The Almighty – Blood, Fire & Love / Soul Destruction Re-Issues
The Almighty – Blood, Fire & Love / Soul Destruction Re-Issues
Silver Lining Music
Release Date: 24/11/23
Running Time: 01:44:48
Review by Simon Black
9/10
In case you missed it, Glasgow’s finest The Almighty (yes, I know that Ricky Warwick is from Northern Ireland, but he and two other members of the band actually met at school in Glasgow after he relocated there in the 80’s) have returned for a short run of live shows to close the year off. This isn’t the first time that they’ve come back from the wilderness over the decades, but it is the first time since 1996 that they have done so with the original line up intact. Fourth time lucky, huh? To celebrate, the first two studio albums have been given a much overdue dust down and vinyl reissue, having been unavailable for a while not to mention some much needed TLC in the production department.
I first came across them supporting Faster Pussycat at my hometown stomping ground of Rock City in Nottingham at the fag end of the 80’s, when “Blood, Fire & Love” had only just been released, with ‘Wild & Wonderful’ being the track rock DJ’s at the time were pushing. Then as now, those first two records are a little odd… The background of the four players was Punk not Rock or Metal, which is odd considering that if there was ever a band that was pitched at the biker community of the time, then this was it, and those guys generally hated punk… Except when it crossed into Hard Rock ‘n Roll territory, á la Motörhead that is, and there’s definitely a huge dollop of that attitude and sound in the mix, but musically these songs tend to be a lot more lenient when it comes to beats per minute compared to your average Lemmy opus, especially on the second record. That Punk influence was much more obvious live, and that’s what impressed me about them at the time, enough for me to buy the second opus “Soul Destruction” a year or so later.
Of the two, the latter is the more solid album from a Rock and Metal point of view, and definitely benefits from a bit more budget in the studio, but the slight Punk edginess of the first actually ages better across the decades because it’s full of energy compared to the sophomore. “Soul Destruction” feels too much like an album that’s been forced into place by the influence of a label, with ‘Devil’s Toy’ and ballad ‘Little Lost Sometimes’ positively reeking of the instruction to go away and write a hit, which is probably why they’ve not aged as well as the more raw, raucous and honest debut. That said, they are both absolute belters.
Although their third album “Powertrippin’” was probably their most commercially successful and departing guitarist Andy “Tantrum” McCafferty had a huge part to play in its writing, even if he was not on the final recorded release, but I can see why it’s not been included. This is all about celebrating the original line up, so there’s definitely a missed opportunity to have bundled the “Blood, Fire & Live” mini album alongside (ironically partly recorded at that first gig I saw). After this for me, things went to pot for The Almighty as established Rock and Metal acts struggled to find their feet amongst shifting musical tastes, and although they opened up more to their Punk roots the remainder of their releases in the 90’s “Crank” and “Just Add Life” did absolutely nothing for me. These two classics though most definitely still remain wild and wonderful…
The Almighty – ‘Wild And Wonderful’
TRACKLISTING:
01. Resurrection Mutha (Blood, Fire & Love)
02. Destroyed (Blood, Fire & Love)
03. Wild & Wonderful (Blood, Fire & Love)
04. Blood, Fire & Love (Blood, Fire & Love)
05. Gift Horse (Blood, Fire & Love)
06. You’ve Gone Wild (Blood, Fire & Love)
07. Lay Down The Law (Blood, Fire & Love)
08. Power (Blood, Fire & Love)
09. Full Force Lovin’ Machine (Blood, Fire & Love)
10. Detroit (Blood, Fire & Love)
11. Crucify (Soul Destruction)
12. Free ‘N’ Easy (Soul Destruction)
13. Joy Bang One Time (Soul Destruction)
14. Love Religion (Soul Destruction)
15. Bandaged Knees (Soul Destruction)
16. Praying To The Red Light (Soul Destruction)
17. Sin Against The Light (Soul Destruction)
18. Little Lost Sometimes (Soul Destruction)
19. Devil’s Toy (Soul Destruction)
20. What More Do You Want (Soul Destruction)
21. Hell To Pay (Soul Destruction)
22. Loaded (Soul Destruction)
LINE-UP:
Ricky Warwick – Vocals / Guitar
Stumpy Monroe – Drums
Floyd London – Bass
Andy “Tantrum” McCafferty – Lead Guitar
LINKS:
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