RSS Feed


OCTOBER 31
Bury The Hatchet

Hells Headbangers (2014)
Rating: 8/10

Having formed back in 1995, Virginia headbangers October 31 have been plying their trade with reasonable success and rightly so, as this is the sort of uncompromising band we need to march on through the trends which attempt to hinder our path.

October 31 are fronted by Deceased mainman King Fowley, whose tone is perfect at reviving the grumbling sounds of the 80s. This is solid, spooky metal spiked with the fantastic leads of Brian “Hellstorm” Williams and the chunky rhythms of Matt Ibach. Behind them, and creating their own impenetrable fortress of doom, is long-standing bassist Jim Hunter (Twisted Tower Dire, While Heaven Wept) and on drums Sean Wilhide who joined in 2012.

October 31 have always been consistent with their recorded output. Their debut platter The Fire Awaits You may initially have seemed a little out of time and place when it was released in 1997, but just like any good, no frills band, October 31 stuck to their smoking guns. Their brand of muddy metal made it to a sophomore effort, 1999’s Meet Thy Maker, which belched hotter fires than the debut and most definitely enabled these guys to become more of a cult act, simmering away in the metal underground like some foul demon chomping at the bit to bring metal back to the masses.

Sadly, the band went through a sticky patch shortly afterwards, although 2003’s live opus Stagefright filled the gap for those fans eager for another bite, and two years after that the combo returned to the fray with 2005’s No Survivors. Oddly, the band once again became sporadic, with the next few years seeing the release of just a couple of EPs and a single before this ten-track album emerged.

So, as one expected from a band of this calibre, Bury The Hatchet is a strong presence but one which doesn’t overstay its welcome. Clocking in at just a shade over 40 minutes, the album begins with the sturdy ‘Tear Ya Down’, which in a sense hints at some of metal’s more rugged and certainly underrated bands that have come and gone over the years. A throbbing bass-line, a rigid pulverising drum and of course, those fiery leads are all thrown into the melting pot, seasoned with crunching riffs and then finished off with Fowley’s booming, yet understated vocal delivery.

This is classic metal wrapped up in devilish connotations and murderous intent, none more evident than on the brooding title track and the creeping ‘Down At Lover’s Lane’. What’s so magical about October 31 is that here we have a band that lives up to its name; if you were a teenager back in the 80s and you picked up an album under this moniker you’d expect dark tales constructed of bruising guitars, weighty drums and daubed with atmospheric lyrics, and these guys just do not let you down. Oddly, I’m reminded of the first time I ever heard The Dark (1986) by Metal Church and some of Meliah Rage’s powerful expressions, but that’s not to say this sounds the same – it’s just that it belongs in that category of pumping, thrash-laced, horror-tinged metal. For a prime example, look no further than the aggressive trudge of ‘Gone To The Devil’ or the ogre-ish charm of ‘Voodoo Island’… great stuff!

Forget the gimmicks of daft costumes or pretentious occult references; this is just straight-up, sincere heavy metal that’ll have you banging your head beyond the flickering phantasmagoria of All Hallows’ Eve.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share