title track all sit above six minutes. With so many albums in my collection, I often forget about this little gem from these Matlock, Derbyshire lads – but when I hear it again I’m always like “oh, this song – cool!” – it totally has a unique feel, and songs aren’t straightforward and formulaic. This is a welcome change when sifting through the umpteenth different obscure NWOBHM demo from every stretch of the British Isles.

Though as I mentioned, this is not a concept album – it probably should be listened to as ‘an album’ – and hence reviewed as one – but I’m gonna jump straight into the deep end and talk about my favourite tracks. It actually is immensely difficult to choose a favourite here, with so many catchy, or emotional numbers. I’ll start off with the excellent melodic number ‘Rock of Ages’. Believe me NWOBHM fans – you’ll like this one more than the Def Leppard offering! (Or the Grant Lee Buffalo one)This killer track thunders in with a brilliant driving riff akin to something from Badger or Bitches Sin – dirty and hard rockin, yet utterly passionate. The vocal/guitar mating in the verses is magical and delivered perfectly – just talented songwriting. The chorus in this one is massive. The backup vocals in “Livin for each day!” are well harmonized, and Steve Bettney’s main delivery is passionate and strong. Heavy use of keys in this one makes it far more memorable – and is something the band puts to excellent use throughout the album – and perhaps works even better in the more epic tracks. Either way, while this type of song often is designed merely to tick the box (Obligatory simplistic rock anthem, with ‘Rock’ in the title) – these guys kill it here. The keys, oh the keys.

‘Horsemen of the Apocalypse’ – unsurprisingly given the title, has a dark, ominous feel to it – and at times some doomy sounding riffage (intro section before first verse) – coupled with your dark subject matter – lyrics of surrendering yourself to hell – and the almightiness of the mighty horsemen – and you have what is very much a doom metal track. Yet – it somewhat kicks the ass of Witchfinder General – in my opinion. The centerpiece of this one are the excellent, holocaustic lyrics, delivered with a passion by our frontman. This track gives the band a chance to show some of its early influences. Black Sabbath clearly comes through in the dark subject matter, prominent bass delivery, and drudgy nature of sections of the song – while the trademark keys, epicness and energy hint at the bands Yes and Pink Floyd influences. A thrilling, excellently crafted number totally able to hold it’s own against any classic doom piece.

The excellent and emotional opener ‘Crusader’ which perhaps even bests the more well known ‘Saxon’ track of the same name, shows a lot of Uriah Heep coming through in the sound. Here Saracen proves their worth as perhaps one of the best bands when it comes to writing extensive, drawn out songs that are completely as far from boring you can get. This effect is achieved through excellent narratives – strong lyrics crafted through a variety of different sections throughout the song. Keys are again used to great effect, while the strong vocal melodies are also present. Drumming throughout this well crafted piece certainly adds to the atmosphere. ‘Ready to Fly’ is basically a heavy metal version of Pink Floyd – a kickass combination. Opening synth build some energy before the hard hitting classic NWOBHM vocal/guitar arrangement. Vocals are aggressive, and have a tone akin to Rob Halford – particularly given the thundering riffage underneath. While lyrics are epic and fantastical, guitars thunder along aggressively, and occasional high pitched shrieks again evoke that Priest comparison. Slower sections build depth with strong synth while guitars erupt in an orgiastic solo section, climaxing the awesome energy in this pure heavy metal beast. Rob Bendelow shows some real genius in writing cuts like this one. I firmly believe that if this song were handed over to Priest at the time – it would still be revered widely today as a metal masterpiece. It would actually suit a place on something like Riot’s Thundersteel – with its soaring epic energy. Every bit as virtuosic, sad and epic as something like ‘Stairway to Heaven’ – these guys are absolutely deserving of a wider audience, and much more respect as groundbreaking musicians.

The remainder of the album is equally as amazing; ‘Dolphin Ride’ is a slower, acoustically infused progressive number – touching in its soft honesty, again bringing out those 70’s prog rock roots, while ‘No More Lonely Nights’ is the bands attempt at a more straight forward, dirty rock ’n’ roll cut. Hugely catchy, with equal measures of pounding, thumpy guitars, sleazy lyrics, and melodic, soothing choruses. This one has more of a 70’s rock feel, and Uriah Heep influence, and puts the band’s trademark keys to good use. Utter professionalism evident in this band’s debut album. Brilliant songwriting and attention to even the smallest details – not to mention a totally unique sound make this one an absolute NWOBHM must-have. Perfect mixture of the dirty thundering impact of riffs in ‘Rock of Ages’ and the passionate proto-power metallism of and grandeur of the sublime ‘Ready to Fly’ make for one of the most interesting and enjoyable NWOBHM records I’ve heard. After having listened to this one again – I can honestly say two things: one is that I will be tracking down ALL these guys other stuff, and two: without wanting to espouse cliché; this band is perhaps one of the best kept secrets in NWOBHM and are totally deserving of a much greater fan base. Yes it’s that good! Along with another recently reviewed band – Rhabstallion, these guys may very well be the most amazing overlooked NWOBHM band of the whole damn bunch!

-DeathRiderDoom