BLACK FLAME

While the sleeve does give off a prog/70's rock vibe, you have to be pretty dull & unimaginative if the band name doesn't tickle your proto-Metal feelers. Wasn't 'The Black Flame' the name of the official magazine of The Church Of Satan? No, I don't think there's a connection but there's plenty of sinister vibes here, at least if we ignore the unremarkable prog instrumental B-side (no surprises..) and concentrate solely on the furious "Letter From A Dead Friend". This ripper shares a lot of traits with our favourite finns Sarcofagus(!), as well as with other ahead-of-their-time curio's like Triarchy and Death SS. It's not that the song itself is this unforgettable piece of genious songwriting - it's actually quite simple and straight-forward in composition - but rather that it impresses with its punch and weight-v/s-yearofrelease-ratio.

One can't help imagining what an entire albums' worth of BLACK FLAME would sound like. In fact we do get a glimpse into this alternate universe when turning to the obscure Dutch local sampler "Koppop" from 1-2 years later, where the band features with an even stronger composition. There has to be plenty of material written inbetween, don't you think? Could anyone get Black Widow Records on the line and get this thing sorted out asap, please?