BATTLEAXE — Power From the Universe (review)

BATTLEAXE — Power From the Universe album cover

Album · 1984 · NWoBHM

3.5/5 · 2015-01-13
Time Signature

License to rock...

Genre: NWoBHM

Originally released in 1984, Battleaxe's "Power from the Universe" appeared in the ebb of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal into relative obscurity, and, like many other bands on the scene, Battleaxe disbanded in the late 1987s, but reformed in 2010. "Power from the Universe" was rereleased on SPV records in December of 2014.

And this is something that every metal fan should be grateful for, as the album is a slab of fine authentic 80s metal. The aptly titled "Chopper Attack" is an uptempo metal rocker revolving around a blistering Judas Priest-inspired riff, while 'Movin' Metal Rock' combines influences fro AC/DC and, again, Judas Priest in a way that almost predicts Priest's more hard rock-oriented sound on "Turbo". 'License to Rock' explores further AC/DC-inspired hard rock sound (with touches of Judas Priest influences). 'Fortune Lady' is a more subdued affair, combining a galloping bass with hard rock elements and epic keyboards, and takes a more Maiden-esque turn towards the end, jumping into an uptempo sequence akin to what can be heard on the two first Maiden-albums. 'Shout It Out' is another hard rocking affair, this time drawing on Judas Priest and Saxon. 'Over the Top' continues down the metal-hard rock road, but seems to also draw on contemporary hard rock at the time, while 'Power from the Universe' is another fast-paced heavy metal track- and perhaps the best song on the album (if we ignore the bonus tracks of the 2014-rerelease), while 'Make it in America' is more akin to the Def Leppard of the early 80s (that is, before Leppard became a sappy pop-rock band).

The four bonus track on the 2014 rerelease ... 'Killer Woman' is a considerably aggressive riff-fest, complete with a blazing guitar solo and catchy pre-choruses and choruses, while 'Radio Thunder' is a solid hard rocker, treating the listener to another awesome guitar solo. 'My Love's On Fire' draws on blues-derived, American-inspired hard rock - and is that a reference to The Rolling Stones' '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' I hear in the beginning? And lo and behold, while this is not the best song in the world, it features the best guitar solo of the four bonus tracks. 'Love Sick Man' experiments with the guitar effect technology available at the time, and draws on simplistic hard rocking riffage with an almost punky edge to it.

The compositions are solid and show that, while not great innovators, Battleaxe were good at writing hard rock and heavy metal tunes at the time. The musicianship is generally pretty good, at the listener is treated to some pretty good guitar solos. Vocalist Dave King's singing style is a bit akin to that of Blaze Bayley, but with a slightly more gruff edge to it. At this point, I should stress that this is not a criticism. While Bayley is not popular for his work with Maiden, his work with Wolfsbane was pretty damn good, and it is this that comes to mind when listening to Dave King. His vocal style on the four bonus tracks is more varied.

Musically, this is not the shiniest of shiny stars in the metal sky, but it is a solid 80s metal effort with lots of charm and authenticity, documenting NWoBHM towards the end of the movement. Drawing in particular on Judas Priest and influences from hard rock. There is nothing new under the sun, and there was nothing new under the sun back in 1984 when it was first released, but it is still a fun album that has a lot of solid authentic 80s metal to offer.