Review by Chad on January 8, 2020.

In the same way that Iron Maiden tightened up their sound and found one of metal's most well-known vocalists by their third album, Tygers of Pan Tang did much the same by their second release, Spellbound. So long Jess Cox, everyone say hello to John Deverill. The new guy has a golden set of pipes and would take the band all the way to their career's initial end in 1987. I'm not afraid to throw this out there, but thus far, he's my favorite singer I've heard from the NWOBHM scene... so long as we're discounting Rob Halford anyway. Before Joey Belladonna was around to prove to everyone that this style of vocals works well in thrash metal, Deverill was doing it in a band that certainly had a hand in leading up to the thrash metal sub-genre, ultimately sounding nearly exactly like the now more well-known Belladonna. The band has a new guitarist as well, John Sykes, now well known for his work in Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake. He didn't stick around for very long, only for a single year in 1981, but thankfully 1981 was also the same year that brought us not one, but two albums, with the release of Crazy Nights coming out towards the end of the year.

So fortunate are Tygers of Pan Tang that they perform for a genre whose fans are usually more than happy to give a band a second chance, not that they necessarily needed one, the band was standing pretty solid on top of semi-hits such as "Euthanasia", "Killers", and "Don't Touch Me There". The Jess Cox led Tygers were probably energetic enough to keep the train rolling, but upon hearing Spellbound, I'm pretty sure we can all agree that we'd rather be hearing the restraints being removed, allowing them to write songs they otherwise probably couldn't have such as the melodramatic "Mirror" or "The Story so Far", which makes heavy use of the major scale to go for a pop song that many metal heads probably aren't going to be too enthused about, but I dig the fact that the band are sounding way more focused than before. Compare the solo of "The Story so Far" for example, to the befuddling solos of the last album, which were alright, but all kind of sounded the same and gave off much the same rock n' roll vibe with the moments of originality spread pretty thin. "Money" was one of my favorite songs from the last album but happens to be the worst offender of staying within the safe pentatonic box that so many guitarists unfortunately call home. Recruiting the new vocalist was a great move, indeed the addition of John Sykes seems to have had an even larger impact on the band as a whole, arguably the best thing the band ever did for influencing the band's direction from here onwards, as we can tell from listening to later releases that the pop influence certainly stuck around from some of the band's more popular recent tracks such as "Damn You" or "Only the Brave"

It seems to have had a small impact at the time of its release as well, stylistically Tygers of Pan Tang sound way more supercharged than on their previous album, while Wild Cat was certainly a force to be reckoned with when taken on its own terms, Spellbound takes the energy to another level with a better singer, catchier hooks, and an overall more laser focused approach to what it is they're trying to accomplish. It seems they may have even inspired the artwork for another NWOBHM band known as Wolf for their album "Edge of the World". This refinement to the band's sound of cutting out all the excess fodder in the songwriting really scales Tygers of Pan Tang up on their competitive edge. Spellbound may not have the savage riff writing masters that are Mark or John Gallagher from Raven among their ranks, but regardless is an album that gets across that wild, ferocious, break stuff in an alcohol induced frenzy party rock that made Rock Until You Drop such an amazing album. When I think of NWOBHM, this is exactly more of the stuff I seek personally. Wild Cat has its charm, its own distinct flavor, there are certainly things I miss from that album, I definitely think the rhythm guitars have gotten a little less creative, and as much as the lead does make up for it, I'm afraid that the small touches that did make Wild Cat a solid album such as the nuance behind the intro to "Slave to Freedom" aren't really present here. The songwriting has gotten quite a bit more linear even if the band has branched out in other ways to encompass a more diverse sound.

Most people don't like the idea of a band becoming more pop-influenced, often a symbolic step in the sellout direction, it can be a good thing though when utilized without giving up much character in the process. Spellbound makes itself a little bit of a controversial album for me in that regard because while I would say it's a better album, Wild Cat did lend itself to more spontaneity and even a more thorough approach to songwriting whereas their sophomore release seems to be more content with writing songs that comprise a very little more than a verse and a chorus, as is the case with "Silver and Gold", or even the title track for that matter. "Tyger Bay" does much the same. On the plus side, it's easy to digest and accessible, on the negative side it does take the band down more of a vanilla avenue. "Silver and Gold" especially feels too repetitive for my tastes with a chorus that isn't very developed, offering nothing more than the harmonized singing of the song's namesake a couple of times before getting back into the meat and potatoes of the song.

At the end of the day, Tygers of Pan Tang haven't sacrificed so much of their traditional hard rock sound to completely alienate listeners, some may even say, myself included that Spellbound is more characteristic of the sound of the era, definitely mirroring more of the pop-inspired acts such as Def Leppard on songs such as "Don't Stop By" and mixing it with a tad bit of the raw rock n' roll they'd founded themselves on. Not an that should've been forgotten the way in which we all now know that it was, Spellbound makes for one of the more definitive releases of the era if you're willing to dig a little deeper than Iron Maiden and Def Leppard. Solid to a tee, not without its flaws, and to be perfectly honest, I don't think the bonus tracks one can find on reissues of the album make it any more worthwhile, though most would probably agree that more of what Spellbound already offers isn't a bad thing. For those that do go for the reissue, you're in luck because there were a whopping five tracks that were left off the initial release. That being said, I think the band chose the best of the best with the exception of the obvious filler instrumental that is the twenty second "Minotaur". Also, I probably would've swapped out "Silver and Gold" for "Bad Times" as it's the one song that really recalls the more thunderous sound of the debut album, and that would certainly fill a hole that the album was missing to some extent. Nevertheless, the fact that it wasn't included really displays that it was a conscious decision to make the album as fine-tuned as possible when it comes to track-by-track cohesiveness. So, if you see anyone whine about Spellbound being an inconsistent album, you can be sure to write them off, chances are they fall below a tyger on the food chain and they're just salty about it.

Highlights:
'Spellbound'
'Take It'
'Gangland'

Rating: 8.1 out of 10

Review by Felix on August 25, 2019.

"Raining blooood - from a lacerated sky..." - oh, I beg your pardon, wrong record. Here we have Reign in Blood from Germany. First thing I know about them is that I absolutely do not know anything about them. Second thing is that they release their comeback via Iron Bonehead and this is usually something that makes me shiver - for good reasons! Too many chaotic albums have seen the light, because the permanently busy German label gave "promising" musicians a chance. At the end, everything was completely destroyed, in particular my nerves. Old stories aside, Missa pro Defunctis does not focus on total devastation. The first regular track, "Dawn of a Dying Soul", scores with a voluminous overall appearance, an all-embracing melody and, well, passion. Right from the get-go, it becomes clear that the two artists behind the project celebrate their personal dawn of their black hearts. No, the comeback does not really sound like the true Mayhem, but I guess it needs a lot of work and fervor to pen an album like Missa pro Defunctis. It's energetic, violent and vehement, but it also has fascinating melodies and its non-conventional song patterns do not lack comprehensibility. No doubt, the duo did not start the recordings without high ambitions.

Compared with thrash or traditional metal, black metal is less dependent on the quality of its riffs, simply because there is always this atmospheric component as well. But this does not mean that Reign in Blood neglected this guitar-related factor. Their talent for the creation of great and profound riffs gets obvious in the title track. A stirring, somehow boiling riff pushes the opening drum into the background and sets the sail for another hellish journey through frightening crater landscapes. The majestic size of many parts of this track, and of the remaining material as well, can drive the audience mad and sometimes the competent duo reminds me of a harsher version of Geist, another great German black metal unit - listen to their masterpiece "Galeere". Do it right now! If you do not like its title track, take a look in your passport and realize that your name is Wimpy Poser. You say I overshoot the mark? 

However, Reign in Blood have nothing in common with dudes who hate infernal sounds. Even better, they also do not join the ranks of those combos that put two or three strong pieces at the beginning of the album before they present fillers, fillers and even more fillers. Missa pro Defunctis does not reveal tunes which have nothing to say. The high level of quality - as well as the enormous degree of intensity - remains more or less the same during the entire playtime. This is not to say that the extremely heavyweight album lacks dynamic, by far not. This detail just underlines the fact that the Germans worked meticulously on the material to realize their aforementioned ambitions in the best possible manner. Not to mention the vocals. They express all forms of human chasms in a skilful way. Perhaps the lead singer was in a kind of delirium during the recordings, who knows?

Production-wise, I just can raise my iron, blood-filled cup - oh shit, it's just raspberry juice - and drink a toast to the sound engineers. The remarkable density of the mix, in particular the merciless guitar sound, proves evidence that someone did the job who has internalized the magic of black metal very well. And in the case of Reign in Blood, we speak about pristine, brutal black metal that does not lack great melodies as well. Trendhoppers will have no good time with this diabolic and steadfast document of the true essence, because its fundament is deeply rooted in the old school of the black movement. So, it's up to you to discover the cruel charm of songs such as "Black Hole" whose smooth flow at the beginning could originate from Magoth as well, but its excellent melody line at the end gives the number an individual touch. Or enjoy the icy riffs and lines of "Metamorphose with the Universe", another embodiment of pure blackness. Even the almost industrial-influenced "Anima" hits the nail on the head while swallowing the listener pleasurably in a black maelstrom at the end. In short, I am very impressed by this almost unique output, even though the top position of Slayer's bloody reign remains - naturally - untouched.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Alex on August 4, 2019.

Formed in 2004, Reign in Blood brings their traditional blasphemous occult riddled black metal broomstick to the grand stage. Upon hearing the name of the band, Slayer automatically came to mind, and though I was expecting to hear some staples of such, I was in no way prepared for this masterclass effort. Reign in Blood has a lot going for them here, although a decade or so has passed, without putting out new material due to band members leaving and personal issues, the music tells of excellence and appears free of any negative hindrances due to the drawbacks encountered, if anything it has improved/matured with time to say.

I had no prior knowledge of the band; but through Reign in Blood's sophomore full length album Missa Pro Defunctis, I was more than eager to check out their earlier material; and after doing so I’m pleased to find yet another exceptional band hiding amidst the shadows of the underground. Many try to ‘wear their influences’ and turn out sounding like karaoke versions of whatever band/s they’re supposedly influenced by; so, upon seeing the band’s name, my stereotypes activated. However, the music here on Missa Pro Defunctis fucking rips!  In addition to borrowing some of Slayer's early staples; some Bathory, and early Mayhem (Norway) influences can also be identified during the 41 minutes of Missa Pro Defunctis. These influences have shaped Reign in Blood's music into something that can be identified with ease. For a follow up to 2009’s Diabolical Katharsis, they have performed extremely well when factoring in the major gap between their debut full length effort and the current. 

Upon hearing ‘Dawn of a Dying Soul’, immediately I could tell much more effort had been put into song structure, that in addition to having Reign in Blood's signature ways of speeding drums, saw an adhesive combination of 1st and second wave black metal with the Slayer-esque screeching guitars, the Gaahl inspired vocals (specifically those at Wacken 2008 e.g. 'Wound Upon Wound'), and the poke at early Mayhem riffs. When blended together, these borrowed resources form a recognizable but simultaneously diverse creation. I did also notice the similarity 'Black Hole' shares with Communion’s (Chile) ‘Funeral of Mercy’ by means of the leading guitar riff. Not 100% identical due to the faster drumming used but does have a bit in common with that song. 

Please forgive the name dropping; however, it does not take away from the effort and music as a whole which is great. The way Reign in Blood blend so many styles into their songs that in turn would carry on making each entry memorable, tells of thoughtful musicianship. I find the hopping-around different tempos and rhythm changes to be an audible joy such as heard on ‘Metamorphose with the Universe’, ‘Missa Pro Defunctis’, and ‘Wolf Hour’. Vocally D.Raise’s voice is a stir of aggression and lament that works well in both the furious and melancholic entries on Missa Pro Defunctis. The riffs are plentiful, Malus and D. Raise put on quite a performance of tremolo picking and soloing with matching intensity conjured throughout the album. ‘Anima’ is more on the melancholic side of things but has a looming shadow of hostility clenched to it. And for someone that enjoys 1st wave black metal, Missa Pro Defunctis does not disappoint or sounds fatiguing due to its lengthy run; there is enough happening to keep the interest of the listener.  

One entry’s theme appears to be connected to and derivative of tombstone titles, hence ‘Domus Mortuorum’ and practices carried out by the Catholic Church, ‘Missa Pro Defunctis’. Other songs can be interpreted with many variations but where the sound and aura of the recordings are concerned, I would be lying if I said they don't hold fast to the spirit of 1st-early 2nd wave of black metal. Missa Pro Defunctis is a gratifying listening experience that lasts and is one of the better first wave black metal releases of 2019; take and inspect any element used in the creation of this long overdue record and you'll find that Reign in Blood are a serious class of musicians.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10