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ICHABOD KRANE
Day Of Reckoning

Pure Steel (2014)
Rating: 8/10

This American heavy metal quartet is named after the fictional character from Washington Irving’s 1820 classic spook tale, The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow.

Ichabod Krane formed in 2013 and feature ex-Halloween members guitarist Rick Craig and bassist George Neal, former Sleepy Hollow drummer Tom Wassman and current Wülfhook vocalist Jeff Schlinz. The band plays downright fiery classic heavy metal in the fashion of Judas Priest and Accept.

With darkly-clad lyrics and menacing passages of intent, I just wish that the band had wrapped up this delicious ten-track record in better packaging, instead of succumbing to that horrid computerised imagery which seems to bog down so many of today’s records. But anyway, minor quibbles aside this is a rollicking feast of fun for fans of straight up metal bands who like their music heavy, leather-clad and bombastic. Yes, it does sound like it was recorded in 1987, but as I say time and time again, when it works, it’s so bloody well refreshing.

From the opening rattle of ‘Dark Valentine’ these guys steam through the wastelands accompanied by dazzling solos, tight riffage, sizzling percussion and Jeff Schlinz’s yelps, which may be prone to have a bit of a wobble every now and then but it merely adds to the mystical charm of this. Hell, there’s even a hint of Megadeth fused with Saxon here as ‘Hypnotized’ comes in armed and dangerous spewing dragon smoke and casting spells in the fashion of the mighty Savatage. I think anyone who spent the 80s listening to stuff like the aforementioned bands, plus Chastain, Malice, Deadly Blessing, and just about every other sword-wielding wizard is going to find themselves raging along with this.

The fires of hell are fuelled further by the weighty burn of ‘Unwanted’, the slamming ‘Fallen Angel’ with its doomy chug, and my two favourite behemoths ‘Evil In You’ and ‘Immortal’, the latter with its wailing vocal delivery. Classic metal doesn’t get more steely than this and Pure Steel have done well in snapping up this combo of gargoyles. For the approaching autumn, I can think of no place I’d rather be than under the bewitching metal spells of Ichabod Krane.

Neil Arnold

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