MARSHALL LAW: LP 1989 s.t, debut, 1st DMM Mastered. British classic Heavy metal. A cult classic. CHECK AUDIO and video of the LP for sale

Description

Marshall Law is a heavy metal band from Birmingham, England. The group formed in 1988 by Andy Pyke and Dave Martin. The band recorded demos and sold over 5000 copies at live shows in the UK and around the world. In 1989/90, Marshall Law recorded and released their eponymous debut album on Heavy Metal Records in Europe, distributed by BMG. This gained world wide critical acclaim. European tours followed…

Tracklist:
1. Armageddon 01:21
2. Under the Hammer 03:45
3. Rock the Nation 02:29
4. Marshall Law 03:58
5. Hearts and Thunder 04:03
6. Screaming 05:05
7. We’re Hot 03:16
8. Feel It 03:49
9. System X 05:03
10. Future Shock 03:28
11. When Will It End? 03:51
40:08

video of the LP for sale:

Energetic, Entertaining Judas Priest Worship. – 89%
Let me start off by saying how much I actually really enjoyed this album. For a while I only had the songs “”Screaming”” and “”Under The Hammer”” downloaded, and for some reason I figured the those would basically be the highlights when I finally decided to give the whole album a spin. To my surprise, this record is far better than I thought it would be. There a whole mess of catchy, very memorable choruses, solid riffs, cooking solos, and slick post-NWOBHM song styles. Taking a further look….

The production is your typical late 80 metal sound: slick and standard, though there is a somewhat annoying amount of reverb, particularly in the vocals. This would be a common issue with an number of Marshall Law albums, but usually never enough to ruin a listening experience. Vocalist Andy Pyke has a solid, charismatic set of lungs, carrying tune though upper tempo howling and shouting; he clearly capable of some pretty violent shrieks as well, but employs them rarely. The duel guitar attack of Dave Martin and Andy Southwell are clearly based on the vintage Tipton-Downing mold, and while inferior to the real thing, these two are usually pretty excellent in their own right with a number of slicing trade-offs and scorching rhythms. The buried bass of Marshall Law one-timer Malcolm Gould is little to brag about, but drummer is pretty good on the other hand. A typical heavy metal drummer, maybe, but capable and fairly aggressive all the same, utilizing some sweet double bass moments, pounding fills and a hard-tapping mid-paced backbone to a number of songs.

Lyrically “”Marshall Law”” can be silly; the usual word of metal and silly sexcapades is rampant throughout the album, but let that deter you not. There is a fine mess of headbanging fun to to be had here and then some. There just two songs on here that don’t totally rock my cock: “”Feel It”” and “”System X””. “”Feel It”” shares the same chorus with a fucking Phil Collins song; need I say more? “”System X”” isn’t bad or anything, but it one of those songs that doesn’t leave much of an imprint, plus the chorus isn’t realized too well. Most everything else is gold though. “”Under The Hammer”” is some pretty fucking rocking speed metal, armed with a nice chorus and a really searing, kick-ass solo. The short, sweet “”Rock The Nation”” and the slightly moodier title track both cruise along at a heavy, top-tapping mid-pace; cool stuff. “”Future Shock”” is your standard “”verse-chorus”” metal song, but it pretty memorable and a damn catchy song all the same. Then we have “”We’re Hot””, and despite that corny Motley Crue title this fucker is probably the most aggressive song on here, bordering on thrash thanks to its hammering drumming and the in your face chorus. The major highlight however is still “”Screaming””. The intro is just neat and moody, the verses urgent and memorable, the solo is immense, and just try to get that chorus out of your head! “”Screaming! (Screaming). In this nightmare! (Nightmare)!””

Overall, a pretty cool metal album and a worthy addition to any collection. If you dig early Dokken, Crue, or Pretty Maids, or especially 80 Priest, I recommend it. No-frills metal!

Quality classic metal – 85%
I’ll admit, I know very little about Marshall Law. I’ve been a fan of classic/traditional heavy metal for many many years and I only recently stumbled upon them by accident. But I must say, I was very impressed with what I heard. The band(at least on this album) sound kinda like early 80 Priest(eg SFV) mixed with Keepers era Helloween.

The songs range from mid paced speed metal, to more traditional Priest style rockers. And the album is mostly vocal driven, so it a good thing that their vocalist is very competent. He has a good mid-range tone, slightly gruff, he sounds a bit like Ray Alder did on the No Exit album, only without the range. More impressive though is the vocal melodies he comes up with, some are so damn catchy they stick to you immediately. Take the pre-chorus to the song “”Marshall Law”” for example, the “”synthetic life within his frame”” part, very catchy stuff. Unfortunately the production is a bit weak, the guitars are pushed way too far down in the mix, which is a shame because the riffs are generally good and the leadwork is very impressive. Lots of Tipton/Downing type solos, lots of trade offs and some harmonizing. The bass is pretty much inaudible, the drums are tight and pretty loud in the mix but are nothing fancy.

The album flows good from beginning to end, there really nothing on here that I would consider “”filler”” just some songs that are a little bland and simply don’t work. But when these guys are on, they are on. “”Under the Hammer”” starts the album off with a bang, it steady speed metal song with a catchy fist pumping chorus. Good vocal work, and an energetic solo. “”Marshall Law”” is probably my favorite song on the album, it sounds a bit different than the other songs, a little slower and more moody bust still very much a rocker of a song. The vocals in this song are brilliant, the pre-chorus vocal melody I mentioned earlier is one hell of a hook, and the chorus with it chanting is good fist pumping stuff. A good build up to the solo, and even better execution. “”Screaming”” is another kick ass track, a high energy rocker with an infectious chorus. The guitars are more prominent in this song, some good harmonics to accentuate the vocals, and a good screaming solo.

“”Future Shock”” is another standout, it almost sounds like a really heavy Dokken song in a way. The verses are great with their stalking flow, and another good pre-chorus melody, and the screaming in the chorus is great. “”When Will it End”” has a nice marching rythym, though it a little too far on the cheesey side, still very catchy. “”Hearts and Thunder”” is pretty straight forward speed metal, soft verses, speedy chorus, when the speed kicks in it really a kick ass song. Also the most lengthy and complex solo on the album.

The other songs are mostly all decent, just nothing to really write home about. All in all I would say this is a nice little hidden gem in the metal world. Fans of bands like Scanner, Riot, Helloween, and other classic power metal bands will surely love this. It has the right combination of balls, cheese, and fist pumping fun to make it a kick ass album.

5.0 out of 5 stars PURE METAL CLASSIC
THIS HAS TO BE ONE OF THE FINEST DEBUT METAL ALBUMS EVER REALISED BY A BRITISH BAND. STILL STANDS OUT! WICKED RIFFS AND SPLENDID VOCALS AND MELODIES. NOT A WEAK SONG ON THE ALBUM. THEY ARE THE LAW!! ”

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