Released by: Pure Steel Records

Release date: 28 September 2018

Genre: New Wave of British Heavy Metal

Lineup:

Danny Hynes – vocals
Jeff Summers – guitars, vocals
PJ Philips – bass, vocals
Ian Sweeting – drums

Special guests:
Roy Shipston (Alamein) – keyboards
Baz Downes (Killer Instinct) – bass, vocals
Bruce Bisland (Killer Instinct) – drums, vocals

Track Listing:

Side A
1. The Awakening (Prelude)
2. Ride The Mariah!
3. Fountain Of Paradise
4. Warrior
5. Ready 4 You
6. Burning Skies
7. The Rocker (Bonustrack)

Side B
8. Alamein
9. Wonderland
10. Bloodsoaked Rock
11. Bad Reputation
12. Celebration Time
13. Killer Instinct (Bonustrack)

When you’re a grizzled old fart like me who has always had an ear for The Metal, and a penchant for knowing as much about it as I possibly could fit into my brain, you hear about so many bands yet never hear a speck of music from them. I want to hear it all before I’m taking the old dirt nap, but I’m not sure that is ever going to happen. However, nothing is going to stop me from trying. I expose myself to as much as possible (not that way gutter-minds!) I especially like delving into certain periods, like NWOBHM. Anyone that even has a passing love of this style knows there are a shit ton of bands that came out around this period. Some made a much bigger impact on the Metal scene than others, but they all still had something to offer. One band whose name always popped up, but I never managed to check out was Weapon U.K.

NWOBHM is more of an era than an actual style of music, though it does elicit a particular sound when that acronym is tossed around. That time period encompassed bands that played what most people consider NWOBHM (Maiden) to more on the melodic spectrum (hence why Def Leppard is a NWOBHM band.) Weapon U.K., based strictly on their latest offering Rising From the Ashes (released in 2014, but now coming out vinyl via Pure Steel Records) appears to be more in line with the melodic side of things. Just went and sampled some of their older stuff and perhaps now they’re a little less on the speed side, melodic was still a key component to much of their sound. Despite pulling back a little, they still sound fantastic. A lot more polished while still managing to hold on to a bit of grit along the way, they’ve put together a great album that shows they still have much vitality left in them, as well as some great songs. “Bloodsoaked Rock,” “Fountains of Paradise,” and “Bad Reputation” likely have more in common with latter-day 80’s Hard Rock bands than their original sound, but again it still works for them. They also do a cool cover of Thin Lizzy’s “The Rocker” as a bonus track, and as a certified Lizzy buff I was pleased.

I guess that is one more band I can check off the checkout list. Weapon U.K.’s excellent Rising From the Ashes could certainly be the key to bringing their sound to more ears. It’s a great hard rocking album, if a little low key at times, but still a fantastic spin, and catchy as hell.

Written by: Chris Martin

Ratings: 8/10