When I saw the name of the band my immediate impression was that there was going probably be a Death Metal act, so when I put it on I was somewhat surprised to find that here was a very melodic and powerful NWOBHM band. A bit more research and I discovered that these guys were originally formed in 1980, with this line-up getting together in 1982, but by 1983 it was all over. Then in 2010 the guys were approached by Pure Steel Records and asked if it would be possible to release the demo’s that had been recorded as an album (released in ‘In The Beginning’). One thing led to another and the guys started playing together again, and the result is this their debut album. Now, having not heard their earlier recordings I don’t know if this reflects what they were doing then, but in many ways these guys were way more melodic than what was prevalent in the scene at the time. There is the pomp and presence of Magnum and Styx (no keyboards), twin guitars (more Wishbone Ash and Thin Lizzy than Iron Maiden), some stunning vocals (seriously – I really like Simon Saxby’s voice), and wo nderful songs, which really makes me wonder what would have happened if these guys had got the breaks.
This is melodic hard rock that I have enjoyed more and more each time I have played it, and I can only hope that these guys now stick at it as I want to hear some more. Lots more! They have an interesting site, so why not investigate them – this is good stuff indeed.
www.salemband.co.uk
