BLITZKRIEG (UK) – Blitzkrieg (2024)

Unrepentantly flying the flag for Classic British Metal since the release of their 1981 “Blitzkrieg / Buried Alive” demo, BLITZKRIEG were a pivotal influence on countless heavy metal bands for decades to come: most notably, Metallica, who released a cover of the band’s eponymous track “Blitzkrieg” both on the “Garage Inc” compilation album, and as a B-side on their 1984 single “Creeping Death”.
Formed in Leicester in late 1980 by lead vocalist Brian Ross (who remains at the helm of the band to this day), the band released some celebrated LP’s and remained a mainstay on the international festival circuit.
Now 2024 BLITZKRIEG is ready to release their new album, simply self-titled “Blitzkrieg“. When you put the record on – ‘You’ll Never Take Me Alive’ is the first track – your ears are greeted by surely the most melodically assured track Blitzkrieg has ever committed to tape. It sounds astoundingly good, with Brian Ross literally defying time with one of his best vocal performances in recent memory.

The good work continues on next track ‘The Spider’, another urgent slice of trad metal with a well-constructed melodic chorus and a fantastic solo from the band’s new guitarist Nick Jennison, but next track ‘Dragon’s Eye’ really takes things up a notch or two. It’s much heavier and much faster, with drummer Matt Graham pulling all the stops out behind the kit, and if you’ve known this band for a while you might find yourself thinking what’s happened to Blitzkrieg? Everything here is bigger, better… Big backing vocals, a nice nod to Rainbow from Ross on the outro… For a band at this stage in their career to be coming out swinging like this is quite remarkable.

‘If I Told You’ is next, a conspiracy theory list song of sorts with a big whiff of Saxon that is perhaps more what you’d expect from Blitzkrieg. Things take a slight downturn on ‘Vertigo’, which is the most ordinary track so far, but even here the band pull out interesting arrangements vocally to produce real surprise, and once again the lead guitar playing is exemplary. In the past the lesser tracks on Blitzkrieg albums have dragged those records down, but that’s just not the case here.

‘Above The Law’ is classic metal, nothing more, nothing less, right down to it’s themes of vigilante justice. However even here the arrangements, and the layering of the guitars, are better than ever before, allowing the sense of urgency the band has built up to keep them steaming full ahead.
That said, next track ‘I Am His Voice’ takes a while to get going but the drama laden close of the song, which incorporates elements of modern metal theatrics and ‘woah-oh-oh’ style backing vocals – is worth the wait.
Penultimate effort ‘The Night He Came Home’ is, perhaps, more what you would expect from Blitzkrieg in the twenty first century; Ross hams it up with a portentous delivery and there’s quality arrangements.

Of course, this is a classic metal album we’re talking about and so there has to be one myth-driven epic; The eight-minute-plus closer ‘On Olympus High – Aphrodite’s Kiss’ is that track. A cinematic intro gives way to clean, portentous guitars in best Iron Maiden fashion… cue duel leads… and perhaps the best vocal performance Brian Ross has delivered in his forty year plus career, which in itself must be a cause for celebration.

”Blitzkrieg” is a remarkable traditional metal album with melody, from a man, Ross, who’s undeniable loyalty to and belief in heavy metal over nearly half a century is quite staggering.
However as an outsider you have to say that it seems to be the injection of fresh blood in the shape of Jennison, whose playing and arrangements seems to be the spark that has given Ross the impetus he needed to reach such dizzying new heights – long may that union continue.
Highly Recommended

01 – You Won’t Take Me Alive
02 – The Spider
03 – Dragon’s Eye
04 – If I Told You
05 – Vertigo
06 – Above The Law
07 – I Am His Voice
08 – The Night He Came Home
09 – On Olympus High – Aphrodite’s Kiss

Brian Ross – lead vocals
Nick Jennison – guitar, vocals
Alan Ross – guitar, vocals
Liam Ferguson – bass
Matthew Graham – drums

Pre order:
www.amazon.co.uk/Blitzkrieg/dp/B0DBRNXC6T