format: Mini-LP
year: 1985
country: UK
label: Landslide Records / Conquest Records
#: LAND LP 104 / QUEST 3
info: Both pressings were released the same year and equal in rarity, though the Landslide version was probably the first one.
style: Heavy Metal, Punk
Side A:
One of the prime oddities of the 80's UK scene and a release I've been wanting to write about for a long time, but I just never knew how and where to start. You see, me and "Se Parare Nex", we have HISTORY. She was my First.
Rare vinyl mega-want, that is. I (and many other Metal fans at the time I'm sure) became familiar with UK ex-punkers The Blood through the seminal "Metal Inferno" compilation in the mid 80's, one of the finest and most educational collections of NWOBHM and occult HM ever put together. Even if this comp also incuded such über-kült classics as Witchfinder General, Cloven Hoof, Angel Witch and the excellent re-recording of Black Widow's old satanic earring "Come To The Sabbat", the one song that truly blew me away was the haunting "Incubus" by his mysterious band simply called 'Blood' on the back sleeve. For almost a decade I searched everywhere (i.e. in the 3 local record shops + in the collections of friends) for this "Se Parare Nex" album that I shortly after learnt was the source of the track, until some day in the mid 90's it just popped up - in the bloody Punk-section! At least that somewhat eased me into the upcoming disappointment.
While "Incubus"
is an incredibly well-written, mesmerizing, morose and darkened piece of post-NWOBHM chant spiced up with some minor goth/'death rock' vibes, the rest of SPN is a hodgepodge of all sorts of UK rock-things. Most of the vocals are done in the same rough and hoarse oi!-type grunts as on their previous punk recordings, and while it works out ok over the more hardrocking bits it has none of the invocative qualities of the vocal style in the opening anthemic masterpiece. Sometimes the mixing of the 2 makes for a rather schizoid experience, like in "Smiling Throat" for instance, where the verses carries some great vocal melodies while the chorus is pure pub-punk annoyance. Going further, "Attic Case" is great, grunting Horror-rock drama where even the sax in the chorus does a great job, but paradoxally also the least HR/HM-related tune. "False Fed, Brain Dead" shows the most of their sing-along oi/punk roots but also incorporates a tasteful amound of Hard Rock riffage and NWOBHM harmonies. The title track finale is another schizo affair, blending 70's anthemic Alice Cooper horror with a Metal chorus. The end result is very likeable, but hereabouts is where we must ask ourselves: Could this really be considered Heavy Metal at all, even in its most experimental/crossover form?
I'm not convinced, but the interesting thing about it is that at this period in time the band really wanted to be. They nicked Cronos as producer, gave thanx to Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy, and made some bold statements like "Roll over W.A.S.P. and tell Motley Crüe the news!!!" and "Sick kicks for shock rockers" on the back sleeve. The intent was to make an outrageous Heavy Metal mini - they just lacked the know-how to consistently pull it off. So, these aspirations makes it enough a part of the 80's Metal universe to at least write about - especially on this site which has always prided itself with delving into the deepest, most unconventional and hidded corners of this scene. Did someone say Metalploitation?