Axe Witch — The Last of A Dying Breed: 40 Years in Metal
Axe Witch are a Swedish heavy metal band formed in 1981 in Linköping, Sweden. Brought together by Anders Wallentoft (vocals) and Magnus Jarl (guitar) the band would go on to release 3 full-length studio albums (The Lord of Flies, Visions of the Past and Hooked on High Heels) and a couple of EPs (Pray For Metal and a 3 track maxi-single) before disbanding in 1987. The Last of A Dying Breed: 40 Years in Metal brings together classic tracks from 1982s Pray for Metal, 1983s The Lord of Flies and 1984s Vision of the Past, re-recorded for a new generation of metal fans and released in a beautifully packaged digipak CD for Hooked On Metal Records.
After the album opens with "The Arrival of the Flies Part 3", a short orchestral instrumental piece, it’s straight into the title track of their debut full-length, "The Lord of Flies". Classic dual-guitar heavy metal that wouldn’t sound out of place alongside Iron Maiden, Judas Priest or Accept, it’s a cracking choice of song to get things underway. Next up is another classic slab of 80s-style heavy metal, "Axe Victim". Whilst it’s not reinventing the wheel here, it’s a perfectly solid slice of melodic metal that does exactly what it says on the tin. This is followed by "Heavy Revolution", a groovy blues number that originally appeared on the band’s debut EP, Pray for Metal. Once again it follows the blueprint for good solid classic metal with a solid vocal performance from original vocalist Anders Wallentoft, who sounds as good today as he ever did back in his heyday. "Death Angel" has a real NWOBHM vibe to it, recalling the sound of both Angel Witch and Diamond Head at various points. "Seven Angels" follows in a similar vein, the band’s NWOBHM influences once again laid bare for all to see. It’s another well-crafted song that makes me think they really deserved to be more well-known in HM circles. Track seven is "Stand Up", an effortlessly cool, up-tempo rocker that reminds me of a cooler version of Ratt, featuring some slick Warren De Martini/ Robin Crosby style guitar riffs. "High Power" is up next and we’re definitely more focused on the heavier, faster side of metal. It reminds me of Accept at their heaviest before eventually fading into something far more mid-tempo for the hooky chorus. "Visions of the Past" is the penultimate track, a racing rock classic with a memorable hooky chorus. The album is brought to a close with "Sinner", a Judas Priest influenced bit of metal goodness that Rob Halford and co would have been pleased to write themselves.
Overall, this is a well-performed, well-produced slab of heavy metal goodness. The songs are well crafted and the whole thing is stylishly brought together. The band wear their influences on their sleeves but they always retain something of their own throughout. The album is stylishly packaged and features a full-colour booklet packed with photographs and song lyrics. Right, I’m off to check out the band’s original releases on the strength of this release, and so should you, if you like classic 80s metal.