Deadly Blessing - Ascend From The Cauldron
Deadly Blessing - Ascend From The Cauldron
\r\nThe ’80s American power metal scene left behind some extraordinary albums by bands that, in their majority, in the wake of their masterpieces failed to make further artistic and mainly commercial success. One of those bands is Deadly Blessing and one of albums such as those referred above is “Ascend From The Cauldron”.
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\r\nDeadly Blessing were formed in 1985 in Turnersville NJ and their lineup consisted of guitarists Tony Cerr and Tom Bach, bassist Mick Mitcell, drummer Wallie Kellie and a phenomenal vocalist by the name of Norman Kiersznowski, who quickly changed it to the more easily pronounced Ski. After lots of rehearsals and live shows, Deadly Blessing had already began to form their sound and finally in 1987 they managed to record and self - release their self titled EP (known also as the Salem’s Lot EP). That E.P. drew the attention of Ann Boleyn, singer in also American heavy metal band Hellion and owner of New Renaissance Records, home of many great US power metal bands, especially during the ’80s. With New Renaissance’s support, Deadly Blessing released in 1988 their first (and last until today) full length album, entitled “Ascend From The Cauldron”, which contained songs that had already appeared in the E.P., along with some new material.
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\r\nThe recipe that was used for the creation of “Ascend From The Cauldron” seemed simple but at the same time was difficult to execute. That’s because Deadly Blessing managed to combine with the best possible way the melodies and vocals of the American power metal sound with the speed of thrash metal and all these through a heavyweight sound that many of the so called “big names” of the time would envy. The songs are crushing and are based on great, almost breathtaking, riffs that grab the listener by the neck from start to end. The bass and drums play an important role in this heavyweight sound that was mentioned above, since the really good production of the album lets them unleash their full power. However, the part of the album that immediately drew the attention of the listeners was Ski’s almost… alien vocals, which could only be compared with the ones by John Cyriis of Agent Steel. Without avoiding some exaggerations too, Ski sings almost exclusively in high notes, reaching unbelievable heights with his voice and giving a big helping hand to the creation of a really aggressive atmosphere through the album. Of course, apart from the vocals, the album is full of great compositions and even though not all of them stand in the same level, it is still hard to find a song that is obviously inferior to others. Generally the album stand way beyond the average and can look in the eyes of other diamonds of US metal giants (Helstar, Jag Panzer, Titan Force).
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\r\nUnfortunately, despite the initial sensation that “Ascend From The Cauldron” caused, Deadly Blessing did not manage to keep up with their momentum due to the commercial failure of the album, something that naturally raised disappointment within the band and finally led to Ski’s exit from Deadly Blessing. The band continued its struggle with a new singer but with no real impact on the scene. No one knows what would have happened had the band managed to stick together and record more material. What is sure however is that “Ascend From The Cauldron” deserved of a bit more attention rather than be considered just a “cult” album from an equally “cult” band.
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\r\nLambros “Metalshock” Panetas
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\r\nDeadly Blessing were formed in 1985 in Turnersville NJ and their lineup consisted of guitarists Tony Cerr and Tom Bach, bassist Mick Mitcell, drummer Wallie Kellie and a phenomenal vocalist by the name of Norman Kiersznowski, who quickly changed it to the more easily pronounced Ski. After lots of rehearsals and live shows, Deadly Blessing had already began to form their sound and finally in 1987 they managed to record and self - release their self titled EP (known also as the Salem’s Lot EP). That E.P. drew the attention of Ann Boleyn, singer in also American heavy metal band Hellion and owner of New Renaissance Records, home of many great US power metal bands, especially during the ’80s. With New Renaissance’s support, Deadly Blessing released in 1988 their first (and last until today) full length album, entitled “Ascend From The Cauldron”, which contained songs that had already appeared in the E.P., along with some new material.
\r\n
\r\nThe recipe that was used for the creation of “Ascend From The Cauldron” seemed simple but at the same time was difficult to execute. That’s because Deadly Blessing managed to combine with the best possible way the melodies and vocals of the American power metal sound with the speed of thrash metal and all these through a heavyweight sound that many of the so called “big names” of the time would envy. The songs are crushing and are based on great, almost breathtaking, riffs that grab the listener by the neck from start to end. The bass and drums play an important role in this heavyweight sound that was mentioned above, since the really good production of the album lets them unleash their full power. However, the part of the album that immediately drew the attention of the listeners was Ski’s almost… alien vocals, which could only be compared with the ones by John Cyriis of Agent Steel. Without avoiding some exaggerations too, Ski sings almost exclusively in high notes, reaching unbelievable heights with his voice and giving a big helping hand to the creation of a really aggressive atmosphere through the album. Of course, apart from the vocals, the album is full of great compositions and even though not all of them stand in the same level, it is still hard to find a song that is obviously inferior to others. Generally the album stand way beyond the average and can look in the eyes of other diamonds of US metal giants (Helstar, Jag Panzer, Titan Force).
\r\n
\r\nUnfortunately, despite the initial sensation that “Ascend From The Cauldron” caused, Deadly Blessing did not manage to keep up with their momentum due to the commercial failure of the album, something that naturally raised disappointment within the band and finally led to Ski’s exit from Deadly Blessing. The band continued its struggle with a new singer but with no real impact on the scene. No one knows what would have happened had the band managed to stick together and record more material. What is sure however is that “Ascend From The Cauldron” deserved of a bit more attention rather than be considered just a “cult” album from an equally “cult” band.
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\r\n
\r\nLambros “Metalshock” Panetas
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