Album review : HOLOCAUST – Heavy Metal Mania – The Complete Recordings, Vol 1 1980-1984 (6 CDs)

January 23rd, 2023 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date 27.01.23]

Carrying the NWOBHM torch in Scotland since 1977, Edinburgh’s Holocaust are the genre’s archetypal survivors.

They are almost literally the definition of “Metal bands who’ve flown under the radar their whole career”.

Arguably, it was the championing of the band by Metallica that allowed for their rise to relative fame, and gained them a stubborn, hard won foothold. Thanks to only surviving founder member, John Mortimer, the band are still releasing quality material…the Elder Gods album (2019) being the most recent of a so far 12 album career.

This 6 CD boxset is named for the band’s debut single in 1980, ‘Heavy Metal Mania’. It was followed by another wonderfully titled, headbanging single later that year, ‘Smokin Valves’.

These two gritty, powerful pieces of NWOBHM formed the core of the band’s debut album, The Nightcomers (CD1).

In an interesting departure from your normal boxset approach, this set compresses all of the band’s output during 1980 and the four years that followed. This includes a live recording of their famous 1981 gig at Edinburgh’s Nite Club, titled Hot Curry And Wine (CD2).

An ambitious 80 minute “video version” of the gig went up for sale soon after.

You’d be lucky to get your hands on the resulting “soundtrack” version for less than £50 nowadays. It’s here in all its estimable glory (CD4).

Done live, the band’s music, raw, raucous and heavy as a heavy thing, radiates its own heat … you can taste the sweat as it drips from the venue’s ceiling.

The dark notes and industrial clamour of standouts ‘Bridge of Impressions’ and ‘Out My Book’ are as good an approximation of the band’s career making music as you can get. But it’s ‘The Small Hours’ that is considered the classic track, famously covered by Metallica. It makes it’s debut on this recording.

CD6, Heavy Metal Mania, adds b-sides and singles to the original 3 track EP (from 1980)… an unquestionably powerful beginning. Those 3 riff heavy tracks, ‘Heavy Metal Mania’, ‘Loves’s Power’ and ‘Only As Young As You Feel’ formed the template which shaped the band’s music for the next 30 years.

In a bizarre move (though one in the spirit of including every recording from that period), CD3 features the album Steal The Stars (1983), from the band Hologram, formed by ex Holocaust member, Ed Dudley.

CD5 : After a short hiatus, Mortimer reformed the band and recorded some newly written material, titling the resulting album No Man’s Land (1984).

At worst, it’s a perfunctory, half hearted run through familiar Holocaust tropes.

At best it’s confirmation that it was time for a break.

Still, 5 CDs out of 6 ain’t bad. CDs 1, 2 and 4 are worth the admission price themselves.

Long may they run. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)