Year : 2013
Style : Heavy Metal , Female vocals
Country : Italy
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 139 mb
Info:
SIGN OF THE JACKAL was born in the cold winter of 2007 when four friends sharing a passion for classic heavy metal and horror fi lms came together in the very North of Italy, in the town of Rovereto. Influenced by heavy metal legends of the 1980’s such as Warlock, Black Knight, Taist of Iron, Black Lace, Judas Priest and Lizzy Borden, the core of the band was formed with Bob on rhythm/lead guitar, Sergio Mate on drums, Kill on bass and lead vocalist and frontwoman Laura on vocals.SIGN OF THE JACKAL spent the bulk of their first year covering their favorite classic metal songs live, opting to avoid the hits and instead keep things interesting with a set list full of rare b-sides and obscure album tracks. Desiring a fuller, more complete live sound, rhythm guitarist Max was added to complete the line-up in April 2008. The line-up now complete, SOTJ began writing and rehearsing original music, incorporating their interest in classic horror and thriller films with the sounds of early 80’s underground European and American heavy metal to create their own unique image and sound.Propelled by the encouragement of strong fan interest that began locally and spread quickly throughout Europe, SIGN OF THE JACKAL entered the studio for the first time during the winter of 2008 to record their debut two-track demo, aptly named the “Haunted House Tapes”. A nod to the old school, the limited edition demo was limited to only 100 CDs as well as 36 cassette tapes for the true die-hards and cult heavy metal fans.With a string of dates throughout the spring and a signing with Heavy Artillery Records in May, SIGN OF THE JACKAL have begun 2009 with a bang and are poised to join the growing ranks of today’s heavy metal heroes. Fans of Warlock/Doro, early Iron Maiden, Enforcer and traditional heavy metal take note; when SIGN OF THE JACKAL come to fight for rock no prisoners will be taken!
Album:
Despite being loaded with personality and individual flavour Sign Of The Jackal from Italy have pretty much been background players in the world of Heavy Metal revivalism up til now. Maybe that is down to the restraint and decorum shown in relation to the femininity of frontwoman Laura Coller (in sharp contrast to the overtly sexed-up likes of Huntress), or their previous association with the pretty lacklustre (and now defunct) Heavy Artillery Records, or simply the fact that it has taken them 5 years to deliver this debut album. Whatever the reason may be Sign Of The Jackal are here now and sound like they are making up for lost time.After a lengthy spooky kitsch intro “Heavy Metal Possession” explodes out of the gate with Speed Metal fury. Obvious comparisons would be drawn to Warlock regardless of how Laura's voice actually sounds, and while she has clearly been taking notes on Doro's phrasing her tone is more in line with Acid's Kate de Lombaerd, those Belgians being a key musical influence too. The strong Mediterranean accenting gives a vibe similar to much-missed Portuguese heroes Midnight Priest as well, making this band one hell of a characterful ripper. If you have Heavy Metal music in your blood then you'll probably be on your feet fist-pumping by the second chorus of track 2, “Paura Nella Citta Dei Morti Viventi.”Long term fans of the band will recognise over half the tracks on here as both their previous releases, The Haunted House Tapes demo and The Beyond EP are rerecorded in full (minus “Head Over Heels” from the EP). This reliance on older material may seem lazy, but despite how bombastically those older songs like the Avenger/W.A.S.P. Punch-up of “Hellhounds” have been translated, new cuts like the Warlock-tastic “Queens Of Hell” give them a run for their money. “Heavy Metal Demons” feels less powerful than the other re-recorded tracks, but the brilliance of “Night Of The Undead” makes up for it in spades. In fact, it feels like this album's high points make up for all its short-comings.One criticism from some quarters I can forsee is that the use of no less than 5 horror-themed intros to songs from a band so in tune with their pop sensibilities might ruffle the feathers of anyone who takes the occult aspect of Metal seriously. Sure the double-whammy of “Fight For Rock” and cheesy instrumental “Paganini Horror” take the album briefly into more mid-80's commercial territories (think Lita Ford and the like), and aside from the piano intro to “The Beyond” there isn't any attempt to ingratiate the horror theme any further than the lyrics and intro samples, but the overall quality and infectiousness of this album mean that this barely registers as a problem at all. The only thing it can't eliminate is the superfluousness of the Fastway cover that ends the record on a fairly average note, but Sign Of The Jackal can be let away with that for such a killer first album. Who knows, we may see a more complete and complex record from this band somewhere down the line, but for now they are doing everything they need to.
Line-Up:
Laura Coller - Vocals
Roberto "Bob" Condini - Guitars/Vocals
Roby "Knife" - Bass/Vocals
Max - Guitars, Vocals/Keyboards
Heavy Mate - Drums/Vocals
Tracklist:
01. Voodoo (Intro) [01:16]
02. Heavy Metal Possession [04:00]
03. Paura Nella Citta Dei Morti Viventi [04:15]
04. Hellhounds [04:14]
05. Night Of The Undead [04:37]
06. Heavy Metal Demons [04:05]
07. Fight For Rock [03:31]
08. Paganini Horror [04:03]
09. Sign Of The Jackal [04:53]
10. Queens Of Hell [03:57]
11. The Beyond [04:08]
12. Trick Or Treat (Fastway Cover) [03:04]
13. The Gates [02:51] (Bonus Track)
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