Over the Top

Metal revival/retro bands are becoming the order of the day of late, going beyond the established trends of the late 90s and not only emulating, but outright revisiting the past. Every band, in some respect or another, takes something from heavy metal’s very rich history to complement their own pursuits, but a lot of bands go to the point of literally trying to turn back the hands of time a few decades. While I don’t outright disapprove of this approach to things, the results do tend to offer a little less than those who really try to make their sound distinct. And that’s pretty much the sole dilemma for White Wizzard, that they are all but completely living in the past.

While “Over The Top” lives up to its name in the most blatantly unsubtle way possible and is about as innovative as an abacus, it is among the more well executed homage jobs I’ve heard. The riffs are bouncy, nimble, busy, and loaded with familiarity in much the same way that a guitar happy Iron Maiden meets Satan would be, and the presentation is simple enough to fit with the lighthearted lyrical content. Vocalist Wyatt Anderson proves quite capable at belting out high notes with the best of them, and largely tends towards the air-raid siren character of Dickinson’s work on “Number Of The Beast” with a mild dash of Halford here and there.

In other words, this is a perfect band for simply covering the fastest and most fun elements of early 80s NWOBHM, and their music largely stays within the bounds presupposed in said medium. There is maybe a slightly louder character to the production quality, but it would amount to a re-mastering of something that Cloven Hoof put together before their first LP. It is noteworthy that this band covered material from said band, as well as from early 80s Judas Priest album “Point Of Entry”, as it highlights the duel tendencies towards party and occult imagery going on in the lyrics and amounts to this band wearing its sense of happy-go-lucky comedy on their shirtsleeves. Both of these covers are pulled off flawlessly, and prove to be the band’s strong points, but also reveal a weakness in the band’s part in the originality department.

But all lyrical goofiness and unoriginality aside, there are a few songs on here that would be welcome to the ears of anyone who truly loved the good old pre-thrash days of heavy metal when crotch-rockets and joking references to witchcraft were the order of the day. “40 Deuces” is all but a perfect rendition of those galloping Maiden classics heard on the first 3 Dickinson era albums, spiced up with a little bit of riff detailing that was probably influenced by Vivian Campbell. “Live Free Or Die” and “Strike Of The Viper” perfectly capture that up tempo, sing along fanfare approach to songwriting that could pass for radio, but is just a tad too busy for most of today’s lamebrains. The title song goes through the typical mini-epic motions, sticking to traditional verse/chorus format and simply piling on the lead breaks, all of which conform to early 80s dogma and are relatively tamed compared to the shred standards that followed the entry of Malmsteen and the thrash movement.

Although this wouldn’t quite fall into the realm of being essential, let alone the lofty album that is saving heavy metal that some have irresponsibly claimed this to be, it would make a nice addition alongside a healthy collection of Demon, Angel Witch and Cloven Hoof albums. The lack of a steady lineup in White Wizzard’s young age as a band is a telling sign that they are truly living the early metal life, perhaps a bit too much than would be healthy for one’s sense of the present. But as with all retro bands, it’s all in good fun, and thankfully that is the one area where “Over The Top” really delivers on.

Originally submitted to (www.metal-observer.com) on January 16, 2011.