I
have a rather complicated relation to this album. After my personal Doom-revelation
with CANDLEMASS, SOLITUDE's (later SOLITUDE AETERNUS) demos and the 1st
STILLBORN LP in the late 80's, my eyes and ears were in constant Doom
Metal Detection-mode. The name DRUID popped up in some mag/zine and I
spent a considerable amount of time searching for their "Vampire
Cult" album. When I finally got to give it a spin in a record store
my initial response was that of disappointment. The high-pitched voice
of Eric Sager sounded terribly out-of-place to my relatively picky ears
back then and hardly inspired some more thorough listening. It wasn't
until a year ago that I found it dirt-cheap enough to give it another
try. This time I enjoyed it a lot more, but still the knowledge of that
very rare original private pressing floating around in the cold, dark
dimension of Overpriced Records bugged me. It's a bloody TYPICAL collector
idiocy to think that a record will somehow sound and feel different only
because you play the version with the extra zero at the end of the price
tag, but I've never claimed to be a particularly sane person when it comes
to Metal collecting. Or otherwise. However, the totally MENTAL cover art
of the Crossbone Records-version does merit some extra study, and when
you compare the wicked, gloomy
original
line-up shot with the gay disgrace of the
Black
Dragon-version you also get a very good example of how trend-sensetive
managers at the time ruined the image and credibility of alot of bands.
When I got the opportunity to trade myself a copy of the "legendary"
original at KIT III (cheers Mr Daub!) I took it and now I can finally
give this album it's last chance to impress me.
DRUID's music is a rather unique blend of downtuned, St VITUS/THE OBSESSED-like
guitars, songstructures and tempo a la early M FATE and a nasal, wailing
Rob Halford on vocals (still their weakest link I'm afraid). The heavier,
PENTAGRAM-like "Twin Towers" and "Dark Travel" shows
glimpses Doom Metal greatness, but as a whole "Vampire Cult"
could have benefited greatly by dropping the tempo a gear or two. Only
on the excellent "Brand New Messiah" does their speedy aspirations
work to their advantage. Still, the 1.5 minute Thrash-spoof "The
Joker" is surprisingly more enjoyable than you'd think. DISCHARGE
in a bloody clown suit, how eerie is that!? Finally, "Nitemare"
should not go unmentioned. A swingin' US-Metal ditty sounding like OMEN
demo leftovers. The rest, apart from the excellent, pounding Doom-riff
that start off the record, is... er... what's that word again? Forgettable?
Had this been the long lost '82 demo tape of the kind of insanely obscure,
cultist, suicidal small-town band it sounds like, they'd be hyped to death
by now, with a number of colored vinyl reissues on Black Widow records
and namedropped by everyone and his dog with any self-proclaimed doom-cred.
Now all DRUID receive is the shrug of shoulders that they, in a way, deserve.
Not that this in any way will stop this Obscure 80's Semi-Doom Completist
Bastard from searching high & low for their über-rare "
Four
Curses" debut EP of '84.