...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI...



..::OPIS::..

Kwintesencja grania NWOBHM!
Wydany na poczatku 1983 roku rewelacyjny album "Power Games" był przez kilka miesięcy (aż do czasu pojawienia się "Kill 'Em All" Metalliki) najszybszym i najbardziej dynamicznym, metalowym graniem na świecie.

Dodatkowo dołączono sześć fantastycznych bonusów z wczesnych singli i z rzadkich winylowych kompilacji z lat 1981-1982. Moim zdaniem te dodatki (a zwłaszcza Axe Crazy i Back Street Woman) są jeszcze lepsze niż i tak kapitalny album. Świetne brzmienie i bardzo gustowna szata graficzna z reprodukcjami wszystkich okładek singli i kompilacji.



Ta płyta ze szkaradną rysunkową okładką to wzorzec na to, jak zawrzeć w swojej muzyce nieposkromioną energię i radość z życia. Brytyjczycy proponują kapitalnie odegrany heavy metal, z piorunującymi skroń riffami i charyzmatycznymi wokalizami Paula Merella. Nie mogę oczywiście wspomnieć o kompozycji Axe Crazy - jednej z najlepszych w całej historii nurtu NWOBHM, która stała się dla niego niczym Raining Blood dla thrashu. Poza tym są tu jeszcze petardy pokroju Coldheart ze znakomitymi partiami wokalnymi, rozwalającego refrenami Dutch Connection czy masakrującego witalnymi riffami Prisoner. Ogólnie przesłuchanie takiej płyty rano jest jak gorący rosołek na niedzielnego kaca.

Nucleator



“…where the lands as flat as the booze and I love your shoes…”

Power Games often gets stuck on the ‘bad rap’ end of the stick and this is something I’m continually puzzled by. Okay, okay, their lyrics are known to take death-defying leaps into the great spittoon of expressiveness, but it’s my opinion that this lonely, albeit important quality is overshadowed by the album’s headlong romp into metal zeal, heavy-handed only in its power cell which siphons energy from the same unfailing source tapped by Raven at the cusp of ‘80/’81, and should be at the kill site licking its paws alongside Forged in Fire, Fire in the Brain, Heavy Metal Maniac, and a dozen or so others.

Y’see, in my book ’83 wasn’t a warm-up period for metal, but its heat-up period, and the terrain was just starting to turn molten. Force capacitors were inching closer to the hairier numbers on the heaviness dial, and while many bands lay there limply like garden hoses left out in the sun (see: Wildfire, Jade, Pandemonium) and thought they were doing something special, there were some that heard, and more importantly, understood the style’s shape-shifting call to arms. But Jaguar had already wailed a battle cry with the previous year’s “Axe Crazy” single, a track that wouldn’t charge into combat on this lp (or, for some reason, any other), but would spiral through history as an ‘82 top power monger to those who heard it. These up n’ comers looked ahead as well, with pupils bigger than a feline’s and, heh, with really no stealth whatsoever, but shit, with a Chris Lovell quote like “Energy and excitement, we’re not slow and doomy. We just crank it up, press down the gas and lay on the speed, speed, and more speed!!!” headlining their original bio…well, it really would’ve sucked if they sounded like Whitesnake. Or Sheriff.

With nary a hint of gushy filling, Power Games is a heat-seeking punch from tumultuous starter “Dutch Connection” to finale “Coldheart”, freshly-wrought with high altitude attitude and the original swear n’ swagger that really got the British movement going. While Paul Merrell isn’t a master of range, his utterly uncluttered single octave is all that brawlers like “The Fox”, “Run For Your Life”, “Prisoner” and “Dutch Connection” need to nudge them over the jagged edge, and it’s an edge that wouldn’t exist without the strong arm core of Cox, Pepperd, and Lovell pounding on it as if laid on an anvil. Really, the power level of this album is hard to ignore, and a song like “Master Game”, with its mellow-moment Scorpions (with Merrell sounding more than a bit like Klaus, and sounding fine doing it)-meets-a barrage of loud ascending/descending power strokes and one helluva voltaic solo, shoots the sonic level home with all kinds of colors flying. Then there’s “No Lies”. If you feel like you’ve heard this song before, it’s probably because it rolls firmly in a Twisted Sister/“Tear it Loose” train of structure – frantically-paced and word n’ chorus-driven - and after a quick hike through a forest of past song anatomies, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by Charlie Daniels as well.

Unfortunately, there’s one speed bump. Yeah, second from last song, “Rawdeal”, is the lp’s closest flub – slow to start, AC/DC-ish in its lackluster midsection, kinda everyday with a two-pitch guitar riff and near single lane movement – but if it’s the rawest deal on this ride, then we’re lookin’ damn spiffy.

Power Games is rowdy, rampant, and aggressive, yet tight, coordinated, and semi-polished. Okay, so maybe the foursome aren’t the least bit sleek or cat-like as they stalk metal’s open field and maybe they’re not at the tippy top of the year’s food chain, but they certainly weren’t prey, at least not for many. And you can hear the friggin’ bass!

“…the memories are scattered, like ashes on the floor. The flames once danced for you, but you’re not the master anymore…”

Gutterscream



..::TRACK-LIST::..

1. Dutch Connection 3:04
2. Out Of Luck 2:56
3. The Fox 2:44
4. Master Game 4:20
5. No Lies 3:15
6. Run For Your Life 4:28
7. Prisoner 4:06
8. Ain't No Fantasy 3:49
9. Rawdeal 6:26
10. Coldheart 5:38

Bonus Tracks:
11. Dirty Tricks 4:20
12. Axe Crazy 2:47
13. War Machine 4:35
14. Back Street Woman 4:34
15. Chasing The Dragon 4:58
16. Stormchild 2:34

Bonus Tracks:
11: From "All Hell Let Loose" Compilation Lp 1983
12-13: "Axe Crazy" 7" Ep 1982
14-15: "Back Street Woman" 7" Ep 1981
16: From "Heavy Metal Heroes" Compilation Lp 1981



..::OBSADA::..

Garry Pepperd - Guitars
Jeff Cox - Bass
Chris Lovell - Drums
Paul Merrell - Vocals



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0XMc94umTY



SEED 14:30-23:00.
POLECAM!!!