Bedemon--Invocation To Doom
Doom Records 2000
One of the great things about loving music is the constant possibility of unearthing undiscovered excellence. Every now and then, an album comes along that changes the way you think about music and, in the process, raises the bar a little higher for those that follow. The songwriting and musicianship are of such a caliber, you're left dumbfounded as to why or how the stuff ever got buried in the first place. Never has this scenario been in effect more than it is with Invocation To Doom by Bedemon, a CD reissue of the Child Of Darkness LP adding four bonus tracks not originally included. Spanning the years 1971-1978, these recordings feature a young, pre-Pentagram Bobby Liebling on vocals along with the undiscovered genius of Randy Palmer on guitar.
The thing that immediately strikes one about this CD is the absolutely flawless songwriting. There is an obvious Black Sabbath/Blue Cheer influence here but this is definitely a case of the student surpassing the teacher(s). All 16 songs on the CD are precedent setting: "One Way Road" with its unforgettable bridge section; "Last Call" which is more chilling than anything the original (good) Alice Cooper Band could even think about trying to pull off; and the essential "Child Of Darkness" with arguably both the greatest vocal melody line and guitar solo in the history of metal. There is even a reprise of "Child Of Darkness" which is more psychedelic and epic in scope than the original rendition.
Another great revelation that comes from listening to this CD is that we now know Bobby Liebling has always been the man when it comes to metal vocalizing. You can really hear the youthfulness in his voice on these recordings but it's still extremely powerful, even in this formative stage. His performance possesses a laid-back coolness throughout, leaving no doubt that he must at the very least be considered in the same company as Ozzy and Dio for the greatest metal vocalists of all time. This is especially true when you couple these recordings with the stuff he has done in Pentagram and Death Row over the years.
That brings us to Randy Palmer, the genius that plays guitar on these recordings and had a hand in writing a majority of the songs. How could someone with such immense talent and skills have slipped through the cracks of music history? His guitar solo on "Child Of Darkness" is the definition of tilt-a-whirl riffage. In fact, his riffs, at their lowest points, are at least on par with Iommi's best. More often than not, he's actually blowing Tony out of the water. His obscurity makes no sense, any way you look at it, and is one of the greatest travesties in the history of music.
To bottom-line it, this is one of the most important pieces of undiscovered music you're likely to hear in your lifetime. The songwriting is absolute perfection, without peer. It affirms that Black Sabbath may not in fact be the greatest metal band of all time (never thought I'd make that statement). Bedemon's obscurity up to this point is puzzling but hopefully will be rectified in some degree by this CD. Please, listen to this CD. If you love Sabbath-style doom, not listening could be the biggest regret/mistake of your life.
Get more info on this CD directly from BEDEMON |
