ADD LINK FROM WEB To complete the trilogy of GRIM REAPER ’80s albums reissued / remastered in Japan and pressed on SHM-CD, here’s 1985’s “Fear No Evil“. The record picked up exactly where Grim Reaper’s well-received debut See You in Hell had left off, with the band delivering another strong set of vigorous, blue-collar British heavy metal.
As was to be expected, ”Fear No Evil” reprises its predecessor’s crunchy riffs while injecting singles candidates like the title track and “Never Coming Back” with a mid-Eighties sonic refinement and increased sense of melody. Other songs, such as “Let the Thunder Roar,” “Fight for the Last,” and “Final Scream” alternate the requisite demonically inspired lyrics with Judas Priest’s patented “let’s go rock out” approach.
Over the years there has been poor sounding reissues, and “Fear No Evil” deserved this clear, punchy remaster on SHM-CD pressing.
The album starts with the title track, which at this point in time is already a metal classic. Great riffs, leads, and some very powerful vocals. “Come and take my hand… And on my commaaaannnnd! You will fear no evillll yeahh!” ’80s metal at its finest, and worth the price of the album alone.
“Never Coming Back” has a really nice flow, reminiscent of early Maiden. “Lord of Darkness” is like the previous track, a really nice groovy, half thrashy riff. Check out that Halford-esque scream at about 1:06, that’s sure to shatter windows. “Rock & Roll Tonight” has a much more hard rock approach, written for the arenas.
“Let the Thunder Roar” is what fans want to hear from Grim Reaper. A fast paced rocker, with a great chorus. “Lay it on the Line” is next, and no, it’s not a Triumph cover but an intense midtempo tune with great crunchy riffs and big vocals.
“Fight For the Last” feels like a Defenders of the Faith-era Priest song, Steve sounds great here, and the lyrics in this song are actually pretty cool – very ’80s metal. The last song is “Final Scream” is just Eighties fun, with a long, cliched intro, just metal for the masses.
Grim Reaper where a band that really stuck to their guns, and had the old “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” way of writing songs. In fact, Grimmett said they wanted to experiment a little on this sophomore album, but manager and record label recommended keep rockin’, straight to the jugular. And it works – if you like classic 80s metal with melody, you will love this.
Highly Recommended
1 Fear No Evil 4:00
2 Never Coming Back 3:33
3 Lord Of Darkness (Your Living Hell) 2:59
4 A Matter Of Time 4:15
5 Rock And Roll Tonight 4:03
6 Let The Thunder Roar 4:06
7 Lay It On The Line 4:08
8 Fight To The Last 2:59
9 Final Scream 5:29
for subscr thx A.N.N!!!