Gregory
This album is excellent. 10/10. No notes. I'm honestly floored by how awesome this release is. \m/ (Please release the digital version of Pile-y's second album!)
Favorite track: Metal Inquisition.
Physical Product is coming in stages
SKR182 - Bandcamp Digital November, Spotify Digital late November
SKR182LP - Coming April 2022
SKR182CD - Coming February 2022
SKR182CT - Coming January 2022
SHADOW KINGDOM RECORDS is proud to present a long-overdue reissue of PILEDRIVER’s cult-classic debut album, Metal Inquisition, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
Since its original release in 1984, PILEDRIVER’s bolt-from-the-blue debut Metal Inquisition has found a legion of fans worldwide, over successive generations and spanning all stripes of metal. The album was the work of one metal maniac named Gord Kirchin, who became the selfsame “Pile Driver” so eloquently depicted on the album’s cover art, and a certain “Bud Slaker” – AKA Leslie Howe, whose resume did not include any heavy metal before nor after. Nevertheless, together the duo recorded a crude ‘n’ rude document of blitzkrieg METAL spirit, spit forth across songs that encompassed scuzzy speed metal and pounding traditional metal. The fact that the band was Canadian figured into this style of sound, as one could detect the likes of Anvil AND Exciter here.
Still, upon pressing “play” on Metal Inquisition and then submitting to it crushing-yet-cruising attack, you’re left with only one conclusion: PILEDRIVER are truly their own sound, and this is truly a one-of-a-kind record. Much of its magic lies in the seemingly unwitting balance between playing up to metal stereotypes AND celebrating them. Sure, Manowar was already making such a balance their stock-in-trade by then, but the atmosphere across Metal Inquisition – by most accounts “evil,” but just enough, or at least with a devilish sense of camp – puts the album in a parallel realm to those of contemporaneous Venom and Bathory. Likewise, even with the use of a drum machine, PILEDRIVER’s physicality could be fiercely felt in the searing-buzzsaw guitars and generous bottom-end, making the album literally one of the heaviest of the era. And, of course, THE SONGS: each one’s an anthem, as addicting as the last, with the bangers “Sex With Satan” (later covered by Marduk), “Pile Driver,” and the titular “Metal Inquisition” being stone-cold classics every true metalhead must know.
Taut and tight, the 37 minutes of Metal Inquisition DEMANDED repeat plays…and now it WILL DEMAND those repeat plays as SHADOW KINGDOM officially releases the album for the first time in over 20 years! The CD version will contain the full master of the album, including a “Crazy On You”-style intro to “Pile Driver” as it was originally intended, while the vinyl and tape versions will stay how they were in the ‘80s. ABSOLUTELY MANDATORY METAL MADNESS!!!
Shadow Kingdom has released a massive amount of quality music, showcasing a wide variety of Metal music, from both new and
legendary bands from the glorious past. Today we focus on strong Traditional Heavy Metal Bands with a Rock & Roll influence as well as maintaining a vast US based mail order distribution that has thousands of interesting Heavy Metal and Rock from today as well as the past....more
supported by 88 fans who also own “Metal Inquisition”
I just found these guys and after celebrating Fearsick I immediately came here and had to buy this as well. It might eben be better than Fearsick but who cares. Both are phenomenally good. Old schoolish perfection with powerful modern production. Every song is a fucking killer. mourner
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