Warning of Danger

Despite the rising of the thrash metal scene, my metal buddy and me did not really think about sub genres. The situation was very simple. Here were the good ones like us (the thrashers), there were the pepped up assholes called posers. Omen belonged to the first group. Of course, we realized that they were less aggressive than true thrash metal bands like Exodus or Slayer. Honestly speaking, the band played power metal with some small thrash influences. Yet their sound left an authentic impression and avoided any kind of ridiculous knickknack. Omen were heavy, inspired, sometimes slightly melancholic and they had an own identity. Their mix of almost cosy yet heavily pounding numbers like "Don't Fear the Night" and more rapid pieces which were in particular represented by "Termination" resulted in a strong album. One of its most amazing features was its maturity. Omen did not try to score with cheap shock effects or something like that. They stood proud under the banner of true metal without making stupid grimaces.

This does not mean that they avoided any kind of metal clichés. A text line like "March on metal warriors" did not reveal the highest art of poetry. But Omen did not really need these striking elements. Better still, J.D. Kimball (R.I.P.) had the gift to offer even tacky lines in a dignified manner. His brilliant voice had a natural seriousness. He was really a singer in its literal meaning and his mature approach constituted an important element of "Warning of Danger". Not to mention the fact that his style went hand in hand with the warm, likewise serious and natural production.

Apart from a few lyrics, the band was not at risk to drown in the swamp of metal stereotypes. Instead, already the opening title track indicated Omen's independence. It began with an almost discreet part, before the song transformed into a melodic number whose rhythm was located in the middle of mid-tempo and up-tempo. This was remarkable, because a lot of fairly comparable bands followed the trend to start their albums with the most rapid piece. (Incidentally, the only formation that was successful with this approach were the hyped guys with the garrulous Danish drummer who actually wanted to become a tennis star. Strange story!) Omen did not give a damn about contemporary conventions. It is therefore a fact that "Warning of Danger" presents a timeless work. It cannot hide the fact that it was born in the eighties, but it does not show any signs of deterioration. What makes thing even better is that the album failed to deliver a filler. All songs reached a solid level and, of course, some of them stood out.

The aforementioned title track was a very representative piece, because it built on the mix of melodic guitars and an appropriately heavy riffing. The desperate longing of J.D. Kimball, especially during the complaining chorus, the dragging rhythm and the woeful guitar lines ennobled "Make Me Your King". "Red Horizon" followed a quicker approach and its chorus was also convincing. But however, the best tracks were "Don't Fear the Night" with its irresistible drive and, with regard to its unleashed power, "Termination". Well, at the end of this song, a "robot" constantly repeated "Terminate" and he sounded rather like a frog. But this more or less funny detail did not cause any damage. Contrariwise, the somewhat unobtrusive instrumental at the end of the A side was upstaged by the other tracks.

The verbal fights between posers and thrashers are a thing of the past. Aside from resentful geezers like me, nobody misses this foolish conflict. Anyway, one thing is certain. Omen, at least in the condition that was shown on "Warning of Danger", belong to the good ones. Power metal maniacs may add ten percentage points.

USPM was such a short and area-specific movement that very few bands emerged with more than one classic album; or even more than one decent album. Originally overshadowed by the NWOBHM, thrash would take over in popularity before USPM really had a chance to get off the ground. Only a couple of bands would gain even remote commercial success (Queensryche, Fates Warning, Jag Panzer), and only a handful of others would go on to achieve any significant level of recognition. Omen were one of those bands, and with good reason - Battle Cry is one of the pinnacles of USPM, and the following two albums were nearly as good. Only a few other bands were able to produce three or more quality albums - Helstar, Manilla Road, Shok Paris, Virgin Steele, and Liege Lord are pretty much the extent of that list. That said, Manilla Road and Virgin Steele are the only bands in that last to release three or more albums classic enough to be comparable to Omen's first three. From '84-'86, Omen stood as probably the strongest pillar of USPM in existence.

One of the greatest things about Omen is vocalist J.D. Kimball. Along with Harry Conklin and Patrick Brown (Oblivion), Kimball was one of the strongest blue collar USPM singers of the 80s. His powerful, gruff, roaring midrange is just about the most battle-thirsty thing out there, and while his level of pure testosterone doesn't quite match that of Conklin's performance on Ample Destruction, it's about as close as you can get, and the savage bite to his voice is second to none. Although his delivery here is a bit more melodic than it was on Battle Cry, it's by no means inferior, and it fits the slicker, more power metal approach better. Whereas the previous album had a big NWOBHM influence, that's pretty much taken out here, with more of a Metal Church influence in its place.

Warning of Danger is both less consistent and less aggressive than Battle Cry, but that doesn't stop it from kicking some serious ass. The main problem is that Warning has some filler; instrumentals "V.B.P." and "Premonition" are pretty skippable, and ballad "Don't Fear the Night", while pretty decent, detract from the fierceness of the album as a whole. The anthemic "March On" is also less than stellar, with a distinct lack of riffs compared to what we're used to with Omen, and a general shallowness that's just not up to par. However, the rest of the album is pretty damn good, with riffs and harmonies out the ass, and consistent charisma from Kimball.

While the songs are pretty similar to one another, there are some darker songs present here, particularly "Termination" and "Make Me Your King" - these bear more resemblance to The Curse than anything else. Both are quite solid, with the former being excellent and the latter merely good. The only song that really matches the tempo of Battle Cry is the title track, which is easily one of the best songs on the album, with the headbangable main riff and catchy chorus. "Ruby Eyes", "Red Horizon", and "Hell's Gates" are more midpaced and a bit brighter, with a glorious rather than dangerous tinge. "Hell's Gates" is probably the best song on the album, with a strong penchant for melody in the bass, guitar, and vocal lines, and one of the best bridges of all time, not to mention the killer soloing. Overall, despite a bit of filler, the album is quite strong, and while not Omen's best, it can still hold its own with most other USPM albums. Highly recommended.

Omen was one of those reliable bands who fleshed out the Metal Blade Records roster in the early to mid 80s. You could not go wrong with the band's first three albums, all positive uses of the Maiden influence, taking the lessons taught by that band and applying them to a heavier style with J.D. Kimball's distinct, deep vocals. Until they released the questionable, somber (though not bad) hard rock record Escape to Nowhere, they were really on top of their game.

Warning of Danger was their 2nd album, and a melodic juggernaught with a powerful bottom end, each track a thundering hymn with a soaring chorus. The title track is perhaps the most distinct, and a great choice to open the album. Kimball's vocals were really like no other, and the rhythm guitars flow into the explosive chorus, with some great drumming from Steve Wittig. Other memorable cuts include "Don't Fear the Night", with its balladic intro, "Termination", which is the heaviest track on the album, and the rousing "Red Horizon". The remainder of the tracks are at the least consistent, there is nothing to scoff at. The mix is even, in Maiden fashion you can hear the bass pummeling clearly and though Kimball stands out the most, the drums and guitars are fairly loud. The lyrics are average, nothing I'd want to quote. Overall, the album is the same quality as their debut Battle Cry, but I'd give that one a slight edge out of sheer nostalgia.

Highlights: Warning of Danger, Termination, Red Horizon

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

If you don't know Omen, then you're really missing out, and you shouldn't call yourself a metalhead until you've heard their first two albums. They were never a particularly original band, but they did kick ass. They kicked a whole lot of ass, in fact, playing a bare-knuckles, riffy, Iron Maidenish style of traditional heavy metal with the rough and ready, muscular vocals of the late J.D. Kimball at the helm, belting out some of the catchiest choruses you'll ever hear. This is one of those bands that just screams "METAL!" from every pore and opening. Omen lived and breathed heavy metal, and this album will never grow old, wither or die; escaping the clutches of Father Time by miles and miles. I've been playing this for a few weeks now, and it just keeps getting better.

People always call Battle Cry Omen's best album, but if you ask me, this is the best they ever got. Yeah, the debut was definitely a classic, but this one just overshadows it in every way possible. It's longer, and with way more variety between songs than on Battle Cry, where every song pretty much fell into the same mold all the way through. The songs here are easily distinguishable and much catchier than the debut, and the songwriting itself is polished up to a shimmering, Iron Maidenesque gloss that gives the whole thing a sense of coherence and balance. Not one track here is a dud, at all. We get anthemic headbangers like the title track, "March On," and the double-whammy heavy metal assault of "Make Me Your King" and "Red Horizon." Then we get faster cuts, like the speedy, power metal styled "Ruby Eyes (of the Serpent)," the fiery mini epic "Don't Fear the Night," and the monstrous chorus of the blazing heavy metal classic "Termination," which just flat out fucking kills, stupid lyrics aside. We get an instrumental titled "V.B.P.," which recalls Iron Maiden's old days with a healthy dose of fire and fury, and while I may not have a clue what it stands for, it does serve as a well-placed heavy metal kick in the teeth. "Hell's Gates" closes things off with grandeur and class, and it's pretty much a ballad, but it's possibly the best song the band ever wrote, with Kimball's powerful operatic tenor lifting the song to celestial heights. As I said, there are no duds to be found here; every song rules.

It's tough to review a band like this, since there's so little to say about such a basic yet pleasing style of heavy metal. Warning of Danger is endlessly replayable and hooky as fuck, and if you have a shred of metal in you, it's a given that you'll love this. Go get it, right now.

“…shake the earth without a tear, all are running lost with fear…”

I had hoped the follow-up to Omen's mesmerizing debut would bring as much comfort to me as the new vinyl smell that escaped the newly opened shrink-wrap. Well, actually I was hoping for a bit more. With Battle Cry, I think Kenny Powell got the point of his creation across to everyone who bothered to listen, including Christian Logue over in his former band Savage Grace. By this time, SG was in the midst of a solid and enjoyable Maiden meltdown with Master of Disguise, and while it’s obvious Omen isn’t clear of IM inspiration, I wouldn’t exactly call the clone police. Outside tribute bands, no one really wants to sound like an aural mirror image of another artist, especially a more popular one (except maybe Logue), and perhaps Powell had seen that coming with SG. Of the two bands, who has better stood the test of time?

The unchanged line-up is, well, a good omen, but I still wasn’t completely convinced the band’s sophomore slab would be as stellar or as quietly convincing…is the snake on the cover a biblical message of deceit? The initial moments are soft and elegant as the title cut intrudes on the silence, master throatsman J.D. Kimball’s semi-narration is strong and knightly, and the track erupts with quick moving catchiness and a dynamic chorus that is authentic Omen. Cool, I can breathe again. Admittedly, my biggest fear was that Kimball’s vocals had strayed, flying awry of his passionate melodramatic style into something more akin to latter day beltsander Bobby Ellsworth or, gasp, even a hollered hardcore headache that would surely have me clutching my chest. A marching bass gait kicks off “March On” and its slow disciplined rhythm section, bowing to the anthemic chorus… ‘march on, metal warriors…’ and setting the table for “Ruby Eyes (Of the Serpent)”, a tune that has all the essentials of a great song; driving pace, memorable rhythms, electrified chorus, competent solos, and the band's near-patented air of conquest. In the vein of the debut’s “In the Arena”, “Don’t Fear the Night” starts out subdued and courtly, then develops to something that never enlivens past a slow/mid-pace, but these idle steps conjure a more impending, infectious demeanor that’s more classy than creative. The wordless “V.B.P” ties complimentary Maiden-like riffs and a shedding of acoustics with high gear tandem guitar virtuoso doing most of the work.

The keyboard fuzz of “Premonition” is the short, Valhalla-strengthened introduction to side two as well as a preamble to the boiling “Termination” and its forceful cyborg lust, a true powerbroker of the lp. Changing lanes like the pros they are, “Make Me Your King” deepens the pace to an impartial plod while only rediscovering speed in a variety-evoking burst, mainly because the epic “Red Horizon” siphons most of it for its own churning power supply. Bold and elegiac is Kimball’s vocal dispatch, unflinchingly hugging the curves even when the rhythmic fervor hits the brakes for an abrupt, venturesome lull. Trying to reenact the closing of Battle Cry, “Hell’s Gate” is calm bordering on articulate, aided liberally by more of Kimball’s soothing tenor, and while the song isn’t a bad one, it ends the lp with the listener anticipating one more fistful of valorous grace waiting in the wings, but never takes off.

With Warning of Danger’s final notes drifting off into space, it’s important to know the four-piece didn’t blunder into the populated quagmire of the disappointingly ordinary; the snake in that vast swamp didn’t rise to bite them or their fans where the sun shines only on a nude beach. And while it’s probably not in the 90%+ class, it’s certainly something all fans of early Omen will want to hear.