Weapon (UK) is a heavy metal band from the UK, formed in 1980 by vocalist Danny Hynes. The band enjoyed a sniff of success with a single release and a supporting slot for the legendary Motorhead! However, success was short-lived, with the band breaking up soon after. Reforming in 2010, the band have gone on to release three albums – ‘Rising From The Ashes’ (2014), ‘Ghosts Of War’ (2019), and 2023’s ‘New Clear Power’…
…displaying a much heavier sound, veering very close to the thrash metal genre, and incorporating a little power metal too! Setting the album alight in a blaze of thunder, ‘Drumbeats Of War’ hits hard. And hits fast! The classic tempo and “foot on the monitor” gallop of traditional heavy metal is highly evident, the band displaying a sound that will attract every single metalhead to the band’s soundscape! Led by founding member Hynes, Weapon (UK) are fired up and setting off incendiary devices everywhere – ‘New Clear Power’ powering on with the much heavier ‘Take It Or Leave It’, featuring a rumbling rhythm and guitar tone that every metaller knows comes straight out of the NWOBHM evolution of the glorious eighties. Add the sing a long-able chorus, and Weapon (UK) have a crowd pleaser in their hands – an in concert crowd is going to go fucking nuts for this one!
And melodic heavy metal has never sounded so good with the energy-driven ‘Electric Power’ – the classic foot on the monitor stance shining ever so brightly! The band are delivering top-notch head bang ability, with ‘Electric Power’ the most head bang-able song heard so far. And infectious! Off the fucking scale – the level is rising to new and uncharted heights. What an absolutely barnstorming opening treble, ‘In For The Kill’, incredibly, increasing the pace to a truly thunderous fire and brimstone barrage! The pace and power have urgency woven right through it from start to finish, yet the band lose none of their heavily melodious intent. Amazing! ‘Live For Today’ replaces all the previous pace and power with balladry – and regular readers, you know what’s coming next, don’t you! Yep, that’s right, ballads are for rock albums and shouldn’t be on metal ones. Now I know I’m going to court controversy here, but it’s just one man’s opinion – we all have them, and that’s mine. But that said, ‘Live For Today’ is a very good ballad, full of emotion and reined energy you can feel. So feel free to raise your lighters and sway from side to side.
And with an emphatic upsurge in pace, we’re immediately back to pulsating heavy metal with the rampaging ‘Remote Control’, full of bombast and an insanely high infectious level. The head bang ability here is incredible; Weapon (UK) delivers great heavy metal to the masses. Which isn’t over yet – ‘Hard Road’ pounding the ground like it’s 1984 and the height of the NWOBHM evolution. The guitar sound is oh-so-sweet, metalheads everywhere dribbling uncontrollably. And not just from their mouths either! Keeping the pace, tempo and energy at extremely high levels, ‘Diamond Lil’ is a fast-paced headbanger to get everyone moving. The power-driven metal style is glorious, ‘Diamond Lil’ a breathtaking barrage of phenomenal foot on the monitor, traditional sounding heavy metal. And why wouldn’t it be? Weapon (UK) was born in the eighties – when this style of metal was all the rage, growing at an incredible rate courtesy of bands such as Iron Maiden, Angel Witch, Raven, Saxon and Samson.
‘New Clear Power’ has been a sparkling album of traditional heavy metal, with traditionalists the world over making a beeline for it – the band storming on with the heavily melodic ‘Shoot You Down’. A classic mid to high-tempo gallop, ‘Shoot You Down’ echoes many of the songs heard so far, with an immense infectious level and tonnes of headbang ability. The final song on the album is a cover version of a cover version – let me explain. For those of you old enough to remember when Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) fronted Samson, the band covered ‘Riding With The Angels’ on their 1981 album ‘Shock Tactics’ – ‘Riding With The Angels’ originally penned by rock musician Russ Ballard, and appearing on his 1980 album ‘Barnet Dogs’. Samson did a terrific job of making it their own – and for all you fact fans, Bruce Dickinson included ‘Riding With The Angels’ in the live set when he toured his first solo album ‘Tattooed Millionaire’, featuring on the concert video ‘Dive! Dive! Live!’ was recorded in 1990, and released in 1991. But back to Weapon (UK), and their cover of ‘Riding With The Angels’ – bloody brilliant! What more can I say? The band have energised an already energy fuelled song – doing the same as Samson and making it their own so it fits on the album and sounds like the overall tone and tempo of ‘New Clear Power’.
Overall, an immensely head bang-able and infectious album of galloping heavy metal.
TRACKLIST
Drumbeats Of War
Take It Or Leave It
Electric Power
In For The Kill
Live For Today
Remote Control
Hard Road
Diamond Lil
Shoot You Down
Riding With The Angels (Samson cover)
Weapon: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: Pride & Joy Music
Category: Album
Country: UK
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
