Black Trip - Goin' Under

Black Trip

Goin' Under

by Dave "That Metal Guy" Campbell at 02 July 2014, 3:24 PM

The idea for BLACK TRIP dates back to 2003.  Former members of such Death Metal acts as ENTOMBED, NIFELHEIM, MERCILESS, ENFORCER and NECOPOBIC got together with the intentions of creating a band where they could pay homage to the bands that first inspired them.  The result is the sound of the second coming of NWOBHM acts like IRON MAIDEN, SAXON, THIN LIZZY and SCORPIONS.  This album is the first full-length debut for the band, and contains eight tracks.  The opening riff of “Voodoo Queen” leaves no doubt that you are taken back in time to the UK in the early 1980’s.  I hear a Paul DiAnno IRON MAIDEN type of vibe to this track, with its simple, quasi-punk kind of riff, like a bonus track from their first album.  “Radar” begins with a drum fill, and a running bass riff that gives way to some opening guitar licks, a-la the great Dave Murray.  The overall sound is still pretty consistent, yet this track yearns with a little more energy.  “Putting Out The Fire” reminds me more of SAXON.  The chorus and solo sections are a little thicker and expanded.  “No Tomorrow” opens with a running guitar riff, and some more doomy type of rhythm accentuations, and is very reminiscent of IRON MAIDEN tracks like “Phantom of the Opera” or “Drifter.”  Still, there is an undeniable MOTORHEAD type of sound here with the quicker pace and structure.  Someone really likes Dave Murray’s lead approach as well.

“Tvar Dabla” is indeed a unique track, as the name suggests.  This song swings with some swag and rhythm, reminding me of the grittiness of the band L.A. Guns.  I can hear the album as a whole gaining energy and cohesiveness as I am introduced to each new track.  This song in particular is definitely a highlight on the album.  “The Bells” is a well composed song, oozing with the confidence of early THIN LIZZY, while “Thirst” opens slowly, and cautiously, lingering on an eerie kind of sound, which carries through the track.  Closing the album is the title track, “Goin’ Under.”  Twin guitar harmonies and a Steve Harris type of bass line provide a nice assertiveness to the song, and the main riff is just classic sounding.  Overall, the sound here is reminiscent of early NWOBHM bands, before the heavy hitters like IRON MAIDEN advanced the genre with their intelligent and complex songwriting, and big choruses.  There isn’t anything here that you haven’t heard before, but if you have a hankering for some old-school, garage type attitude, with some classic UK melodies, give this a listen.