Brothers of Conquest

"All The Colors Of Darkness"
(Go Kart Records)  

Took me about ten minutes, maybe another track or two to convince myself that sticking to the press release and calling them a cross between Danzig and Manowar is just too preposterous… can you imagine? But the more you listen… They're a precursory Punk and classic era Metal hybrid, the former faintly readable around the occasional "whoa, whoa, oh oh's" with an '81-'83 Power Hour clasp that takes ya back to yer fave vintage vinyl idols. And hey, it's a black day when the short-lived Hookers, previous to The Rock N' Roll Outlaw's (that would be the "voice" churning back behind the bullhorn) forming his fight or die fivesome. Well The Hookers were cool, they were heavy and they were this Kentuckian congregation of a late night off road romp that went way overboard. The differences are clear. BOC's got every bit the hammer crashing appeal of the former, only here's where the Heavy Metal homage comes in; you're flashing from Loud Rock to Death Cult to Heroes of Metal in one quick discharge of the buckeye, led through the gates of Valhalla to the house on the hill where the stench of madness beckons in the misty twilight. The first four tunes are instant classics-and why not, they've had about twenty years to mellow-"Kill For Rock n' Roll," "Holy Transformation," "Hot Southern Nights," and "Curse Of The Witch," speed laced sign of the hammer sincerity with a pinch of Skoal and goddamn, more chops that Mr. Bunyon could lay out on an all night caffeine binge! Yes, trace elements of the mighty ones propel the god-like riff, hints of Odin, Osker, and evil fantasies with "Denim & Leather" clad choruses and a grueling, gurgling, ghoulishly good time at the living's expense and only a few dozers near the end.

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