Grim Reaper's 1984 debut was a guilty pleasure for many metalheads. Being one of the last of the NWOBHM bands to hit the scene, these London lads scored a major label deal with See You in Hell, an album that sold a few hundred thousand copies and got them on quite a few tours with some of the more popular bands of the day. Looking back, the music on their debut is a bit dated, although still solid if somewhat cheesey classic metal featuring the histrionic vocals of Steve Grimmett and the strong guitar playing of Nick Bowcott. Besides for the anthemic title track, there are a few other strong tracks, most notably the heavy "Wrath of the Ripper", the melodic "Dead on Arrival", and the crunchy riffs of "Run For Your Life". Bowcott proved to be a flashy player who relied on plenty of tricks like whammy bar throttles and two hand tapping, not to mention powerful riffs that paid homage to all the greats like Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden. While Grimmett had a range that could hit the highest notes, at times he was a bit overbearing, especially on "All Hell Let Loose", a good tune but annoying at times due to Steve's repeated whining of the main verse.
Overall, this is a must have for fans of the early 80's metal scene. I just wish Spitfire would have cleaned up the sound a little on this reissue, at least raise the volume levels, which are sadly extremely low. Plus, my copy had the title track and "All Hell Let Loose" reversed, which was hard to get used to when you are used to the album kicking off with the classic "See you in hell my friend!"
Track Listing
1. See You In Hell
2. Dead On Arrival
3. Liar
4. Wrath Of The Ripper
5. Now Or Never
6. Run For Your Life
7. The Show Must Go On
8. All Hell Let Loose
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