Holy Moses – 30th Anniversary – In the Power of Now (SPV Records)
Monday, 25th March 2013
Hard to figure out what the real purpose of 30th Anniversary – In the Power of Now is, for Holy Moses have long been a b-league female-fronted thrash band, meaning there’s no hit or hits to be found. One would figure that because of singer Sabrina Classen’s imposing uh, “figure,” the Germans would hover around Doro and/or Arch Enemy territory, but they’re nowhere close. This compilation of 20 re-recorded old songs and two new songs do spell out the gist of what Holy Moses’s problem is – they’re really not all that remarkable.
We’ll give credit to Classen for at least ushering in the feral, ugly side of female vocals. She’s as frothy as they come, usually with not even a feminine undertone to her vocals (with Arch Enemy’s Angel Gossow, you at least get the sense she’s a chick). This lends to a certain parallel thread to most of the album’s tracks, for once the d-beat and sub-Slayer riffs are laid down, you can figure out where things are headed. We won’t discount the bull rush of “Lost in the Mace” or “Welcome to the Real World,” though.
Due to our unfamiliarity with the band’s back catalog (read: you can find most of Holy Moses’s albums via import), the re-recordings have their usefulness. The ragged punk chants on “I Feel Sick” head into groove territory with powerful effect, while the oddly-titled “Nothing For My Mum” has a distinct Destruction-on-South of Heaven feel, making it probably the most potent track of the bunch. However, the two new cuts (“Borderland” and “Entering the Now”) blend listlessly into the scenery, making one wonder why they were recorded at all.
As a regular middle-of-the-bill act in Europe, Holy Moses have been able to peddle their thrash wares for over 30 years with varying degrees of success. Methinks if they were an American act, they would have folded up their tents a long time ago, yet their German homeland is more forgiving than us Yankees, and will probably gobble up 30th Anniversary – In the Power of Now without any hesitation.
(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)
