Ridiculous cover art aside (WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!?! First the WOLF album cover, and now this - has someone decreed that all "true metal" must now look as if it were designed by a graduate of the Jerrys Kids School of Album Covers?), this is a pretty entertaining album, although a bit redundant musically. Metalucifer is made up of past and present Sabbat members doing the "traditional" metal thing, and as far as this type of stuff goes, it's pretty damn good. The vocals grated on me at times - I would have preferred a "rougher" tone to them (as displayed on the track "Headbanging"), and the production is a little on the flat side of things, but I've never been particularly fickle about that sort of thing so I can live with it. The best thing about this album is the general vibe to it - it's about as honest sounding as you can get. No bullshit, no pretentiousness, just a genuine love for metal in it's purest form - and that counts for a lot in my books. Another plus - the lead guitar work is smoking (not from an originality or a technical stand point, but from a sheer "rocking" perspective)...

Bottom line - ask yourself "do I crave a traditional metal fix ?" - if the answer is yes, then you could do a lot worse for yourself than "Heavy Metal Drill" - it's got all the right components, and at times it manages to really strike a chord (both "Headbanging" and "Metalucifer" (the pre-requisite Maidenesque instrumental) had me pining for metals glory days - a sure sign that the band is doing something right). Pick this up, but you had better hurry as it's strictly limited to 1000 numbered copies.

© 2000 chorazaim