Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Weapon UK
Label: Self-released
Release: 2014
Runtime: 48:15
Rating: 4.5/5
Yet another batch of veterans is making its way back to the scene, washed up by the huge tidal wave of the so-called NWOBHM invasion in early-eighties Great Britain. Weapon UK formed back in 1980, spent two years under the »fun« name Fast Relief, then renamed themselves Weapon in 1982. Ironic, isn’t it, but in 2012 Weapon had to go through a third name change. The demand came from a much younger bunch of Canadian black/death metallers with the same name. So they tacked a »geographic« extension, »UK«, onto Weapon. Cruel fate had it that in the eighties Weapon put out barely two singles and a demo. A compilation CD of the band’s missing music, »Set the Stage Alight«, did come out in 2003, but that’s definitely not the real deal a fan of raw musical styles would be hoping for. Not until 2011, when the single for Ready 4 U announced the band’s reawakening.
The band finally crowned its creative form this year, and what we have here is its studio debut. The first one in 34 years! Contrary to what you’d expect with the NWOBHM label attached, what’s interesting about Weapon UK is how incredibly strong the classic hard rock and heavy rock elements are. That’s confirmed above all by the extremely tuneful choruses and phrases, which are often stylistically close even to the primordial stance of rock ‘n’ roll (Slade). No wonder Weapon UK often get pulled toward their countrymen Saxon. You could say the musicality is so pronounced that Weapon UK, even if I’m being deliberately bizarre, are closer to early Def Leppard than to any of the especially spiky NWOBHM outfits like Tokyo Blade, Diamond Head, or Blitzkrieg. On top of all that, the riffs can also pull toward heavy rock a la UFO. Take the tracks Warrior and/or Burnig Skies. Both are brilliant blends of infectious guitar phrases and predatory lead melodies, with a highly developed sense of theatrical drama stuffed with bombast, and fans of Saracen, Airrace and/or Praying Mantis will prick up their ears too.
These long-lived musical veterans put their rich experience and knowledge to good use, and mostly with great success on this debut! The camaraderie is outstanding, the building blocks fit together in phenomenal symbiosis. Everything sits just right. The whole realization of the ideas and the musical vision. Danny Hynes’s vocals keep plenty of power, charisma, and the variability of a master adapting to the message of each song. That makes Hynes one of the key creators of the dynamic swings in mood within the songs. The tracks are the full-blooded result of optimal songwriting. The gradual build-up of atmosphere reaches its atmospheric peaks with great effectiveness in the chorus melodies, the songs as a rule include a pre-chorus, and the band, with cunningly compatible modulations of melody (and rhythmic keys too), deftly shakes up the songs, especially in the excellent »mid eight« passages. The soloing is classic! Born in the school of blues rock. The ballad Alamein is definitely one of the detours and at the same time one of the highlights of the album. Dark drama seasoned with a touch of pomp, without a speck of sugary, weepy outbursts. At this point Danny’s vocal color comes close to Andy Deris (Helloween), while the arrangement format of this song, melody and all, would be envied by The Scorpions in the days of their biggest ballad hits. Then the »sexpansion« is back in the hard rock rascal Wonderland, full of the cocky, boyish arrogance of old-school Slade. The verse and the opening rock ‘n’ roll riff would fit the arrangement mold of a The Darkness song with no trouble. Bad Reputation is a track that will be close to fans of Thunder’s hard rock catchiness, while the raw bitterness of the hard rock component in Bloodsoaked Rock is even related to the likes of Krokus and Bonfire.
Weapon UK have delivered a superb album that will sound like home to fans of classic heavy rock pioneering. A record that blasts you straight into the bosom of the early eighties. A top-notch album, defined from head to toe. The production. The energy unleashed! The chemistry and organic liveliness. The tangible conceptual substance of the music! It all works as one piece, in the best possible way. Weapon UK have delivered an outstanding album that has been missed for a long time. Lost in time and space. »Rising from the Ashes« cunningly rides the thin, seeming line between the jurisdiction of classic hard rock and the pioneering, jagged aggression of NWOBHM metal. Plain and straight, no beating around the bush: »Rising from the Ashes« is one of the best heavy rock / heavy metal releases to come out this year. Let’s hope the band delivers its studio follow-up very soon.
Lineup
Danny Hynes – vocals
Jeff Summers – guitar, backing vocals
P.J Phillips – bass guitar, backing vocals (Baz Downes on
Ian Sweeting – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Bruce Boland – drums on the track ‘Killer Instinct’
Baz Downes – bass guitar on the track ‘Killer Instinct’
Production
Weapon UK
Track list
1. Prelude (The Awakening)
2. Ride The Mariah
3. Fountain Of Paradise
4. Warrior
5. Ready 4 U
6. Burning Skies
7. Alamein
8. Wonderland
9. Blood Soaked Rock
10. Bad Reputation.
11. Celebration Time.
12. Killer Instinct*
*… bonus track
