A Keg Full of Dynamite

This was recorded in 1978, around the time Pentagram released their first official single. This live show took place half a decade or so after the First Daze sessions, and half a decade before the Death Row era. That's right, there will neither be an All Your Sins rendition, nor a Live Free and Burn to be heard here. Victor Griffin had yet to join at this point, so much of his churchlike harmonies are absent. So what, pray tell, could make this album so damn great? Well, it all comes down to the lineup: this is basically Death Row minus Victor Griffin; however, the caveat is that for a short period, there were two guitarists in Pentagram, instead of just one. This allows them to play songs such as Madman in all their sizzling hot harmonic glory.

While there are no Victor Griffin tracks on here, the band does play a very doom-focused setlist. Classics such as Livin' in a Ram's Head, Day of Reckoning, When the Screams Come, 20 Buck Spin, and more appear here. Being recorded live, having two guitarists and the legendary Martin Swaney/Joe Hasselvander rhythm section saturates these songs with a super doomy tone; thus, they are simply much grimier and heavier than they were in the early 70s.

Yes, it could have had Forever My Queen. Yes, it doesn't have those Victor Griffin harmonies yet, since he hadn't joined the band at this point. Yes, it doesn't feature much from the first or third album. But! As a Day of Reckoning fan, who thoroughly loves the 70s era of this band as well, I can see past these mild grievances and enjoy this live album for what it is and what it represents. It's truly a treat to hear some of my favorite Pentagram songs performed in such a spectacular way. Some of the tracks that would later appear on Review Your Choices and Sub-Basement appear here as well, such as Mad Dog, and since this setlist consists entirely of '70s material, bluesy rockin' tracks like this one fit right in.

Most younger fans, until this was released, would have never gotten to hear the High Voltage lineup in their prime. Sticking the 1979 singles on the back end didn't hurt one bit either, as those are part of metal history as well. That's why this album is so special: it's the missing link between Pentagram's original Blue Cheery 70s gloom and their archetypal 80s doom sound. It may not be a perfect product, with its raw as hell sound and imperfect performances, but honestly? Those aspects really ehnance it a lot for me! Proto metal is even better when it's played this way: energetically, unapologetically, and face-meltingly. For the same reasons I love Mk2 Deep Purple, Bedemon, Sir Lord Baltimore, and all the rest of those pioneers, I too love this slice of late 70s doom.

Recorded at "The Keg", in 1978, yet re-issued in 2003 under Italy's Black Widow Records, Pentagram's A Keg Full Of Dynamite represents transition period which saw the American doom act progress from all-out heavy blues rock into rather metallic, edgier incarnation, eventually yielding 1980s/90s gems such as Relentless, Day of Reckoning and Be Forewarned. If anything, it also transpires as sole instance where Pentagram subsisted as dual guitar quintet, with Richard Kueht and Paul Trowbridge handling axe duties. Standard members Martin Swaney and Joe Hasselvander complete this unique line-up.

While most 70s daze tracks are readily reprised - top commemorative highlights "Living In A Ram's Head", "When The Screams Come", "Day of Reckoning", "Review Your Choices", "20 Buck Spin" and "Earth Flight", among them - B cuts "Madman" and "Maddog" ("Mad" everything, what!) are complimented by true oddity in the weirdly differing-from-its-original "Much Too Young To Know". Whereas the Human Hurricane compilation's version featured insane lead-off minor pentatonic soloing seeming to go forever, alongside frantic high-wire drumming, this here feedback laden, swampy bayou-burnt edition adheres to greatly jiving guitar lick in vein of early Black Sabbath, compounded by snare-heavy thwack job and front ham Bobby Liebling's slackly vaunted hijinks, which remain low in the mix. (Despite his rangy and gruff demeanour, it shows a lifetime of drug abuse hasn't yet taken its toll.)

The whole show, minus sparse High Voltage renditions of "When The Sceams Come" and "Living In A Ram's Head", sounds recorded in some gloomily smoky New Orleans or Biloxi dive-bar; at times, we hear the crowd cheering the gang on, and there's also a sense of drunken familiarity. It almost sounds like somebody simply stuck a microphone out in front of the stage and let the dated technology do the work. Either way, A Keg Full Of Dynamite has aged well despite guitar tones' strident scratchiness, not to mention jittery-as-Hell instrumentation. Notwithstanding fact the leads, overall (especially on "20 Buck Spin"), sound even more wizened than Vincent McAllister takes, it's nice to take home live sampling of this one time Pentagram incarnation.

This is a recording of a live show back from 1978, played in some obscure Washington DC club. Being a huge fan of Pentagram, I might commit a fanboyism when saying it, but I consider this release to be an essential and unique experience in doom metal. Please note! If your looking at this, you should be pretty well through with Pentagram's material already. If not, go back for the studio recordings first.

A Keg Full Of Dynamite entertains a line-up where there were two guitarists in Pentagram. It was the cross-over period from Vince McAllister to Victor Griffin, but no qualms whatsoever. Richard Kueht and Paul Trowbridge do the job on the axes very well. Their riffage on some of the songs that would appear on the studio records is actually more groovy and very entertaining as such.

The set list showcased by the album contains a good deal of songs that would become highlights of Penta's studio records, namely Living In A Ram's Head, When The Screams Come, Day Of Reckoning and 20 Buck Spin. The way these songs are played is quite different, as is the atmosphere on the whole release. Pentagram was back then a groovy hard rock band with strong shades of doom and gloom.

With this record, as well as with the First Daze Here -compilations it is very interesting to see how same or different the have been ages ago. Or how they become a completely different song altogether over the years. A song that goes by the name Much Too Young To Know is included on this records but also on FDH2. The main riff on this rendition is without lying amongst the catchiest I've heard, where as the other version has none of it.

The sound quality is pretty close to what you have on the FDH -compilations. That means raw, unpolished and muddy. It yet gives the authentic, raw feeling to the music, and that is just perfectly fitting for a Pentagram record. What Keg has compared to those widely available compilations is exactly the energy of a live performance. Most of us will probably never see Pentagram or Bobby live. This being the closest to their gig I can get, there's no reason to be disappointed. As said, this is not the album with which to start listening to Pentagram. However, for any Penta-fan simply craving for more, this is an essential part of your collection.