| | Omen Battle Cry CD Omen Discography of CDs
 (4 Customer Reviews)
 |
|
Our Price: $9.79  CDFor Sale Usually ships in 1-2 days
|  |
Many up-and-coming American metal bands of the early 1980s wished they were Iron Maiden, but few came as close to achieving the feat as Los Angeles' Omen with their debut album from 1984, Battle Cry. Although it was also obviously fueled by the nascent acceleration of thrash (look no further than raging opener "Death Rider" for that), the album's steel-bound heart was unquestionably pumped by New Wave of British Heavy Metal blood: from the gritty staccato riffs and pounding war-drums, to the predominant fantasy themes and anthemic choruses gracing such enduring standouts as "Dragon's Breath," the title track, and the heartfelt love song (well, not really) "Be My Wench." True, probably none of the songs on Battle Cry stood out for true originality or groundbreaking invention; but it's pretty nigh impossible to remain unmoved by the fist-pumping, head-banging passion (not to mention red-hot fretwork from guitarist Kenny Powell) behind the likes of "Die by the Blade" and "Bring out the Beast" -- and that must count for something. Heck, even over-the-top closer "In the Arena" is still completely irresistible, no matter a true-blue metal head's age or cynicism; suffice to say Ronnie James Dio would kill to have written it! And yet, because their subsequent albums arguably never matched this first one's consistency, time has not been as kind to Omen's memory as that of, say, the overrated Metal Church, the often ludicrous Manowar, or even well-deserving labelmates Armored Saint. But, for fans of classic American heavy metal looking for a guaranteed mid-'80s delight, there's little chance of a letdown from this release. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
Recording information: Eldorado Studio, Hollywood, CA; Track Record, L.A., CA.
Personnel: J.D. Kimball (vocals); Kenny Powell (guitar, background vocals); Steve Wittig (drums); Jody Henry (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Ron Fair.
Omen Battle Cry Songs | 1. | Death Rider |
| 2. | Axeman, The |
| 3. | Last Rites |
| 4. | Dragon's Breath |
| 5. | Be My Wench |
| 6. | Battle Cry |
| 7. | Die by the Blade |
| 8. | Prince of Darkness |
| 9. | Bring Out the Beast |
| 10. | In the Arena |
|
Battle Cry Music Review Average Rating: (4.8 out of 5 stars)  BEST!!!
just buy it their best album and one of the best in epic metal history!!
Submitted by vagelis (Greece) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Classic Speed Metal
The first Metal Album of Omen is a classical Speed, the best that I heard it.
Submitted by ramiro.ramirez (Miami, Flo, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  the sounds of 80
not excellent album but a good one,the song battle cry is a classic of metal for me.it's a must in my collection.eric
Submitted by Zira099 (quebec,canada)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
The start of the GOOD side of 80s metal
This was one of the first bands/albums to get signed by the fledgling label Metal Blade, and for good reason.
The songwriting was relatively simple and straightforward, but helped to lay the foundation for subsequent metal bands soon to follow, such as Slayer, Overkill, Metallica, Metal Church, Lizzy Borden, Testament, etc...
A great debut, and definitely a sign of things to come from this great band until the first (and best) vocalist's fight with cancer.
Submitted by AncientEntity (CA USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No | Have you heard this album? |  |
Purchase Battle Cry CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Omen Curse / Nightmares CD (1996)
Battle Cry
 $9.69 
| | Omen Warning Of Danger CD (1985)
Battle Cry
$9.69 
Like many of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands that inspired them, the appeal of Omen's songwriting seemed to be inversely proportional to the quality of their recordings. That is, as the band matured and produced ever more polished and technically professional LPs, a certain something was mysteriously lost in some bizarre kind of reverse Faustian bargain. Which is a long way of explaining just why their second album, 1985's Warning of Danger, though clearly superior in scientific terms, was simply not quite as good as its predecessor, 1984's minor classic Battle Cry. Opinions may vary, of course, but the general consensus among critics and fans appears to support this odd contradiction, no matter the presence of quite a few top-notch metal anthems like "Ruby Eyes (Of the Serpent)," "Termination" and the stately "Hell's Gate," being found on ...
| | Metal Church Dark CD (1987)
Battle Cry
$7.69 
Metal Church's excellent debut had impressed critics and fans alike with its ferocious blend of classic metal and thrash. But by the time they released its follow-up, 1986's The Dark, the band seemed to be struggling with their direction and wrestling with internal problems. The fact that they were collectively one of the most unattractive bands ever (even by heavy metal standards) didn't help matters either, especially in image-conscious America, so it was no surprise when the band's appeal remained firmly confined to the metal underground. Which is too bad, since The Dark contained some of the group's best material, including the brutal intensity of "Start the Fire" and "Method to Your Madness," as well as what was probably their best-known song, the astoundingly heavy epic "Watch the Children Play." Extensive touring with Elektra labelmates Metallica had also motivated the band to develop their thrashier inclinations, resulting in vicious moshers like "Ton of Bricks" and "Over My Dead Body." ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
Metal Church's excellent debut had impressed critics and fans alike with its ferocious blend of classic ...
| | Manowar Sign Of The Hammer CD (1985) (Import) United Kingdom
Battle Cry
$9.49
SIGN OF THE HAMMER, the eight track release from Manowar, features "Mountains" and "Oath."
After getting everything right on the previous year's Hail to England, Manowar rushed back into the studio to record 1985's Sign of the Hammer -- and it shows. Despite the return of Hail producer Jack Richardson, the album sounds noticeably flat when compared to its predecessor, seriously dulling the impact of promising cuts like "Thor (The Powerhead)" and "The Oath." Uneven songwriting is also to blame, as becomes painfully obvious on the pair of epics contained here: the Vietnam tale "Mountains" ...
| | Venom Black Metal CD (1982)
Battle Cry
$10.39
Newcastle natives Venom had exploded across the U.K. in 1981, unleashing one of the most reviled, unapproachable, and, well, toxic debuts in rock history with their landmark Welcome to Hell opus. An unprecedented example of sonic excess applied to the lowest fidelity recording available (or even imaginable), the album wielded its satanic subject matter and uncontrolled speed like a weapon against all that was considered tasteful and refined in music -- a true Frankenstein's Monster, even by heavy metal standards. Needless to say, it was ruthlessly derided and ultimately doomed commercially, but amazingly influential nevertheless, sowing the seeds of much that would be referred to as "extreme metal" in the coming decades. Released hot upon the heels of this first assault came Venom's nearly as crucial second album, 1982's Black Metal, whose title alone still lends itself to the most uncompromising ...
| | Exciter Heavy Metal Maniac CD (1983)
Battle Cry
$10.69
| | Dan Fogelberg Something Old, New, Borrowed & Some Blues CD (2000)
Battle Cry
$11.19
| | Ozzy Osbourne Live & Loud CDs (1993)
Battle Cry
$16.09
"I Don't Want To Change The World" won the 1994 Grammy Award for "Best ...
| | Virginia Sweet Conscience CD (2000)
Battle Cry
$12.95
| | Devlin Grand Death Opening CD (2003)
Battle Cry
$19.79
The debut album by Swedish Goth metal duo Devlin is a surprisingly ...
| | Frost Melodica CD (2003)
Battle Cry
$10.49
| | Ram Rider Portable Disco CD (2006) Import
Battle Cry
$20.95
| | Pava Traumpaare Der Oper Vol. CD (Import)
Battle Cry
$26.29
| | Gionata L'Uomo E Lo Spazio CD (2007)
Battle Cry
$21.55
Indie, giusto al di là del confine.Non si tratta di un confine musicale. È qualcosa di molto più materiale: Gionata viene infatti da Lugano, nella Svizzera italiana. Sarà per questo che la sua musica si lascia etichettare con difficoltà ? Boh, però il dato di fatto è questo: lui suona qualcosa che sta nel solco del rock indipendente made in Italy, però ci aggiunge un tocco d'elettronica artigianale e un certo gusto per sonorità acustiche.Tutto quanto al servizio di testi (Gionata scrive anche quelli) che giocano con il surreale, ma che se devono prendere una posizione lo fanno in modo chiaro e diretto.L'esordio è per il 2001, con il disco "Mi Sono Acceso", però i sui inizi risalgono all'inizio degli anni Novanta, complici una quantità di gruppi e in modo particolare gli Isolati Piovaski, coi quali ottiene bei riscontri di pubblico e critica.È anche grazie a questi precedenti se Sony Music Italy decide di metterlo sotto contratto quando se lo ritrova per le mani in modalità solista, dopo un po' di tempo passato a comporre in una soffitta trasformata in piccolo laboratorio musicale.È così che si arriva all'esordio di "Mi Sono Acceso", prodotto insieme a Gianni Maroccolo (che ha lavorato con band tipo Litfiba e CSI).Nel 2002 ...
|
|
|
20793 
Email a Friend
