Blacksmith | Strike While the Iron’s Hot
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
The fourth entry in Heaven & Hell’s Lost Relics reissue series, Strike While the Iron’s Hot is a comprehensive anthology of early recordings by New York heavy metal band Blacksmith. One of the best of the “cult” bands in the American metal scene, Blacksmith never managed to achieve mainstream success, but those who found the band’s albums or caught one of their explosive live performances knew they were fortunate to have discovered one of metal’s best kept secrets.
Their image might have been inspired by early Motley Crue, but Blacksmith’s powerful music was firmly rooted in the iconic metal sounds of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, The Rods and Motorhead. In their early incarnation (with female vocalist Heidi Black), the band’s wild energy and “metal for metal’s sake” attitude recalled the best of the NWOBHM bands, like the bastard offspring of early Iron Maiden and Grim Reaper, especially on metal anthems “Rock Hard” and “Louder Than Hell.” As memorable as those early Blacksmith songs are, it’s the band’s second incarnation that really stands out. The band was obviously energized by the emerging thrash metal sound, but beyond the faster riffs the overall songwriting is better, and new vocalist Malcolm “Mania” Lovegrove brought more power and range to the band’s sound. This version of Blacksmith had more in common with early Metallica, Armored Saint and Vicious Rumors.
Strike While the Iron’s Hot collects the band’s self-titled 1986 EP as well as their 1989 full-length debut Fire From Within. Both have been remastered by Jamie King, who really managed to breathe new life into these old recordings. For those of us who had only heard the Fire From Within bootleg that had been circulating, this is almost like hearing an entirely new album. The CD also includes a band biography, rare photos and the original artwork, along with a powerful new cover image. The enhanced portion of the disc includes flyers, photos and other goodies, and there’s a code in the inlay that lets you download rare demo recordings. If that wasn’t enough, there’s also a limited edition version of Strike While the Iron’s Hot that includes a DVD full of rare Blacksmith live footage.
If you’re a fan and collector of ‘80s era heavy metal, particularly the cult bands whose true metal sound destroyed the more popular MTV prettyboys, a collection like Strike While the Iron’s Hot is a dream come true. And if you missed Blacksmith the first time around but love uncompromising, old school heavy metal, this is the perfect introduction to the band. Not only is this classic material finally available (officially) on CD, but it has never sounded better. This is a first rate collection that’s obviously a labor of love for both the band and the label.
Genre: Heavy Metal
Band:
David Smith (g)
Heidi Black (v) (1-5)
Malcolm Lovegrove (v) (6-13)
Michael Marino (b) (1-5)
Chris Madsen (b) (6-13)
George Snyder (d) (1-5)
Chris Caglione (d) (6-13)
Track Listing:
1. The Bone March/Tower of London
2. Rock Hard
3. Louder Than Hell
4. The Blacksmith
5. The Beast
6. House
7. Louder Than Hell
8. A Taste of Darkness
9. The Bone March/Tower of London
10. Theatres des Vampires
11. Hell To Pay
12. Fug It
13. Black Attack
Label: Heaven & Hell
Website: www.blacksmithusa.com
Hardrock Haven rating: 9/10