In 1985 after a decade and a half of line-up changes and all kinds of drug fueled antics (mostly from singer and only consistent member Bobby Liebling) Virginia doom metal band Pentagram finally put out their debut album Pentagram (though in 1993 it was rereleased as Relentless on Peaceville Records) on their own with no record label to back them. While this made things difficult for them, they still slowly managed to push their way forward and leave a lasting legacy among the heavy metal community.
You can definitely hear the Black Sabbath influence in the tracks on this album, but by this point Pentagram was a lot less of the Sabbath clone that they had started off being in the early-mid 70's. The tone on the guitar had more of outer space meets Satan kind of vibe and the rhythm section was a lot more booming and rumbling. That said, the lyrics are still NOT pro-Satan if you are worried but take the time to actually listen.
Sign of the Wolf is one of the more pushing, fast pace tunes on Pentagram. You can tell that this is where the band was really coming into their own in terms of sound and not necessarily trying to copy off their influences. It definitely sounds a lot more evil than most of what was being put out at that time. I definitely dig the vocal melody on the chorus. Something about it sticks in my head even more than the guitar riff. It's definitely a headbanger and I'd dare say a tune to crank while speeding down the highway with the wind blowing through your hair at night.
Relentless is another good one to crank at 11, though then again the whole album is made up of tracks like that. That riff will get stuck in your head the moment it comes on, even more so than Sign of the Wolf. This is a song where you definitely hear the Black Sabbath influence, but it's like they blasted it into the stratosphere. It's faster, bolder, and more daring in some respects. Liebling's voice is incredibly bewitching and you'll be unable to think of much of anything else aside from the riff for a while after listening to this tune.
Pentagram (Relentless) is definitely an under rated classic as far as I'm concerned. It's a shame that only just now when Liebling is getting up there in years is the band getting a bit of the fame, fortune, and opportunities that they truly deserve. It does help though that Liebling cleaned up his act and did a complete 180, though. That said, you should definitely check this out if you're looking for some metal that hasn't been played to death either on the radio or at festivals.
Pentagram (Relentless), by Pentagram receives 3.75 out of 5 stars.
Track List:
1. Death Row
2. All Your Sins
3. Sign of the Wolf (Pentagram)
4. The Ghoul
5. Relentless
6. Run My Course
7. Sinister
8. The Deist
9. You're Lost I'm Free
10. Dying World
11. 20 Buck Spin
Buy the album on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Relentless-Pentagram/dp/B0015ME08U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503024754&sr=8-1&keywords=Pentagram+Relentless
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