CoC : Holocaust - Holocaust : Review

Holocaust - _Holocaust_
by: Adrian Bromley (3 out of 5)

The three-song demo from metal veterans Holocaust -- the Edinburgh, Scotland act that had a hand in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) with two classic releases _The Nightcomers_ (1981) and _Live: Hot Curry and Wine_ (1983) -- shows that they are again back for more metal action in 2001. Even though I am not a fan of the band, I do know of their music. And even though the band has continuously been releasing material over the years (in 2001 they put out _The Courage to Be_), I have not really followed their career. That said, I delved into this three-song offering and must admit I was pleased with the sound of the material. While indeed paying homage to the classic sound they breathed back in the early '80s, the new material sounds a bit more current and a bit more palatable. Not commercial, but safe at times, though the riff in opener "Iron Will" is indeed lethal. While it is hard to really say how the new disc _Primal_ will sound like when it comes out later this year, these three demo tracks from that record show that Holocaust are far from being classified as dated and not relevant. Their music is impressive here, so let's hope the disc fulfills this promise once it is all assembled. Both die-hard fans and myself wait.

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(article published 12/8/2001)