A blow of hardened steel to the face !
Death or the Grim Reaper is a very popular character in metal, both as a cover illustration and as a textual theme. Many heavy metal bands have more or less adopted it as a regular mascot, GRAVE DIGGER in the lead (The Reaper, Symphony Of Death, The Grave Digger, Ballads Of A Hangman, Return Of The Reaper, Exhumation – The Early Years, etc.) , or only occasionally (IRON MAIDEN on Dance Of Death, Death On The Road, From Fear To Eternity).
However, Death, as we symbolize it (skeletal body, long dark cape, hood on the head, scythe in hand) and which groups use to describe the content of their albums or even as personal imagery designed to attract the eye of the onlooker and shocking the giant clam frogs, has a very unique history. When did it first appear in this form?
To find the answer to this question, we have to go back several hundred years into the past. In two eras very distinct from each other. The first of these is located in Greek Antiquity. The God Cronos (or Kronos) was adorned with a globe topped with a scythe. Furthermore, exiled to Earth by Zeus himself following an altercation, the God of Time would have created an agricultural community. And as the passage of time leads inexorably towards death, you can make the connection. Hence the symbol of the scythe reaping the crops – allegorically human souls. The second, more recent, extends from the 14th to the 17th centuries during the great epidemics of the Black Death in Europe. On several dozen occasions, near certain French, British, German and Italian towns, whitish figures dressed in a strange outfit, reminiscent of a cape topped with a hood, were seen in the wheat fields by the inhabitants a few nights before the start of pandemics. These supernatural creatures, likened to extra-terrestrials called “little grays”, held in their hands long instruments similar to scythes which released vaporous smoke. From then on, city dwellers, seeing the disease decimate their loved ones, their neighbors and a good part of the continent, it was not difficult for them to make the connection with these evil intruders and to declare them responsible for the premature disappearance of several million people. . One thing led to another, with the help of gossip, the metaphor became more and more persistent until it presented Death in the aspect we know today.
This fascination with the hooded Camarde is quite widespread among metalheads of all stripes, who do not hesitate to exorcise their fears about this transcendence of the flesh towards etheric dimensions which goes beyond the concepts of space and time, materiality and spirituality. Even if it means choosing Death as a group surname and as a totem. One of the living legends of the NWOBHM did not hesitate to make this choice, certainly morbid, but rather effective in terms of marketing. Until GRIM REAPER also let Charon take him on board and ended up sinking in the middle of a dazzling career and leaving me somewhat in disarray.
However, it is this kind of musical resurrection that brings balm to the heart where the flaming embers have become frozen ashes and certain groups were thought to have been extinguished forever. And yet, after almost 30 years of patiently waiting for a reincarnation of GRIM REAPER, what was my explosive joy when I learned on an American webzine that the miracle had finally arrived and that Steve GRIMMETT had finally decided to give him a second chance. From that moment on, I wondered what form the quartet would take, given that Nick BOWCOTT, founder and main composer of the British squad, had taken a transversal path by joining Marshall Amplification / Korg Electronics in the Big Apple. , following their ejection from the RCA label in 1987 which caused their bankruptcy.
But, not letting himself be discouraged, Steve GRIMMETT (ex-CHÂTEAUX) joined the ranks of ONSLAUGHT, just long enough to add his sensational voice to In Search Of Sanity before jumping ship and creating LIONSHEART, with which he recorded four albums, a prelude to his time with FRICTION and GRIMMSTINE, alongside his solo career with STEVE GRIMMETT'S BAND, whose line-up will be the same in this new incarnation of the Reaper. You can, therefore, see that the frontman has not been idle during all these years. These various projects have allowed him to gain experience and refine his voice, now rounder and warmer than in the past.
Besides, you will be able to check it yourself when you have obtained this fourth offering of the Hooded Harvester. Entitled Walking In The Shadows and adorned with a gray cover in the spirit of those of the group's old recordings (See You In Hell, Fear No Evil, Rock You To Hell), the subject of my column is in the continuity of its predecessors, but the production, much more modern and powerful, is what jumps to the ear first. No more analog, welcome digital. This technological leap is a shock when you, like me, remained sentimentally attached to the hits that were, among others, Fear No Evil, Wrath Of The Ripper or When Heaven Comes Down and which sound completely different from, for example, From Hell, Rock Will Never Die or even the eponymous Walking In The Shadows. All the titles of this latest opus are highlighted, even if GRIM REAPER is no longer entirely heavy metal oriented, certain tracks tending stylistically towards hard rock or AOR, surely a result of the former professional experiences of Mr. GRIMMETT (LIONSHEART , SG
, which will have unconsciously resurfaced during the writing process.
Even if this navigation between genres will not really have been a problem for me, I must nevertheless admit that Steve, although very comfortable in the mids and bass, is almost no longer able to reach the highs. as in his early youth, at least has difficulty sending them so powerfully. On the opening track, Wings Of Angels, it’s terribly obvious. I have the feeling that Steve got his feet wet a bit, without necessarily falling into chickpeas. The rest of the time, it's as spicy as Worcestershire harissa. It's true that everyone gets older. And the voices don’t necessarily get better either. All you have to do is see Bruce DICKINSON rowing in the highest notes on the flagship songs of the Iron Maiden. This does not, however, take away the infinite talent of the cheerful gnome aviator. Just as this does not alienate the skills of Steve GRIMMETT, who remains one of my favorite singers of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal alongside Bruce DICKINSON.
Technically, we are rather on simple and direct pieces, like in the good old days, without rediscovering the passion which characterized the murderous triad that formed See You In Hell, Fear No Evil and Rock You To Hell. That said, the production allows you to gain power and maintain a certain dynamic throughout the album, with compositions that fit in well, such as Walking In The Shadows, From Hell, Rock Will Never Die or Blue Murder, interspersed titles that are certainly less muscular but no less interesting, such as the opening track Wings Of Angels, Reach Out, I'm Coming For You, Call Me In The Morning, Temptation, Thunder, Now You See Me and Come Hell Or High Water . Please note, by “less muscular”, I am not talking about the energy that emanates from it but rather the intensity of the choruses looking towards heavy rock spheres which are not unpleasant.
Vocally, as I said above, Steve comes out with honors, even if now his atypical voice, which for me was previously a perfect marriage between those of Ronnie James DIO, in terms of gravelly tone, and Don DOKKEN , when he explored the crystalline heights, is now less winded, more downy. In fact, for me she has gained a lot in maturity. Steve does not seek to impress, but to accompany the songs as best he can. And that’s precisely what I like about this Walking In The Shadows: the absence of excessive demonstration. The sobriety of the compositions which contrasts with the musical excess of certain other current groups of the same style.
Ultimately, GRIM REAPER does justice to its mascot whose surname it proudly bears with its measured but lively approach, just as the Reaper is discreet but incisive in its approach. Including with the clip for Walking In The Shadows which features Death calling the living to join her in her frenetic dance ("Take My Hand / Follow Me / Don't look back / Walking In The Shadows"), an allegory clear and precise chase between her and all the creatures she tirelessly pursues, constantly inventing new methods to put an end to their existence. That said, the Comarde dressed in black did not manage to get the skin of the hairy English Roger Rabbit with the golden voice and his determination to resurrect one of the most exceptional musical jewels of the British crown of the eighties, even if this one, the Hooded One, has a curved, very sharp blade and a complexion that would make King DIAMOND, KISS and the MISFITS united under his holed hood pale. Here's one who really abused BB Cream from Maybelline. In short, Steve GRIMMETT and his colleagues have released an extremely solid and pleasant album which marks a stylistic renewal, the compositions being less exalted than previously, thus indicating a renewed plenitude and serenity among our four friends. Walking In The Shadows is a still timid return to business although it surpasses many of the heavy metal productions that saw the light of day in 2016, notably LAST IN LINE's Heavy Crown. The next opus, if Steve follows up on this one, which I really hope, will have to be more direct and impactful, and have as much bite as Fear No Evil. And I know that the vocalist and his band are capable of producing such a puck. However, Walking In The Shadows is the phonographic confirmation of a rather unexpected resurrection of GRIM REAPER and, as a result, the latter is gently testing the waters to see if its supporters are still there almost three decades after its terrible shipwreck in full swing. Yes, Steve, all your supporters are there, including me, we have never forgotten your contribution and that of your former comrades, who preferred to turn towards more lenient skies, to the world of metal, in general, and to the NWOBHM, in particular. Walking In The Shadows is a “tart sweetness” that will definitely please you if you appreciate traditional heavy music and its characteristic timeless aura. The sordid Reaper has definitively emerged from the Darkness to bewitch you and finish you off with a blow of hardened steel to the face. We inevitably succumb, but what a crazy feeling it feels to find a name that made a name for itself around the world more than 30 years ago. And as Steve chants loud and clear, rock will never die, neither will GRIM REAPER, and that's a good thing !!
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