by John Kindred
– Publisher —
Divebomb Records’ latest album release is from Kansas City metalers Banshee. The group’s rise to fame began with the EP release Cry In the Night via Metal Blade Records in ’86, later signing with Atlantic Records and dropping its debut studio album Race Again Time in ’89. Divebomb has pulled out the old tapes, remastered them and re-released them as a two-CD limited-run.
The band’s formation pulled together members from three Midwest bands that were hammering out an existence in the Kansas City Metal scene in the early ‘80s. Vocalist Tommy Lee Flood and bassist Chuck Hopkins of LICK, guitarist Terry Dunn of Frodo and drummer Kent Burnham of Crypt Keeper came together in the summer of ’85 to form Banshee.
In ’86, the group independently released the five-song EP Cry in The Night. The EP sold successfully and prompted Metal Blade Records to sign the band to a distribution deal and release it worldwide, selling more than 500,000 copies.
You would be wrong to dismiss Banshee as another fad-Metal band of the time period, as Cry In The Night features metallic fist-pumping anthems from the title track to “We Want You” and hits home with the soaring “I Believe” and epic opus “The Stranger.” Tommy Lee Flood’s vocal style has a harsh bite with over-the-top screams. Dunn offers heavy riffs and solos on par with his peers of the day, while Hopkins lays down the bass groove, and Burnham’s powerful drumming is the driving force of the band.
Atlantic Records soon came calling and signed Banshee to its Atlantic Titanium rooster, which, at the time, included Jake E. Lee’s new outfit Badlands. Bassist Hopkins left the group prior to the signing and was replaced by Bill Westfall. The label brought Banshee to New York to record at the Record Plant with the late producer Jon (John) Mathias (Manowar, Jeff Scheetz, Mass). With a limited budget, the album’s basic tracks were recorded in a week, and two weeks later, it was mixed and mastered, wrapping up the process in late March. The initial release didn’t happen until August of ‘89.
Following the “Metal” blueprint for the time period, Race Against Time compiles the obligatory classically inspired instrumental “Circular Flight Of The One Winged Sparrow” as well as “Desert Moon,” exploring Westfall’s bass chops, the power ballad “Missing You,” arena anthems like “Shoot Down The Night” and “All Alone,” the groove jam “Precious Metal” and plenty of straight-to-the-point metallic face melters “Get It On The Run, “Drive Like Hell” and “Call of the Wild.”
The talents of all musicians, with Dunn’s whammy-bar theatrics, blistering runs and amped up legato phrasing, Westfall’s smooth bass runs and low-end rumble, the thunderous percussive beats provided by Burnham and Flood’s gritty vocal growls and slick vocal melodies are all showcased throughout Race Against Time.
The two-CD release is must for die-hard fans wanting to regain a grasp on music once only obtainable for a hefty price on eBay. Banshee’s success is a highlight for the Kansas City’s ‘80s Metal scene, as few local bands were able to make that jump to the next level.
Band:
Tommy Lee Flood – Vocals
Terry Dunn – Guitars, Vocals
Kent Burnham – Drums
Bill Westfall – Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Chuck Hopkins – Bass on ‘Cry In The Night EP’
Tracklist:
Disc 1:
“Race Against Time” (1989)
1. Shoot Down The Night
2. All Alone
3. Race Against Time
4. Circular Flight Of The One Winged Sparrow
5. Call Of The Wild
6. Missing You
7. Precious Metal
8. Get It On The Run
9. Desire
10. Desert Moon
11. Drive Like Hell
Disc 2:
“Cry in the Night” (1986)
1. We Want You
2. Back Your Way
3. I Believe
4. The Stranger
5. Cry In The Night
Label: Divebomb Records
No bonus tracks ?