I like Heavy Metal. Okay, admittedly that’s a bloody obvious statement considering the name of the website you’re currently on and what I do for a living, but what I mean by that is that I like simple, pure Heavy Metal that isn’t any form of sub-genre or mix mash of styles.
Which leads me to Unsafe Space by Predator, an album that falls quite nicely into this category.
This is a record that sounds very 80s, but in a good way, and reminds me of my misspent youth, hanging out with friends and listening to the likes of Anthrax, Manowar, and early Iron Maiden.
This shouldn’t come as a surpise, however, when you consider that Unsafe Space is only Predator’s second album, coming a almost 40 years after their debut, Easy Prey released way back in 1986 when we rode dinosaurs to school and still thought thunderstorms happened because the Gods were angry at us.
It is a time capsule, and as such is steeped in the music scene from back then. It sound is of American 80s Metal crossed with a heavy dose of NWOBHM, during the time that movement still had a vein of punk rock rhythm running through its core. Songwriting duties are handled by Jeff Prentice and Frank Forray (from Ninth Circle), and they deliever a soild set of eleven original tunes and one cover. Which we shall get to in a bit…
Jeff Prentice is a force of nature. His guitar shredding and almost operatic vocals are a breath of fresh air to someone who spends a lot of his time listening to people growling, screeching, and spitting bile into a microphone while the band behind them plays at such a frantic pace that you can taste time. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I adore that sort of music, but sometimes even I need a pallet cleanser, and Unsafe Space by Predator provides that
.It’s an album you can bang your head to, or in my case nod along with while you’re doing the morning washing up, and it’s a very good, very well-frounded and well written record.
But…
I hate cover versions. Can’t help it. It’s just the way I am. In fact, it is safe to say you can count the amount of cover versions I like on one hand and still have enough fingers left over to scratch your arse with. I don’t see the point in them. After all, the original is the original for a reason and unless you happen to be called Jimi Hendrix – hell, even I like All Along The Watch Tower – then there is no reason for you to put a cover on your album. Live? Sure. On vinyl? Don’t waste the space. Unfortunately, Predator’s cover of California Dreamin‘ doesn’t change my opinion one bit.
The fact it is not at the end of the Unsafe Space irks me as well, as it pulls me out of the moment and it takes me at least half the next track – the very good Plague of Deceivers – to get my mojo back. This says more about me than Predator, and if you like cover versions then more power to you, but I could have quite happily lived without it.
However, this doesn’t taint my enjoyment of Unsafe Space at all, mainly because I remembered I had a skip button, and as second record goes it’s a grand effort. Even if it did take Predator nearly four decades to release it.
RATING: 3 OUT OF 5
RATING SYSTEM:
- 0 – 1: Fucking shit
- 1 – 2: Shit
- 2 – 3: Not Bad Shit
- 3 – 4: Pretty Good Shit
- 4 – 5: Amazing Fucking Shit
- 5: The Best Shit You Will Ever Hear
Unsafe Space by Predator is available now via Fighter Records.
PRESS SOURCE: Against PR
