Various Artists
CRASH! BANG! WALLOP! - New Wave Of Low Lands Heavy Metal 1979-1984
Excelsior Recordings/The Rock Online: 2022
https://www.therockonline.nl/
https://excelsior-recordings.com/
During the start of the heavy metal explosion in the Low Lands (Netherlands and Belgium), there were a number of bands that were a cut above the rest. Plus, everything else that was happening around those days. Aardschok magazine was started, we had a perfect radio show with Stampij and the first metal label was Rave-On records. They became most famous because they released the first and iconic Mercyful Fate EP, but also the brilliant Gilgamesj EP. In Belgium they were the first with Heavy Sound Festival, a festival which housed bands like Metallica and Slayer.
So, you see, the years 01979 until 1984 were very exciting, and a lot of these feats plus more are captured in a book (written in Dutch) that accompanies the album. The vinyl version has 21 songs, the CD version 23 tunes. So, choose wisely.
Now for the bands. Of course, you will have the greats like Picture, Killer, Bodine, Acid, Ostrogoth and Crossfire, but you will also get a lot of bands that time might have forgotten, but were absolutely brilliant, like Gilgamesj, Avalon (Jack Pisters), Hammerhawk, Teaser and Black Widow. All of them have some kind of connection with the book, making the reading and listening experience a very coherent one.
The songs are all of a good sound and quality, and do showcase how the music was in the Low Lands during that era. Of course, you can argue that a lot of other important bands are missing, but hey, you can’t win them all.
MetalWim van Grunsven
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