Album Review: Blitzkrieg - Blitzkrieg
Reviewed by Sam Jones
When people discuss the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, they often think of it as a bygone era that threw up a score of legacy bands; many however forget that those bands are still active to this day. Millennium, Quartz, Iron Maiden, Saxon, Tygers Of Pan Tang etc are still going whether big or small and another act, Blitzkrieg, are today’s focus. Formed all the way back in 1979 originally as Split Image, the band renamed themselves to Blitzkrieg a year later, releasing a slew of Demos before finally unveiling their debut full length album in 1985 titled A Time Of Changes. Considered a classic today, that album spearheaded the band into NWOBHM legend however they would struggle to release another full length work, not succeeding that record until 1995’s Unholy Trinity, in a time that saw heavy metal especially struggle with the masses. This earlier period of the band’s career was also peppered with multiple breakups and reformations and this would persist to be the case until 2001 where we now find the band in its longest and calmest period in its history. Releasing a record every couple of years, Blitzkrieg released Judge Not! in 2018, a huge album for the band so far into their career, and now six years on the band are back with their self-titled, eleventh record. Though I love extreme metal, I will always have a soft love for old school NWOBHM bands and thus I endeavoured to dive into this record. It’s slated for a September 6th release date and is the second album to be released through Mighty Music. How does a band continue to excel nearly forty-five years since their first Demo? Let’s find out.
I like how Blitzkrieg, more than four decades into their career, still open up their record with the classic high-pitched vocal cry and a traditional NWOBHM-infused riff attack. It’s as if the band didn’t end their last full length work and are merely continuing on from they left us off from; in that sense, the band offer no special fanfare regarding their sound even when they’ve been one of the strongest underdogs of NWOBHM since their inception. Though the band have been around longer than many of its listeners have existed upon the earth, there’s a vibrancy and life to their sound and essence that effortlessly brings you into their performance. Listening to this self-titled release is easy because the band bring so much life and quality fun to their performance that you can’t but smile and thoroughly thrown into this adventure. Owing to the NWOBHM style too, the production isn’t going to weight down upon you either since the band are simply looking to write metal that’s easy to access and doesn’t require much effort to get on board with.
This is now the second album released through frontman Brian Ross and the rest of the band’s roster, as first showcased in 2018’s excellent Judge Not! Album and you can really feel that synergy flow throughout the band’s performance. Rather than pick apart each individual and decipher what each element is bringing to the table, Blitzkrieg truly does feel like a singular cohesive unit whereupon the removal of any such aspect would greatly reduce the band’s impact. Their performance is as tight as any, tighter perhaps than bands decades their junior and you really get the idea that these guys truly are happy and together to play music that champions the name of Blitzkrieg. Each member of the band gets their due whether that be Ross’ vocals or the riffs or the drumming, as a single spotlight and it’s focused beam is instead split five ways, shining equally on every member of the band. Blitzkrieg aren’t attempting to outright wow you at every turn, but ensuring every second is enjoyed so you may wish to return in the future.
Whilst Blitzkrieg’s sound hails from the NWOBHM and thus brings a certain expectation for how they should sound to us, but it’s nice to see the band are still willing to thrust a great variety of songwriting our way and nowhere does this become prevalent than during “If I Told You”, whereby the band roll out the bass to a greater degree and bring their tempo to a steadier rhythm. So, while the band don’t attempt to disguise what their sound is mostly comprised of, Blitzkrieg still ensure there’s plenty to discover and get on board with. It also helps prevent their sound growing stale, though that’s hardly a threat given how fresh and genuine their sound feels, for its structure is then broken up and were given chance to breathe and take in something a little different to the usual NWOBHM style.
Though pushing seventy by the end of the year, Brian Ross continues to be the sole glue that keeps Blitzkrieg together and ticking over and it’s amazing his vocals are seemingly unchanged since the last album a good six years ago now. I do think Ross is one of the greatest and underrated vocalists of classic British metal where he’s easily overshadowed by NWOBHM’s giants like Dickinson or Byford; many vocalist’s voices age and you’ll often hear it on record as it slowly deteriorates but of course, that’s only natural. You could put this record on for someone totally oblivious to Blitzkrieg’s longevity and they may naturally come to the assertion that Brian Ross is a young man half his actual age, the fact he’s nearing seventy and his vocals are still as strong and clear as they are on record is nothing short of astounding. Not only can he reach those higher notes still, but his voice, baritone as it is, manages to reach lower depths to illicit these more commanding sequences where the vocals are evidently leading the charge for the rest of the band to follow.
In conclusion, Blitzkrieg’s self-titled album is one that will effortlessly keep you enthralled and invested in the band’s songwriting and their performance, even if it hardly tries to do anything new within the band’s repertoire. In many ways, one could perceive this self-titled work as a celebration of what Blitzkrieg are and why they’ve managed to persist for numerous decades without fail in spite of the multiple breakups they suffered throughout the later 80s and 90s periods. The band may not do anything especially new or groundbreaking within the NWOBHM sound or within their own soundscape, but this is a very entertaining album that manages to make nearly fifty minutes essential listening. You could also view this album as a direct sequel to their 2018 release since that record was their first with a fully rejuvenated lineup of musicians with Brian Ross at the head. For the time being, this is what Blitzkrieg are composed of and as it stands, we’re not going to lose them any time soon for it certainly works for them. Whether the band are performing faster or moodier kinds of metal they’ve always got something to keep you engaged, even as they conclude the record with a romantically-focused near nine minute track that would normally be completely shelved off a NWOBHM record, yet Blizkrieg put it in anyway. A deeply entertaining album for sure, and a telltale demonstration that Blitzkrieg are far from done.
