RESURRECTIONS
Unearthing the latest metal reissues
Released in 2006, PAGAN ALTAR’S Magical & Mythical (Temple Of Mystery) [9] now sounds even more spookily out of time; songs were written circa 1977-83, chief debts are to early Sabbath and Jethro Tull, and the vibe is rooted in ancient folklore. The extensive, rugged soloing of Alan Jones, and the eccentric nasal storytelling of his dad, Terry, make this arguably the London NWOBHM cult’s finest work. Danish thrashers ARTILLERY snuck out a demo as early as 1982, but as you’ll hear on their self-effacingly titled compilation of early home recordings, In The Trash (Mighty Music) [6], their early sound was more indebted to Sabbath than most Eurothrash pioneers. Iommi vibes remain on speedier 1984-86 material, propelled along fuzzy ancient tape ribbon with slapdash charm.
The Iommi vibes get even more vivid on London doom quintet GREEN LUNG’S first EP, 2018’s Free The Witch (Kozmik Artifactz) [7]. Their 2019 Woodland Rites LP was more distinctive, but although their stoner jam-room doom feels slightly workaday and oddly jaunty, there’s much warmth and promise. Ditto DARK FORTRESS’S third album, 2004’s Stab Wounds (Century Media) [7],
their first to strike an elegant balance between melodic Cradle Of Filth/dimmu Borgir pop savvy and the misanthropic coldness of Norway’s Inner Circle. The Germans’ alchemy was in its infancy, but these chilly riffs are well worth revisiting.
From another realm entirely, London experimentalists COIL burned darkly from 1982-2004, their challenging creative output self-dubbed “music to take drugs by”. 1992’s Stolen & Contaminated Songs (Cold Spring) [6] isn’t their most focused or cohesive work, comprising an hour of variable outtakes from a period when the band were utterly – and audibly – immersed in hallucinogens.
Coil founder Peter Christopherson paid his dues with inventors of industrial THROBBING GRISTLE. While their transgressive 70s work was frighteningly intense, their post-reunion work – 2004’s TG Now [7] and 2007’s The Endless Not [7] (both Mute) – feel more sophisticated and sedate, with perhaps a tiny whiff of coffee table.
CHRIS CHANTLER