Marshall Law  - Razorhead

Having only ever heard the name Marshall Law whispered in the winds at metal festivals I have always been intrigued by them, but due to my juvenile Alzheimer’s I had always forgotten to pick up a CD of theirs. Knowing that they had been around for over a decade and were proud to be metal but had never made it big; lead my ignorant self to believe they sounded like Heaven’s Basement or any number of other NWOBHM wash-ups or wannabes. Thank the divine forces I was wrong!

Although the cover art, album name and lyrics may give you the impression that the band are big Clive Barker fans the music doesn’t come off as overly cheesy at any point. After the intro track (The Summoning) any listener with a good set of ears should be blown away by the title track. The first thing many will think about after hearing the first proper song will be ‘Iced Earth’. I’m not going to give anyone a verbal beating if they make this comparison, because it was my first thought. Although Marshall Law don’t have the OTT power metal guitar riffs the solos are still pretty damn amazing. Lyrically the band probably have more in common with Blind Guardian, there is a lot of talk of chambers, pain, demons and general other worldly beings.

After my first run through the album my key quarrel with the album was its excessive length (and the questionable vocals on Blood and Pain), very few metal bands can release over an hours worth of new material and get away with it. Although, after a few more listens you find that the album is a perfect length, each song has something to offer and ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ is a perfect centre point in the album for a calming and sentimental moment, allowing for a break before the next onslaught of torment and anguish. This band truly does deserve to get noticed by more people, they are quite easily one of the UK’s greatest hidden heavy treasures.