Time Signature NWoBHM Reborn...

Genre: traditoinal heavy metal

One of the really great things about the present general heavy metal revival that has been taking place over the last decade is that there is a rekindled interest in the metal of the past, resulting in old classics and obscure releases being reissued and, even better, old bands reforming.

The British act Deep Machince were part of the NWoBHM movement and seem to be among the NWoBHM acts enjoying a renewed interest, having released two EPs on High Roller Records recently. "Whispers in the Black" from 2012 features three solid classic metal tracks which are firmly rooted in the NWoBHM.

The title track features a nice, almost epic, intro complete with twin guitars and all, and then morphs into a classic metal riffs, which really is as classic as they come and some nice catchy vocal lines which, at times, are slightly reminiscent of the chorus from Iron Maiden's 'Different World'.

'Iron Cross' starts out heavy, and it should for its title is really as heavy metal as heavy metal comes (especially in the chorus). There is a nice drive to the track, and it also features a nice rocking guitar solo.

'Killer' is another showcase in NWoBHM aesthetics, complete with guitar harmonies and face-melting screams. The main riff reminds me a bit of a more obscure Iron Maiden track called 'Twilight Zone', while the chord progression in the chorus is akin to the chorus of the 'Iron Maiden'-song.

I should at this point mention that Deep Machine are in no way an Iron Maiden rip-off. There are some aesthetic commonalities between the tracks on this album and early Iron Maiden, but we have to remember that Maiden and Deep Machine originate from the same scene, and that the commonalities probably just reflect this fact.

The production is pretty good and serves to show that this kind of music - with an updated production - seems as relevant today as it did in the early 80s.

For my money, "Whispers in the Black" is extremely enjoyable, and I hope to see more material from these veterans be published in the near future.