Bitch – “Be My Slave & Damnation Alley” (1982/1983)

Label : Metal Blade Records

Review by Tony Cannella

The band Bitch, led by Betsy (Weiss) Bitch were one of the few female fronted metal bands that existed in the early 80s, they were also one of the more polarizing. Some people loved their straight-forward, in-your-face approach, while others were turned off by their overt references to s & m and sexual innuendo, never mind the fact that the band manage to deliver much of the material with tongue firmly planted in cheek – that went over a lot of people’s heads (Tipper Gore for example). But almost 30 years later there is no denying that Bitch were pioneers to the Femme Metal genre, okay maybe there is some deniability since it didn’t really catch on until much, much, much later, but still Bitch were one of the first to feature a dominant female vocalist and along the way they developed a devout cult following that exists to this day. Now the bands label Metal Blade has re-re-issued their 1982 EP “Damnation Alley” together on one disc with their 1983 debut full-length “Be My Slave” , remastered by Bill Metoyer and a bonus DVD featuring some live footage and other cool stuff for a new generation of Femme Metal fans to discover and enjoy. The first 10-songs are from 1983’s “Be My Slave”. By this time Bitch had a demo and an EP under their belt so the songs are more confident and the sound is more focused. “Right from the Start” gets the party started and is followed by what was to become a Bitch classic, “Be My Slave”. There is no lack of abrasiveness here in both music and lyrical subject matter as the band tears through songs like “Leatherbound”, “Heavy Metal Breakdown”, “In Heat” and “Make It Real (Make It Rock)”, which is a bitch repetitive but still a monster of a track. The majority of the material is very raw and tough – Betsy definitely had the tough girl, ‘I am in control’ attitude going. The last 5-songs are taken from the “Damnation Alley” EP, which spawned another Bitch classic “Live for the Whip” which still gets the audiences going to this day. “Let’s Go” concludes over one hour of music, this was never released before to my knowledge, so it is a cool way to end things. Bitch went on to release two more full-lengths and one EP before fading into obscurity for many years. In recent years however, Betsy has returned once again with Bitch as the band continues to deliver kick ass shows in both the U.S. and on the European festival circuit. Listening to these albums is like being revisited by an old friend. It’s been so long since I’ve heard them, and maybe the sound is a little dated (okay a lot dated), but the heart and spirit behind the music remains to same. It remains to be seen if Bitch will ever record again, even if they don’t at least they have left an enduring legacy – much to Tipper Gore’s chagrin.

Rating – 83/100

Tracklist

Right from the Start
Be My Slave
Leatherbound
Riding in Thunder
Save You from the World
Heavy Metal Breakdown
Gimme a Kiss
In Heat
Make It Real (Make It Rock)
World War III
Saturdays
Never Come Home
Damnation Alley
He’s Gone
Live for the Whip
Let’s Go

Line Up

Betsy Bitch – Vocals
David Carruth – Guitar
Richard Zusman – Bass on the “Damnation Alley” EP
Marc Anthony Webb - Bass on the “Damnation Alley” EP and “Be My Slave”
Robby Settles – Drums

Links

MySpace * Site

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Feb 4, 2012

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Dawn of Destiny – “Human Fragility” (2009)

Label: Shark Records

Review by Tony Cannella

Germany’s Dawn of Destiny have previously released two full-length CDs. Their first was titled (appropriately enough) “Begins” and they followed that up with, “Rebellion in Heaven” in 2008. Now the band have returned with their third full-length, titled “Human Fragility” and it is packed some pretty relentless symphonic, power metal that should please fans of Helloween. What makes Dawn of Destiny a bit different than their contemporaries is the lyrical subject matter that can be found on “Human Fragility”. Rather than sing about fantasy themes (which is also cool), the band take on real subjects with their lyrics, such as human relationship, diseases, dreams and fears. On the lyric sheet main songwriter/bass player Jens Faber offers a bit of an explanation of what each individual song is about, another cool thing about the lyrics is that they have a hopefulness and optimistic quality about them, they don’t beat you over the head with the negative. That in and of itself is admirable. “Human Fragility” lasts for 15-songs and well over 60-minutes long, so you are definitely getting your money’s worth from Dawn of Destiny. The vocals Tanja Maul are another positive aspect of this CD, she has a good range that she utilizes to it’s fullest on “Human Fragility”. Two of the best songs on the CD are helped out by two guest stars: Axxis vocalist Bernhard Weiss shares vocal duties with Tanja Maul on “Unborn Child” and Elegy frontman Ian Parry joins in on the excellent title track. Other highlights include: “Destiny Unknown” (which has a “Keepers… era Helloween-ish chorus), “In a Heartless World” and the great melodic track “Learning to Fly”. In my opinion the main highlight comes with Egyptian themed “Ten Plagues of Egypt”. The band really flex their muscles on this one and the chant along chorus and the extreme male vocals add a nice touch to the song. One thing I have found in the time that I have been reviewing CDs is that there are a lot of good power metal bands from all over the world, and contrary to popular opinion a lot of them have something different and unique to offer the listener. Dawn of Destiny are one of the best, that I’ve heard in quite awhile. The songs are so wonderfully crafted, mixing crunchy metal riffs with the symphonic and melodic bombast of say and early Helloween or Savatage. This German band may have what it takes to break out from the crowded power metal pack and really make a name for themselves – if that doesn’t come to fruition, there is no denying the fact that they’ve made a great album..