Volume 1

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats formed in London in 2009 and burst into the underground rock/metal scene after their second full-length album 'Blood Lust'. But, before that, the band released 'Volume 1' in 2010; an album sounding like something directly from the late 60s / early 70s. The music isn't as much metal as it is sleazy, stoned psychedelic rock a la early Pentagram (before their proper doom metal sound), and the production gives the music an overall dirty, raw feel to it.

Whilst not an extremely gimmicky band, in comparison to Ghost (B.C.) and the likes of Slipknot (eh...), Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats' vocals are interesting, in the sense they sound a lot like the Beatles' Lennon and McCartney on a song like 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'. Both the vocal style and the production have a hand in the outcome of that.

The music itself borrows from early Pentagram (the dirty, sleazy hard rock / proto-doom riffs), as mentioned above, the Beatles (vocals), the Doors and the Stooges(the excellent use of the keyboard) and of course Black Sabbath (Iommi-esque solos of a somewhat bluesy nature). Overall, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats' debut album is a mixed package of the psychedelic rock of the late 60s and the hard rock/heavy metal of the early 70s, spiced with a creepy atmosphere reminiscent of now ancient classic horror films like Frankenstein and Dracula. Other lesser elements present on this album are elements of surf rock strongest on the main-riff of the song 'Vampire Circus' and "Wind Up Toys".

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats would go on to release superior albums later on, but 'Volume 1' is worth anyone's time, since it's a very enjoyable album with some excellent songs like "Crystal Spiders", "Dead Eyes of London", "Lonely and Strange" and "Vampire Circus"; all as good as songs that would later appear on 'Blood Lust' and 'Mind Control'.

Compared to the already retro-like production on 'Blood Lust' and 'Mind Control', 'Volume 1 is even more lo-fi. Not ridiculously graint or anything, but it sounds more like a demo than an actual album. It's a very minor thing to complain about, though, since the quality of the music is top-notch. The album loses a little bit of the edge in the last three tracks, since they're a bit weaker than the other songs, and can be considered fillers, but overall, 'Volume 1' is a solid psychedelic rock album with a creepy, vintage atmosphere.