MASS is a band from Boston that sounds exactly like they came from the UK. I get a really huge
ANVIL vibe here. What I mean is they are a really great band that never made it big, but really deserved to. They are a Christian Metal band, but it is hard to tell that from simply looking at many of the song titles, although,
“Holy One” makes it obvious. The
JUDAS PRIEST influences are more prominent on the full length album than it is on the EP.
“Part of Me” is my favorite song from both of the albums. The beginning riff is catchy as can be. The harmony vocals are very well done. The song is mid tempo and has some killer vocals. It is hard for me to understand why this band didn’t make it bigger than they have. They do seem to still be active so I won’t count them out. As I mentioned earlier, like
ANVIL they didn’t make it to the big time but they deserved to. Maybe
MASS can get their own documentary video that propelled
ANVIL from the bottom into the public’s consciousness. That would be a very fitting thing to happen. Someone grab a camera quick! They have a song called
“Do you Love me” (no relation to the
KISS song) that deserved to be a big hit. It is not really a ballad since it gets pretty heavy towards the middle of the song. It does seem to me to have an appeal to it that could gain mass acceptance if only people knew who
MASS was.
The production is certainly not a reason for them to remain obscure. It sounds really good for being over 20 years old. The drums are huge. The vocals are not bad, nothing about MASS is bad. Someone needs to hire a better manager immediately. Perhaps they should have shipped their albums to a better label before getting them re-issued. I hope my review can get a few people to take the plunge and check these guys out. Don’t let the “Christian Metal” tag scare you. I truly don’t hear it more than twice. I don’t think it’s fair to pigeon hole a band that has so much to offer. I am finding myself to be very thankful for these labels that skim through the past trying to find hidden gems to release upon a new generation of metal fans. It doesn’t always work, how could it? But in this case it most certainly does work. I find it very odd that someone hasn’t dedicated a Myspace page to them by now. Hopefully that will change in the future.
I find myself liking the songs on
“Fighter” more than on the self titled EP. That said, both are great works of traditional Heavy Metal. They fit in perfectly with the great bands of the 80’s that had major success. You owe it to yourself to listen to the song,
“Bad Man’s Reputation” it’s the closest to
JUDAS PRIEST of all of the songs. Not that they are ripping them off, it’s just that the drums and guitar are very similar. I find it odd that
MASS slipped by me all these years. I have always been very good at finding hidden gems. Perhaps it is due to the other band named
MASS. I am sure I got them confused and heard the inferior version. It’s been so long I cannot really recall. Overall, if you like the traditional Metal from the mid 80’s, I think you will really love this band. It’s hard to find on the net, actually song samples I mean, but if you go to their site, they do have a few. Give
MASS a try, you might just be pleasantly surprised, I know I was.
Individual Rating:
EP = 7/10
“Fighter” = 9/10
Edited
29 March 2023
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