Into Battle

Brocas Helm, along with other 80s epic metal acts like Manowar, Cirith Ungol, and Manilla Road, had huge importance in helping lay the foundation for the epic heavy metal genre as a whole, but even among such company they've always kind of been the "odd man out," with a tendency towards shorter songs that feel like a quick burst of energy and relies on more of a punk DIY ethos even while singing about castles, dragons, and medieval warriors. Honestly, despite bearing more resemblance to Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy than they do to any of the early US acts (Sacred Rite being the one major exception to this), it wouldn't be unfair to label them "the non-USPM band that every single USPM fan loves." So what's so unique about their sound, and what led to them being largely lumped in with the USPM scene despite bearing little resemblance to it and being an outlier even among the collection of oddballs that shaped epic heavy metal? We'll investigate that today by listening to Brocas Helm's first release, 1984's Into Battle.

We start off with "Metallic Fury," a love letter of sorts to the heavy metal genre, and despite clocking in at just over three minutes we're met with a 45-second intro, making the actual song the shortest on the album, though it uses every second to its advantage, throwing down some fast, simple, catchy riffs atop which vocalist Bobbie Wright (who's also playing said riffs, it should be noted) wields an equally simple, gruff midrange which is more of a stylized, melodious shout than true "singing" as such. While Brocas Helm could have chosen to employ a full-on wailer a la Geoff Tate, Wright's performance fits the music perfectly despite being technically "bad" and would probably sound terrible in most other metal bands, and the fact that the band is a functioning three-piece adds to the tightness of their sound, feeling more like a fun jam band laying down spur-of-the-moment creations which wouldn't be possible to create out of a more technical, refined writing process.

While they certainly weren't the first metal band to employ this kind of process, one could argue they popularized it within the US traditional metal scene, certainly giving more of a stripped-down, DIY atmosphere than most other acts of their kind who usually saw more vocal theatrics, flashy soloing, and deliberate song structures involved. Among bands circling the USPM scene, Brocas Helm easily had the most "live band" feel of the bunch, although despite having a very no-frills sounds, the album's production still holds up fairly well almost 40 years later, as everything is pretty clear and even less "muddy" than some of their USPM peers, with a clearly audible bass throughout that plays a big part in their overall sound. In fact, the bass lines provide an extra counterpoint to the rhythm guitar that really helps supplement the overall sound since Wright's vocals often lack a coherent melody, providing the band a "fuller" sound that, with the aid of short, concise songs, makes sure the listener is never bored throughout this 30-minute explosion of sound.

The band obviously takes its compositional process from the punk scene, but its biggest metal influence is clearly early Maiden, with the galloping riffs, frequent use of "dueling" guitar harmonies (and sometimes a similar form of play between rhythm guitar and bass), and gruff vocals that are more than serviceable but leave no doubt as to where the want the listener's focus (hint: it's the guitars). In fact, I doubt the band would be associated with the USPM scene at all if it weren't for A) the fantasy lyrics, and B) the time and place that the band started, much like how bands with wildly different styles got labeled NWOBHM because they were British metal acts in the early 80s. While perhaps their sound isn't too far afield from something like Omen's Battle Cry, which wears its NWOBHM influences on its sleeve and features pretty gruff barbarian vocals, the only bands of the era it truly resembles are Cirith Ungol, whose vocals are similarly amelodic much of the time and would sound terrible anywhere else, and Sacred Rite, which also features galloping riffs and prominent bass, though their vocals are more traditional.

However, their influence can clearly be seen across many modern acts like Slough Feg, (Mega) Colossus, and Traveler, and were clearly an important band for many people, such as the organizer of Keep it True, who got them to headline the first year of the festival, and Tim Schafer, who was behind the 2009 PS3/Xbox 360 game Brutal Legend, on which Brocas Helm's music was featured, and after listening to Into Battle, it's not hard to see why. There's not a bad track to be found, and while there are more ambitious and technically skilled bands out there, this is one of the most fun and headbangable experiences to be had from the genre, so if you're looking to start listening to this band, look no further than this album! If you don't break out into a grin when Bobbie Wright's starts belting out Blackness is my music, Dark silver my guitar... then you probably don't have any business reading metal reviews! Into Battle rules. Period.

Either Brocas Helm are amazing geniuses, or the luckiest musicians alive. Somehow, through this fucking mess of distortion, terrible production, and weak, ridiculous vocals complete with occasional faux British accent, they managed to create an album with an atmosphere genuinely MEDIEVAL. Not just about the Middle Ages, or evocative of them, this actually sounds like the Middle Ages in all its chaotic violent glory; the guitars are vicious, abrasive, ugly, sloppy, messy. Grittier than a blacksmith's ass and twice as hairy. They play an eccentric, deformed Frankenstein of NWOBHM, 70s rock, and vaguely minstrel-ish melodies rife with dual leads, solos, and greasy barroom riffs. The bass occasionally triples in volume and plays a lead or two (really, listen to "Warriors of the Dark"). The production sounds like you're hearing the band practice downstairs below your bathroom, with the sound filtering up through the plumbing. The vocals sound like an average guy off the street is talking melodically a millimeter from the mic; no power at all. It shouldn't work. It has no right to. But guess what? It does anyway. The whole thing has this sloppy charm to it, a manic energy which animates this shambling horror like a lightning bolt from hell. Unsurprisingly, it's very hard to get into, easy to pass over as cacophony or a barely decent novelty.

If you imagine a three-way between early Manilla Road, Dianno-era Iron Maiden, and Cirith Ungol with some Motorhead thrown in you'll get a bit of an idea. I hear some Riot in their rockier riffs too, like in "Warriors of the Dark". Their song structures are strange and interesting, epic and convoluted. "Dark Rider" starts off energetic and fun, then when you think it's over a bass lead opens the coda: a melancholy medieval instrumental. Plenty of songs build up, but building down in such an abrupt fashion is just bizarre. "Into the Ithilstone" has a moody, reserved chorus with breaks between for rocking riff exposition. "Beneath a Haunted Moon" is almost doom metal, with slow riffs punctuated by tom fills and "featuring" practically muttered vocals, contrasting with rock leads and some good ol' NWOBHM gallop. The dual-leads are fantastic, such as the ones opening the title track and ending "Dark Rider". The rhythm section also bears mentioning, as each member pulls his weight; the bass is often given the spotlight and the drummer plays interesting and inventive fills, never predictable.

The most important part of Brocas Helm, however, is the atmosphere. Somehow, out of all this arises a powerful feeling; to call it "epic" would be obvious, but that's what it is. The other side to the violent chaotic nature of the Middle Ages is, of course, its honor, heroism, and humanity. The chorus of "Ravenwreck", with that guitar solo playing over the main riff...despite hard rockin' tendencies, the feelings evoked here are generally pretty melancholy. The protagonist to the title track is a Lancelot-style tragic character, loving the queen of his king whom he now must fight against with his halberd and laser. "Ravenwreck" tells the story of a guy who practiced rock 'n' roll until he died, and now he eternally sails the seas on a ghost ship packed with electric guitars and amplifiers, for some reason or another. Folks, if you think I'm joking, read the lyrics. Kafka on acid couldn't make this stuff up. They explicitly weave metal into their songs of myth and fantasy such that it becomes indistinguishable from them; normally I hate metal metasongs, but here they execute them in a deft and original way and it works (well, except "Here to Rock", the album's only blunder). "Metallic Fury" for example features lyrics rife with strong imagery and metaphor, without ever devolving into Manowarisms, while in "Warriors of the Dark" the hero slays the dragon with his guitar and a killing chord. Yes, it sounds silly in synopsis, but the lyrics are genuinely well-written; to me, that is one of the strangest parts of the band. Who would guess the musicians who came up with this lurching abrasive music could write about ridiculous concepts so poetically? It's the lyrics above all that convince me that yes, Brocas Helm knew what they were doing. Plenty of bands, even some of the best, clearly fumble around with ideas they only dimly comprehend consciously, but Brocas Helm had something very specific in mind, something they succeeded in conveying. The triumph and tragedy inherent in the epic legends of old are made new again.

The songs afire inside me
Atingle with my fears
Will blaze and shriek a silence
That only you can hear

Brocas Helm are one of those true heavy metal bands from the United States, like Manilla Road, who don't nearly get the credit they deserve. While "Into Battle" may not be the most original piece of trad metal I've ever heard, it's done very convincingly and with style.

Fans of NWOBHM take heed, for this bares a striking resemblance to a lot of what was going on in England a mere couple of years previously. You have your ocasional guitar harmonies, well played solos, and riffs that run the gamut from all out rocking to epic. I would say that this reminds me of Angel Witch a little, and there are also some nods to Iron Maiden, Motorhead and...well, I'm not sure if they actually predated this band or not, but Omen might be another good reference point. A few of the songs sort of drift by, but on the other hand you can't help but be grabbed by songs like "metallic fury", one of the better all-out rockers, and the epic "Beneath a Haunted Moon". The absolute stand-out for me has got to be "Dark Rider", one of the best heavy metal songs I've heard in a very long while. While I've mentioned similarities to quite a few other bands, I do think Brocas Helm has a very quirky sound in some ways. I'm not musically versed enough to say exactly what that is, but some of the riffs have a rather off-kilter feel to them, without being atonal or badly played or anything like that. It's clearly a purposeful effect that adds to the ominous nature of "Dark Rider" and a few of the other tracks. Ocasionally, the playing has a slightly folky touch to it, but it's very subtle, though particularly notable in the vocal and bass intro to the final track. The weak point here has got to be the vocals, which unfortunately sound like a less raspy and less impassioned (though I'll admit he can hit a lot more notes) Lemmy Killmeister. Still, the vocals don't aggravate me or anything..I just tend to ignore them, since the other instruments usually carry their own melodies quite adequately. The bass is nice and loud and does quite a few solo parts, which is a nice touch in metal when it's done right, and leads are just all over the place on this album, so those who can't stand guitar soloing had better steer clear.

Right...maybe not exactly classic, and some of the rockers don't quite work for me...but when this band is in their epic, slightly strange mood, they really sound quite captivating. Note that when I say epic in this case, I don't mean long, sprawling compositions..I don't think any of the songs here are over six minutes in length, but they sometimes use a pretty extensive set of riffs in these tunes and this, in conjunction with the atmosphere they set up, gives a real sense of scope and breadth that other bands would sometimes take ten minutes just to hint at. I think this latter point may be one of Brocas Helm's greatest strengths. Do check this out if you are at all enthusiastic about '80s "true heavy metal"...my guess is that you won't be disappointed.