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Blind Fury > Out of Reach > Reviews
Blind Fury - Out of Reach

One of the Best NWOBHM Albums - 91%

ballcrushingmetal, July 11th, 2018

As a seemingly desperate attempt at getting rid of all the connections with the black metal scene, Satan members decided to change their name to Blind Fury (the name of the band in which Sean Taylor used to play). They also parted ways with Brian Ross (who would come back home some years later) and brought Lou Taylor to the roster. All these changes resulted in a new concept that was somewhat conflicted, given the different goals band members pretended to reach. Nevertheless, such ideas were adequately combined in a single release, offering what would be one of the best albums in the NWOBHM. Perhaps, not better than the debut album released under the other moniker, but it is still as effective as the latter.

Two different approaches could be spotted out from the tracklist. On the one hand, a band that remained loyal to the rock and rolling attitude which was often worshipped in other albums from the aforementioned British movement. Much of this, is reflected through the lyrics of songs like "Dynamo" and the silly but interesting "Contact Rock and Roll", undoubtedly, two of the best numbers featured herein. The hard rock base of such numbers is enhanced by the strong riff base provided by the talented guitarists Steve Ramsey and Russ Tippins, as well as, injected with the dark atmosphere that characterizes the album's sound.

On the other hand, other numbers like the title and the closing tracks are focused on a progressive architecture, which is still loyal to the musical formula used herein. The closing number was made in the Queensrÿche's mold (rhythmically speaking) and features different tempos throughout its almost seven and a half minutes. Unlikely, the title-track sounds more similar to Judas Priest's famous number "Let Us Prey/Call for the Priest", mainly in the drums section. Other songs like the speedish "Living on the Edge" and the mid-paced "Back Inside" show up the real talent from the guitarists who play astonishing solos, including some neoclassical sections. Further, other influences from Iron Maiden can be found, as is the case of the galloping riffs featured somewhere in the album. Differently to Satan's release, Blind Fury's only work is less aggressive and moves towards a more reflexive/spiritual background, whereas the former is stronger, vicious, furious, and even thrashy at some points. Unfortunately, neither of the two had the diffusion and merits they deserved, so there are no much versions available. In the particular case of "Out of Reach", the most recommendable format is vinyl, given the troublesome production work provided to remastering. If your tastes are mostly oriented towards traditional stuff, this is an excellent choice, that nevertheless, is too rare to be considered as a must-have. [Among the different re-releases, the most common version is that released in 2006 under the Majestic Records label featuring three bonus tracks taken from a BBC Show. On account of its crappy production work, it should be avoided.]

Differently to Satan's release, Blind Fury's only work is less aggressive and moves towards a more reflexive/spiritual background, whereas the former is stronger, vicious, furious, and even thrashy at some points. Unfortunately, neither of the two had the diffusion and merits they deserved, so there are no much versions available. In the particular case of "Out of Reach", the most recommendable format is vinyl, given the troublesome production work provided to remastering. If your tastes are mostly oriented towards traditional stuff, this is an excellent choice, that nevertheless, is too rare to be considered as a must-have. [Among the different re-releases, the most common version is that released in 2006 under the Majestic Records label featuring three bonus tracks taken from a BBC Show. On account of its crappy production work, it should be avoided.]


This review can also be read in:
http://antichristmagazine.com/review-blind-fury-out-of-reach-1985/

Far beyond the reaches - 75%

GrizzlyButts, March 1st, 2018
Written based on this version: 2009, CD, Metal Mind Productions (Digipak, remastered, limited edition)

Satan is more-or-less the best still-standing band to come from the NWOBHM movement and their third album found the band with their second of three name changes for the band over their career. After the first album the band decided to re-brand towards the spandex rock spectrum, so that they weren’t associated with scary beasts like Venom and their extreme sound. The songwriting here is somewhat more in line with Iron Maiden‘s output at the time, but with the melodic leanings of something closer to Tank or Tygers of Pan Tang. The production is in service to a more accessible 80’s rock sound but Satan haven’t lost their fantastic guitarists and the recording is dominated by their signature dual-guitar sound. It is decidedly 80’s hard rock in it’s style well beyond the production with catchy tracks like “Contact Rock n Roll” and “Living on the Edge” managing a 50/50 cheesy hard rock and classic heavy metal ratio.

The name change also brought in new vocalist Lou Taylor who, like an intermediate Bond film casting, never fit in with the band’s style as well as Michael Jackson or Brian Ross. Taylor’s voice has great tone and impressive range that is exemplified on the title track, but ‘Out of Reach’ is weighed down by his contribution to it’s campy 80’s rock re-branding. I enjoy this era of music, corny and horny as it is, it doesn’t offend me solely because of the highly effective guitar work. I prefer their next album as Satan, ‘Suspended Sentence’, where they went for a sound closer to Mercyful Fate as they began to edge in thrash metal influences before re-branding again as Pariah. It is an interesting step in the career of the band that doesn’t completely pay off if you’re 100% serious-faced about crossing that line between classic 80’s fantasy metal and corny cock rocking.

A lot of the value in ‘Out of Reach’ comes down to your interest in 80’s hard rock as well as NWOBHM. I’d say it is on par with fluffier rock albums put out by NWOBHM bands of that era like Tygers of Pan Tang or Angel Witch‘s similar sell-out album ‘Screamin’ and Bleedin”. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with playing to the crowd with this kind of pop music but the style was dated sounding even for 1985’s post-‘Ride the Lightning’ metal standards. I think what draws me to this album is largely it’s relation to the rest of Satan‘s discography more than the excellent guitar work alone. I would only recommend it if you liked 80’s Thin Lizzy, or the more melodic side of NWOBHM.

Attribution: http://grizzlybutts.com/2018/01/30/retro-tuesdays-blind-fury-out-of-reach-1985/

Class Act - 93%

Xeogred, July 22nd, 2007

You can never go wrong with the better gems of the last wave of NWOBHM albums, when most of these bands starting going for innovation and took everything to a more technical level while blending the movement closely to that of old power metal. While Blind Fury is Satan with a facelift on the name, as previous reviews have mentioned the styles are clearly different and this definitely feels more like a side-project by previous Satan members than anything else. However, that hardly means its a bad thing!

The overly talented guitar duo of Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey is easily one of the biggest highlights here. Compared to Court in the Act though instead of going down the odd and technical route, here it seems they wanted to go for more of a melodic approach with beautiful rhythm's and harmonies layering each and every second of this entire disc. The riffs and solos flow effortlessly like a lush waterful and it all feels magnificent, its just flawless guitarwork here. Vocalist Lou Taylor is quite possibly the second biggest highlight for me and this is where I get some of my Cloven Hoof comparisons. Lou Taylor actually sounds very similar to Hoof's Russ North, though a bit more limited. He's just got that same overpowering and convincing voice that can just soar on and on. I'm not sure if its exactly real, but Taylor seems to carry on one powerful note for a mindblowing 30-some seconds after the intro on the second track Out of Reach. He may not be as classy as Brain Ross when they were Satan, but I doupt anyone would have any qualms with the vocals here including huge Satan fans who may have missed out on this (besides, he's -leaps- beyond their next vocalist ... Michael Jackson?). Sadly the bass is hardly noticeable besides a few random moments here and there, while the drumwork doesn't really seem to shatter any new grounds either. Either way they're still above average and proves that this is one hell of a lineup not to be messed with.

Aside from that this album just sounds very similar to Cloven Hoof's late-80's era, Dominator/A Sultan's Ransom. Note quite as overpowering as Hoof and the lyrics are definitely not nearly as interesting, but I could easily listen to this along with those albums. This is not your radio-friendly NWOBHM and at times could probably be classified as old school power metal such as Liege Lord, Omen, Attacker, and so on. But hey, there's one thing Blind Fury does have over Cloven Hoof and that's hands down the production! Its nothing to brag about but the production here is clear and very consistent. For 1985 this was top notch quality.

While this album contains quite a simple "rock and roll" vibe to it at times with tracks like Do it Loud and Contact Rock and Roll (who would have guessed?), Taylor's amazing vocals and the insane solo's that come out of nowhere make even the weaker tracks fully memorable and extremely enjoyable. With songs like Out of Reach, Evil Eyes, Back Inside, and easily Dance of the Crimson Lady 1 you can definitely see the band was going for something else here, though with the other simple songs its as if the band just didn't have enough time to push out a real and complete epic masterpiece. An album full of tracks like these probably would have destroyed the underground.

Its downright epic at times and a classic of traditional metal. While it may not be as creative as Court in the Act or some of the stuff to follow the band(s), fans of old school power metal and the best of NWOBHM absolutely cannot miss out on this. Its kind of a shame the band didn't release any kind of sequel album to this or anything, because it almost leaves you with an empty feeling practically forcing you to crave for more. But hey, some classics kind of do that. Highly recommended.

Guitar Excellence - 100%

fluffy_ferret, November 26th, 2005

Blind Fury is essentially the band Satan became, as the line-up is identical with the exception of new vocalist Lou Taylor. You’d expect a simple name-change to be of no importance, but it’s pretty clear that the band had a new, although not all too different, style to boot. Songwriting is mostly of a traditional ‘rock and roll’ uplifting, playful nature with lots of various tributes to that lifestyle, and the appropriate simplicity to accompany it too. However, one needs only change focus to see the true nature of this album. Underneath, (mostly) dark, technical, borderline surreal – and very original – guitar playing reigns supreme, and is the one reason ‘Out of Reach’ is of so much interest. Pretty much every note bears a meaning of importance. Once you hit play, it gets increasingly difficult to stop listening, as every second gets more and more interesting. It leaves you with the feeling of wanting more and more and more, until you realize you’ve spun the damn thing twenty times over already. The reason: Steve Ramsey and Russ Tippins. I am completely sincere when I say that ‘Out of Reach’ has some of the most impressive guitar playing I’ve ever heard. It may not be as technical and fast as their ‘Court in the Act’, but what it lacks in speed it makes up for in originality. A lot can be said about their projects, good and bad, but they were in my opinion the best guitar duo to come out of the NWOBHM. Yes, that includes Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. The other members of the band shouldn’t be ignored though; faithful bass player Graeme English and drummer Sean Taylor have no problems keeping up and Lou Taylor is perhaps the most ear-pleasing, most technically flawless singer Ramsey and Tippins would team up with.

The album itself isn’t as good as I make it sound, as the songwriting is quite flawed. There are only a few truly excellent songs such as ‘Do It Loud’ and ‘Back Inside’, but admittedly, every song has something in it to like. There are so many layers of varied guitar riffs, melodies and duels that highlights are abundant and as mind-blowing as they come. The instrumental break starting 2:58 in ‘Back Inside’ which goes on for about 2 minutes is probably the best I’ve heard in my entire life and the solo is so good that Pariah found it necessary to rip themselves off and repeat it on one of their songs on ‘Unity’. The title song has a monstrous, totally gripping build-up, where Lou Taylor holds a note for what seems like half a minute after which the song goes full speed ahead with some trademark Blind Fury riffs. Near the end of the song, we have a jaw-dropping 1-minute guitar solo (which is perhaps the best on the album) and a bass that plays playfully along. ‘Dance of the Crimson Lady Pt.1’ initially gives the impression of being bit of a quirky song with its odd guitar playing, but after a few listens all the pieces fall together and a unique, world-class power ballad takes shape. The album works perhaps best with simpler compositions such as ‘Do It Loud’, ‘Dynamo (There is a Place)’ and ‘Contact Rock and Roll’, which are pretty much flawless for what they are, but they do lack the flavour of more advanced songs such as ‘Back Inside’.

The end product is somewhat disappointing as ‘Out of Reach’ could have been so much more, but unfortunately it’s bit rough around the edges as its oil-and-water songwriting makes it a confusing experience, but an extremely interesting and impressive one nonetheless. Few are the albums that make me giggle with joy like a little child and this, ladies and gentlemen, is one of them.

In my first (and quite short) review, published nearly two years ago, I gave this album a score of 74%. However, after some thinking I came to the conclusion that a revision was in order. Though I still think the songwriting belongs in the 70-79% range, it feels almost criminal to dismiss it into the ranks of such run of the mill “good but not great” creations. After all, I have given ‘Out of Reach’ as much listening time as albums scoring in the 90-99% and the talent displayed here truly is so exceptional that it deserves better. I just can’t for the life of me understand why this album isn’t given more attention and respect. It’s not super-technical like Cacophony’s ‘Speed Metal Symphony’ and most every technical thrash/death album out there but damn, has anyone ever sounded like this?

Play it Loud! - 89%

AussieReaper, July 15th, 2005

For those who are unfamiliar with this power metal symphony, they are none other than Satan. Former NWOBHM group that changed their name to Blind Fury because of the reference to the devil that they clearly didn’t portray. This legendary group is responsible for Satan “Court in the Act” which you will not find in a store and less likely for under $50 on ebay and other similar auctions. In fact the last auction I saw went for $125. All that for a CD you say?

Do it loud 9/10
A strong opener with a standout riff that is similar in a way to “trial by fire”, excellently sung and well structured. A very catchy chorus nonetheless, I really like the lyrics in this and can honestly say there is nothing cheesy about the title.

Out of Reach 8/10
Synthesisers used in this intro and superb vocals. Lou Taylor, an unknown through the eyes of the web shows us he may not be “Brian Ross”, but he certainly has what it takes to shatter a glass or two with his unique instrumental vocal chords. This song isn’t as catchy as the first but rest assure, a couple listens and you’ll be hooked.

Evil eyes 7/10
Probably one of the lesser popular tunes although sung brilliantly the riffs are still pretty cool and maintain my interest.

Contact Rock and Roll 7.5/10
Not another song with “Rock’ n roll” in the chorus! Its actually not that bad, once again I must stress the absent of cheese metal in this song as their message is purely lets get down and physical on stage. Hence the word contact.

Living on the Edge 7/10
I didn’t really get into this track but found it as equally entertaining, there is some potential guitar work that hasn’t reached its potential.

Dynamo 8/10
A tribute to Holland’s Dynamo, what better way to show their appreciation than a killer song. Great backing vocals here with a sign of the good times of the early 80’s.

Back Inside 8/10
Quite catchy with a wicked opening lead that works well. Together with assisted backing vocals this song is one of my favourites.

Dance of the Crimson Lady 8/10
Unique intro to this one, I liked the subtle bass work in this track, sort of a hit of jazz and blues clashing together. This feeling quickly dissolves as the guitar work kicks in, all of a sudden we have a ballad type heavy metal track, enjoy.

If you are a fan of power metal or NWOBHM this should have been in your collection already!