lechery in fire

Released: 29 August 2011 Label: Metal Heaven

At the tail end of a year mostly dominated by slightly more cerebral albums, this caustic collection is a nice and easy way of giving your grey matter a well-earned break.

The Swedish quartet, based around former Arch Enemy man Martin Bengtsson, plays classic heavy metal straight out of 1982. Raised on a steady diet of Scorpions, Accept and Krokus, the band is unapologetic and unpretentious, clearly interested in nothing more than amassing a denim and leather clad army of fans ready to shake a bit of dandruff.

On that basis alone, Lechery is going to get exactly what they want. The fact that you’ve heard this a million times before is rendered unimportant by the sheer conviction and force of delivery. Rest assured, you will be reaching for your patch jacket by track four.

The opening riff of Mechanical Beast could be from any UDO-era Accept album and sets the tone for what follows, as the record leads you through song after song of meaty guitar work, melodic twin leads, robust rhythmic workouts and fist-throwing hooks.

The likes of Burning Heart and We All Gonna Rock You Tonight are every bit as predictable and cliché-ridden as their titles suggest, but are addictive nonetheless. Likewise, Heart of a Metal Virgin shakes off the shackles of its comical title to run free as a stonking metal anthem.

While the production offers adequate contemporary punch, Lechery is not as self-consciously ‘modern’ as Wolf, 3 Inches of Blood or others of the same direct lineage. Nor does the band rely on the symphonic and operatic elements so beloved of many modern power acts, which makes In Fire refreshing in its simplicity.

This is an album about flailing hair, studded wristbands and dirt under the fingernails. Roll up for some metal in its purest form and bang that head.

by Marcus Jervis