PENTAGRAM — First Daze Here: The Vintage Collection (review)

PENTAGRAM — First Daze Here: The Vintage Collection album cover Boxset / Compilation · 2002 · Doom Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
siLLy puPPy
Although PENTAGRAM has become known as a doom metal band following in the footsteps of the granddaddies of doom and gloom themselves, Black Sabbath, they didn't really adopt the low-tuned crushing chords and apocalyptic feel until they started releasing full albums in the 80s. Despite being formed in 1971 the band wouldn't see a full length release until 1985. This has to be a record of some sort for a band to fritter away fourteen years between their inception and actual debut into the market place. To be fair Bobby Liebling is the only member who transverses the band's entire history and between unstable lineup changes and legal troubles it's a miracle the band survived at all.

The band was active despite it all. They were fairly big in the underground scene and recorded quite a few demos and tracks over the years at low budget studios inching their way at a snail's pace to an actual album. Most of these tracks were recorded between 1973 and 1974 with the group's original lineup. After many long years of being totally unavailable to the public, the band decided to remaster many of their lost archival material and release it to the public. FIRST DAZE HERE: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION is the first of such compilations to emerge.

The music on here does have a hint of doom metal but this is a different sound for PENTEGRAM. The influence is more from the heavy psych of the 60s by the likes of Blue Cheer, Cream and Hendrix. Many of these tracks would go on to be reworked and appear on other albums in the more familiar doom metal format such as “Be Forewarned.” Personally I don't find this an extremely interesting listen as it is just repeating the sounds of bands that had been done to death at this point and nothing on here really adds anything new to any particular genre. This sounds like a collection of demos and bonus tracks to me and I rarely desire to put this on but it does serve its purpose as a historical relic that allows a glimpse into the missing decade for fans of their later stuff. Hardly essential in my book but not horrible either.
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