{"id":48104,"date":"2015-02-05T20:10:11","date_gmt":"2015-02-06T01:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=48104"},"modified":"2015-02-10T20:58:25","modified_gmt":"2015-02-11T01:58:25","slug":"battleaxe-power-from-the-universe-30th-anniversary-edition-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2015\/battleaxe-power-from-the-universe-30th-anniversary-edition-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Battleaxe | Power From The Universe (30th Anniversary Edition)<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Matt Karpe<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"BattleaxeWhen Battleaxe released Power\u2026<\/em> back in 1984, they was just another band throwing their name into the NWOBHM hat. It was always going to be hard to compete with the likes of Judas Priest and Mot\u00f6rhead, and share the same success that those British icons have earned, but it is a testament to Battleaxe that, 30 years on, they are able to re-release Power From The Universe<\/em>, which has found its place in heavy metal history.<\/p>\n

This re-package contains the original eight tracks, followed by four bonus songs that were recorded back in the mid-eighties. <\/p>\n

The blistering \u201cChopper Attack\u201d sounds fresh and revitalized, with the Mot\u00f6rhead style of speed riffs and gritty vocals from Dave King. As good as this song is, you can\u2019t help but imagine this being the sound of a band that would have been born had Priest and Mot\u00f6rhead coupled together and given birth to a heavy metal baby.<\/p>\n

Along with the groove laden \u201cMetal Rock\u201d, the more straightforward yet aggressive \u201cOver The Top\u201d and the excellent epic that is \u201cFortune Lady,\u201d you can see why Battleaxe\u2019s second album has stood the test of time. <\/p>\n

So, knowing what was to be expected with the original track listing, most people will be wondering what the bonus songs are like- before considering whether to buy this or not. <\/p>\n

In truth, these songs are sublime additions. Generally shorter and sharper numbers, any of them would have slotted nicely into the original release. <\/p>\n

\u201cKiller Woman\u201d is fast and heavy, with a Thrashier feel. The drumming from Ian Thompson is prosperous, and the raw feel adds to the effectiveness of this three minute crusher.<\/p>\n

\u201cRadio Thunder\u201d is much in the same mould, and the use of backing\/gang vocals comes off successfully. There is also a classic guitar solo from Steve Hardy, whose guitar work throughout is a revelation.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Love\u2019s On Fire\u201d has a slight glam tinge to it, and \u201cLove Sick Man\u201d is another explosive track full of groovy riffs and immaculate solos.<\/p>\n

Whilst it may not have garnered the international publicity of other 1984 releases like Maiden\u2019s Powerslave<\/em>, Priest\u2019s Defenders Of the Faith<\/em> or some of the quickly rising glam metal bands, Battleaxe went under the radar to make a solid NWOBHM record that is packed with sheer quality. <\/p>\n

Add in four \u2018newer\u2019 songs that are better than much of the original track listing, then it can be considered a good move to give Power From The Universe<\/em> a happy anniversary. <\/p>\n

Genre: New Wave of British Heavy Metal, NWOBHM<\/p>\n

Band:
\nDave King- Vocals
\nSteve Hardy- Guitar
\nBrian Smith- Bass
\nIan Thompson- Drums<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tChopper Attack
\n2.\tMetal Rock
\n3.\tLicence To Rock
\n4.\tFortune Lady
\n5.\tShout It Out
\n6.\tOver The Top
\n7.\tPower From The Universe
\n8.\tMake It In America
\n9.\tKiller Woman (Bonus)
\n10.\tRadio Thunder (Bonus)
\n11.\tMy Love\u2019s On Fire (Bonus)
\n12.\tLove Sick Man (Bonus)<\/p>\n

Record Label: Steamhammer, SPV<\/p>\n

Website: www.battleaxemetal.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven Rating: 7\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Matt Karpe – Senior Columnist — When Battleaxe released Power\u2026 back in 1984, they was just another band throwing their name into the NWOBHM hat. It was always going to be hard to compete […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":48105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12394],"tags":[10736,10734,2317,9233,3897,10735,1524,1859],"class_list":{"0":"post-48104","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2015","8":"tag-30th-anniversary-edition","9":"tag-battleaxe","10":"tag-cd-review","11":"tag-new-wave-of-british-heavy-metal","12":"tag-nwobhm","13":"tag-power-from-the-universe","14":"tag-spv","15":"tag-steamhammer"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}