Time Signature Return of the jackal...

Genre: traditional heavy metal

Jackal is an obscure Dutch metal band who only ever released one album plus some demos in the late 80s. The band split up in the early 90s, but have recently reformed. Their only albu "Cry of the Jackal" was released in a very limited number and has remained an obscure gem. Last year, it was reissued on Pure Underground Records with five bonus tracks from some of their demos.

Many 80s metal bands who never made it were typicaly not very good, but experience has shown us that there were some outstanding bands among the masses. Jackal was bviously one such outstanding band. "Cry of the Jackal" offers up quality traditional metal with powerful riffs, catchy vocals and strong songwriting. With influences from Iron Maiden and Randy Rhoads (there are some RR-inspired riffs in 'Pharaoh' an 'Nightmare') as well as some early power metal, these guys capture the best of the 80s metal scene they were part of. Ranging from simple riffs to more intricate melodies and structures, the music on this album never gets boring.

The five bonus tracks are of the same high quality, although the production is obviously of a lower quality.

The musicianship is surprisingly high across the board, and the sloppiness that characterizes some 80s metal is totally absent, and this is an album that should appeal to fans of quality 80s metal like Iron Maiden, Running Wild, Anvil, and Accept.