Finally the vinyl and cd reissue of this awesome Belgian heavy metal classic from 1985.
RELICS FROM THE CRYPT, the sub-label of DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS dedicated to keeping the past alive, is proud to reissue BAD LIZARD’s cult debut album, Power of Destruction, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
One of those great “one and done” curios in the classic metal canon, Belgium’s BAD LIZARD began life in 1980 with a more hard rock-oriented sound on their first single (originally released in 1982) before shifting gears up to proto-power-leaning heavy metal a year later on their next 12” EP. However, it was their 1985 debut album, Power of Destruction, where BAD LIZARD laid down an etched-in-time underground classic and then promptly disappeared as their lineup fell apart and promising tours had to be cancelled. A heavy metal dream lost at the time, but its memory is now being resurrected for a new generation of true metallers hungry for the cultest ‘80s European sounds.
Released by a young Roadrunner Records, BAD LIZARD’s Power of Destruction bore some pretty recognizable similarities to much-bigger bands – the dual-guitar interplay of Judas Priest, the harmonic gallop of Iron Maiden, the cool, dark cruise of Accept – but the way they assimilated these influences spoke volumes about the vitality of the metal underground at the time. Totaling 10 songs in 41 minutes, the album was bursting at the seams with SONGS: each one distinct from the other and imparting a particular mood or texture or tempo, and each one absolutely memorable and passionately played. For a record that wasn’t quite in metal’s “big leagues” at the time, the production is incredible – heavy, atmospheric, and each instrument and especially vocals sizzling with presence and vitality – and that variety of songcraft and the subsequent pacing of the tracklisting made Power of Destruction an album you want to experience beginning to end. Beyond that, BAD LIZARD’s chops here were expertly utilized in service of the song, with the band’s overall execution giving the album a power metal feel despite the taxonomy actually reading “juiced-up traditional metal” more often than not.
As so often happens with a young band, BAD LIZARD began splitting at the seams as touring became too stressful and a suitable replacement for vocalist Eddy Termote could not be found. Even so, the band opened up for the likes of King Diamond, Manowar, Helloween, Destruction, and Agent Steel among others, and the album’s subsequent release netted many positive reviews worldwide, altogether ensuring that BAD LIZARD’s legacy wasn’t a total wash. And now, again on vinyl and for the first time officially on CD, this reissue of Power of Destruction will continue that legacy, receiving a robust remaster courtesy of Patrick Engel at Temple of Disharmony: “Far Away From Home” no longer!
