by Justin Gaines
– Senior Columnist/News Editor —
Now here’s an underground heavy metal gem that is likely known only to the most die-hard collectors, or those who happened to witness the Oklahoma City metal scene in the ‘80s. Formed mainly by Los Angeles transplants, Powerlord made their debut in 1986 with the six-song EP The Awakening. Aside from appearing on a bootleg compilation a few years back, this independent release had never been pressed on CD. Fortunately the metal archaeologists at the Shadow Kingdom label have remedied that.
Powerlord’s overall sound was in keeping with where the metal scene was going in 1986. It’s rooted in the power metal (or what passed for power metal at the time) of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, but the emerging thrash scene obviously made a huge impact on the band, as high speed riffing dominates these songs. It’s more speed metal than thrash, and with Dane Cook’s high octave scream there are strong comparisons to Agent Steel and especially Exciter, as well as bands like Savage Grace, Helstar and Vicious Rumors. Powerlord wasn’t quite at that level, quality-wise, but you can’t help but wonder what they might have accomplished had they done more than just this record.
The Awakening is a totally solid power/speed metal entry, but it’s not surprising that it didn’t make Powerlord stars. It just didn’t have the impact and staying power that the average Slayer or Anthrax release had. Still, discovering it nearly three decades later is a real joy. It’s a perfect time capsule of an era in metal where everything seemed possible, and the music was a lot more fun. Fans of ‘80s metal, particularly the American power/speed sound, really ought to check this one out.
Edition Notes: Shadow Kingdom’s 2014 reissue of The Awakening is a pretty bare-bones release. The songs have been digitally remastered from the original master tapes, so that’s a major plus. Apparently the band turned over a good deal of video material and vintage photos to the High Vaultage label back in the ‘90s for a reissue that never panned out, so there’s very little in the way of extras here; just a few grainy band pics. Still, just having this album available on CD and sounding this good makes the whole thing worthwhile.
Genre: Power Metal, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal
Lineup:
Brian Massey (b)
Bob Gourley (d)
Tony Gourley (g)
Dane Cook (v)
Track Listing:
1. Masters of Death
2. Malice
3. Silent Terror
4. The Invasion of the Lords
5. Merciless Titans
6. (The Awakening) Powerlord
Label: Shadow Kingdom
Hardrock Haven Rating: 7.5/10
